The first two weeks in a special ed classroom are more than academics. Ideas on what to teach, what to practice, and what you should be doing.
Teaching empathy is important. In the simplest of terms, empathy is the ability to notice, understand, and share the emotions of others. It is a critical social skill for all people to have. In many ways, empathy is the social skill that paves the way for all other social skills. It helps us to take
Learn how to practice rhythms with this budget-friendly and fun rhythm game in your elementary music classroom.
An elementary teaching blog sharing K-3 curriculum resources, teacher tips, fun activities, and inspiration for the lower elementary primary grades.
Teaching empathy is important. In the simplest of terms, empathy is the ability to notice, understand, and share the emotions of others. It is a critical social skill for all people to have. In many ways, empathy is the social skill that paves the way for all other social skills. It helps us to take
Scripture Reference: Exodus 11-12:51 Suggested Emphasis: It is important to obey God’s instructions. Memory Verse: “Love the Lord your God. Obey his orders, rules, laws and commands.” D…
Using movement to enhance student learning has been a big deal in education for years, and with good reason. Research shows that when teachers incorporate movement into their lessons, student interest and motivation increase. There are also measurable improvements to content knowledge.
How can you support the development of self-regulation in kids? This huge resource is full of self-regulation games, information, books, and more!
One of my absolutely favorite things about being a special education teacher was that I had the freedom to design fun and exciting lessons for my students specific to their interests. I never had a curriculum to follow. No one ever told me what books to read to them or what activities I had to
Students with ADHA can be successful in a general education classroom with clear expectations and a few accommodations in place.
Teaching students about respecting personal space (and getting consent) before entering is important - "Personal Space Camp" and practicing the skills is a great way to do it!
What is metacognition? Define metacognitive strategies for reflecting in education, learning & life: definitions, examples, skills & lesson
Cootie catchers are a fun way to practice skills. These 17 quick cootie catcher printables are all free and just might spark some lesson plan ideas. In the classroom there are times where we just need to find creative ways for independent practice to help students master skills.
Teach kids self-regulation in the classroom and beyond with this collection of super fun Zones of Regulation activities, games, worksheets, and lesson plans!
Kids and young adults with ADHD can be extremely bright, creative, and helpful. These are often the learners coming up with new invention ideas, filling up a journal with intricate comic book drawings, and eager to answer all of your questions in class. With that said, learners with ADHD can struggl
two fun games to use in classroom guidance lessons or small group counseling to teach and practice self control strategies -Counselor Keri
Learn what a sensory diet is, how it can benefit your child's learning, focus, behavior, and emotional regulation, and discover which activities should be part of your child’s individual sensory diet.
Visualizing reading strategy activities and lessons for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students are highly engaging and easy to add to your lesson plans.
What do you do as a special ed. teacher when a student with autism refuses to work? It depends on the function of the behavior! Learn the 12 Best Strategies!
Guess what? It's the weekend! Two glorious days of sleeping in and lazing about (I wish!). And boy, do I deserve them after the week I have had with my precious treasures. :) The first few weeks of Prep (or Kindergarten if you're not from 'round these parts!) are always tough as the kidlets get used to the routines and rules of school. Throw in a handful of boys with 'tricky' behaviour and you've got yourself a recipe for days that feel like they go on forever... during which you use your 'cranky voice' more than once. This week I found myself using a few behaviour management ideas that are truly 'magic' in a slightly desperate attempt to get things in my classroom back on track. Day-to-day I use the famous 'clip chart', known in my room as the 'peg chart', for kidlets to monitor their behaviours. I use the Monster Manners pack from Growing Kinders as a springboard for moving up (to the pink card - Super Kid!) or down the chart. Seriously, you need this pack! So cute and so effective (also helps that it's free)! I refer to my display daily and the kids get it. Within a day, one of my precious treasures said "You sit criss cross, and that's the bottom of the line!" (If you use this pack, you'll understand!) This year, the clip chart was working for about 90% of the kidlets... and those remaining 10% sure were giving me the run around. Bring in the magic tricks! Trick number 1 is a life lesson, as well as a magic cure for some tricky classroom behaviours. All you need are some dollar store bubbles, and you have some 'Self Control Bubbles'! Take your class outside and sit them in a circle. Explain that you are going to blow some bubbles in their direction, and the first time you do they can pop away as much as they want. Go ahead and let them go wild (within reason... I always tell my kidlets their bottoms must stay on the ground). Make sure everyone gets a heap of bubbles to pop. The second time, explain that you are going to blow more bubbles, but this time they MUST NOT pop a single one... even if it lands right on their nose! Explain that the feeling of really, really wanting to do something, but holding back, is called self control. Ask for a volunteer to go first and choose someone you know will resist the bubbles. Praise them for using self control. Then go around the circle and blow more bubbles at each kidlet (I make sure to get right 'up in their face' so they really, really have to control themselves!) - making sure to encourage all of them to think about how it feels to have self control. As the weeks go on refer back to this activity any time one of your kidlets is struggling with those behaviours that require them to practice more self control. They will be able to recall the feeling, trust me! You might like to repeat the bubble activity a few times during the year - my kidlets LOVE knowing that they are pros at something... and self control ain't a bad thing to be pro at! :) Grab this free pack from my TpT store that will help you use this activity in your classroom. It contains an explanation of how to complete the Self Control Bubbles activity, a label for your bubble bottle, and 3 simple recording sheets. And for my second trick... Quiet Spray! All you need for this is an empty spray bottle. I bought mine from Kmart for less than $2. Fill it with water. My spray bottle wasn't clear, but if it was I would have added a drop of food colouring or some glitter to make it look more 'magic'. I also would have taken time to make sure my label was size-appropriate for my bottle... but you live and learn! :) I added a few drops of rosewater to my Quiet Spray... mostly because I wanted lavender, couldn't find it at the grocery store, but wanted my Quiet Spray to smell calming. Here's how it works: Any time you want your kidlets to work quietly (I used mine today before group work), explain that you will use the Quiet Spray to help them work the best that they can. I ask my class to take a deep breath in through their noses and out through their mouths as I mist Quiet Spray over their heads. MAGIC! You could even use Quiet Spray at the beginning of each day along with some relaxation techniques, or for individual students who need some extra magic in their day. :) There you have it folks, some new magic tricks for you to try with your tricky kidlets. :) Please let me know if they work for you! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! :) Lauren
Patience is a life time lesson, which I’m learning more and more as a mom. I often find my kids being impatient, and I only need to look in the mirror to know where it comes from. I admit these 20 ways to teach kids patience is humbling and can be lessons that I need to...Read More
This collection of ADHD diet breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and dessert recipes is perfect for the whole family – even for picky eaters!
Are you looking for examples of "I do, we do, you do"? This blog post provides examples of it in action in the classroom and in lesson plans.
Discover over 45 vestibular activities that can calm, regulate, and improve attention in your child. Plus, get vestibular exercises for...
Check out these awesome spring printable preschool worksheets! You'll find both Math & Literacy activities that are quick & easy for your little kids! They're a fun, no prep way to get your preschoolers thinking!
This post contains affiliate links. Our second graders this year are at lots of drastically different levels…both academically and socially. And in their English fluency! It means that 1) we’re having to differentiate lessons by classroom way more than usual and 2) we’re needing to break concepts down a bit more. This, paired with the […]
I am the kind of girl that LOVES a challenge. In fact, I’m bored to tears without a challenge. So when I was thrown into a class that was bubbling over with students that have ADHD I.WAS.HYPE. I am a firm believer in the fact that all children CAN learn. I know that ADHD makes […]
Free inspirational posters and motivational quotes for teachers. Colorful posters for teachers with motivating quotes.
Worry Lesson Plans with Art Activity - This 2-session lesson plan will help students in grades 4-5 understand how worry and self talk can help them when they feel worried. Practice grounding strategies, create self talk and affirmations, and then create a meaningful art piece to remind students of their strategies! What's included: 2 detailed, scripted lesson plans (BW and color) Visual aids for grounding and self talk strategies (BW and color) Slides to review worry, worry analogy, grounding, and self talk with discussion questions (PPT file; you can open a PPT in Google Slides) Student handout to create affirmations (BW) Step-by-step drawing activity for art activity (see video here) Find more worry resources! Worry Warriors (R) Resources Worry Groups Worry Whale Activity Click here to be the first to know about new resources and updates in my store!
Practicing conscious breathing helps when you feel anxious and overwhelmed. A mindful breathing stick can help guide young kids develop breathing techniques.
These Labor Day activities for Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade students will go right along with the other arts and crafts that you have planned for your community helpers unit. Lesson plans that will engage your students!
Often in Art there is crossover of content. Many times when I'm teaching an Art concept I hear the kids exclaim "We learned that in (Mat...
Who is the Flylady? If you're wondering who she is and how she can help you, here's 14 lessons she taught me that have kept me organized for 20 years.
Over 80 amazing, simple proprioceptive activities for kids. Learn benefits of proprioceptive input to calm, focus, and alert.
Help students with short attention spans in your classroom with these strategies and ideas to make learning easier with ADD and ADHD disabilities.
