Classroom team-building games are a must at the start of a new school year! Here are 16 of my favorite icebreakers and classroom team-building activities!
I love starting the school year with this activity. It’s easy, parents love it, and it immediately gives the children a little boost of self-esteem by identifying a part of themselves that they like…
Are you looking for some simple yet highly engaging investigation areas and learning invitations to start the school year? Play-based learning is the best way to engage your students and encourage them to take an active role in their learning so this school year, welcome your students with investiga
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
Of all the art and science projects that I have done, lemon and watercolor science has been my #1 fave for YEARS! Let's get started.
Start the school year with these 11 fun classroom community activities to help build social-emotional skills and positive relationships!
My daughter is a clever little two-year-old. Kind, witty, and adorable, if I do say so myself. That being said, she IS only two, which means there are countless things she needs to practice and learn. Add to that the endless list of possibilities for activities (think Pinterest).... it can get very overwhelming, leaving you feeling not good enough and resulting in not as much fun or learning. When I began feeling this way, the teacher in me screamed, "Get organized, woman!" I started googling toddler curriculums and couldn't find any that met my wishes, so I made my own. 12 months 10 categories Intended to introduce or incorporate specific practice of various concepts and skills. All topics are very easily differentiated for various skill levels. To download the full easier-to-read toddler plan for FREE through google docs, click on https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HXPAPfEHcI8P6oTGuYdUqGIX-WiZ23swLzc2No9Yoy0/edit?usp=drive_web Above is my plan for September through August. One wonderful year of toddlerhood! As you can see, each month consists of ten categories: Physical, Math, Letters, Language, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Life Skills, and Faith. I pulled ideas from Montessori curriculums, kindergarten readiness lists, and just skills we use in our everyday lives, then adjusted to fit a two-year-old's realistic abilities and interests. Some of the topics follow a logical flow of order month-to-month, while others are simply things I want to address at some point. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. "Curriculum" sounds advanced for a two-year-old and way too much work for you, but don't be detered! Here's what I figure: I started doing this when my daughter was not even 2 1/2 years old yet. I am not a delusional person - SHE'S 2! I do not expect her to master these skills by the end of each month. Sometimes she'll love it and sometimes she won't be interested yet. But really, who cares? My daughter is intelligent and likes to learn, but she can also be laid back and moves very much at her own pace (which is sometimes impressively fast and other times, like at her gymnastics class, more of a "Hey maaan" kind of slow). Again, who cares? At the very least, certain skills and concepts are being introduced. That's the main goal here. Not expertise, but introduction. Implementation Here is how I use this toddler plan in real, everyday life: At the beginning of the month I jot down the month's ten categories and focuses. It's not cute, it's not fancy... currently it's written in one of Claire's markers on a regular piece of paper taped to the wall in my tiny dining room that my usual chair faces. This way I end up looking at it at least once a day and reviewing the list. Some topics, like potty training or table manners, I will address frequently throughout the day. Other topics, like living versus nonliving, I only end up addressing once or twice a week ([cough] or less). It always varies because life is fun and things happen and oh well - she's 2. As far as how I address a topic, that varies, too. Sometimes I try to come up with a fun activity, and other times it's simply a one minute conversation on the post office and why we go there and where else we go in our town. See? Easy. You Can Do It! In my opinion, the only hard part about following this curriculum (or another one) is our own expectations we set for ourselves. Just keep telling yourself that you're making more of an effort than many, have fun with it, and play! Oh, and keep reminding yourself of your kid's age. That helps. My personal goals for using this curriculum with my own daughter are simply to incorporate these topics into our play sometimes, so that she at least has had some exposure. After this year is up, I plan on using this same curriculum (with a few tweaks) next year with more structure, because she will be able to grasp concepts and perform skills on a whole different level. I spent a lot of time making this toddler curriculum and I am so pleased with how it turned out. I hope my ideas help you in some way, too!
Toddler circle time can be tricky with short attention spans and lots of energy. Here are some tips to make this time more successful.
At the beginning of the year, while I was waiting to see what interests started popping up for Inquiries, we spent time getting to know each...
Play Based Learning is an approach to teaching that focuses on children’s natural curiosity and desire to explore their world. It is a way of thinking about education that promotes the importance of play and discovery. In this blog post you'll get some tips on how to start with play based teaching.
I love this time of year, when the leaves start to fall and everywhere is full of colour. We went out this morning and collected as many leaves, sticks and pinecones as we could find. Here are some ideas what to do with them.
The first week anxiety and nerves are real! Help your new students with some beginning of the year team building activities and ice breakers.
These first day of school activities for elementary students involve playdough, which is a favorite amongst kids! Check them out here!
Use magic play dough as a fun activity for the first day of school. Your students will be amazed as they ease their way into a new school year.
Whether you're looking for a first day ice breaker or games to play at a back to school bash, this list has something for everyone!
Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary
Start the school year with these 11 fun classroom community activities to help build social-emotional skills and positive relationships!
Keep baby stimulated with this huge list of busy 1 year old activities for kids. Keep them learning, growing, and exploring...
Get ready to kick off the school year in style as we unveil three exciting games that will set the stage for a dynamic learning adventure. %
Printable playdough mats are the perfect way to help inspire creativity with very little guidance. We have created 5 PRINTABLE playdough mats for parents.
These up-and-coming influencers share amazing ideas for teaching our children through art, nature, and play.
Creating a play-based lesson plan for speech and language therapy is easier than you think! Here are some quick ideas to get you started.
I love the early language development area of my classroom! There is a lot of foundational work that comes before children are introduced to letters. Today’s post is about the kinds of activities we have on our pre-literacy or early language Montessori shelves. The Language Area This is a photo of the Language area […]
We introduce journals with our 3 year olds with simple ideas that teach them how to love and care for their little books.
We all know and love Kahoot, right? If you do not know about Kahoot then we have a few blog posts with tips and ideas to get you up to sp...
First Week Watercolor Portraits 7 comments Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Self Portraits, Tutorials Every year, my second graders paint a watercolor self-portrait. It is truly my most favorite first week activity of all time. After sharing this picture of this year's portraits on Facebook, a sweet reader asked if I had a blog post about them. Well, it dawned on me that while I have shared my annual self-portraits many times, I've never really shared them exclusively in a post. So, here goes! Every year, I have my students paint a self-portrait during the first week of school (an idea I learned while student teaching many moons ago). I hang these portraits in the room, for the entire year. They really brighten up our space and they are such a joy to look at (this is a picture of my students' portraits from last year). I am not an art teacher and I believe that kids should be encouraged to take risks, so when I task my students with painting their portraits, I pretty much let them "have at it." Don't worry, it isn't a total free for all. I do model the process and I also share examples from years past, like the ones shown below. I just make it very clear that I don't expect their paintings to look like an actual photograph. ;) I always begin by pointing out how much of their body/self they will be painting. I tell them to think about the pictures they see in their yearbooks and how those pictures only show people's heads and shoulders. I explain that they will include only their head and shoulders in their paintings. I then show them examples from previous years (sometimes students move and they get left behind, so I have a few on hand). Once the students understand what it is that they will be including in their portrait, I model the drawing process on the board. I discuss how large the head should be in relation to the paper and show them what this looks like. From there, I show them how I draw a neck and shoulders, hair, and facial features. I apologize that I don't have a photo of this, but essentially, I model and narrate the process, one step at a time. And, then...it's the students' turn. I give each student a piece of white card stock (8x10 inches) to work with. Card stock is brighter and thicker than construction paper, and it just seems to hold the paint better, in my opinion. Then, they start their drawing. Sometimes, I have them draw the outline of their pictures with a black crayon (see below). When I do this, there is NO pencil involved. This helps them to really slow down and visualize before they draw because they know that they can't erase. However, this year, I let them draw with pencil first and then they traced over their pencil lines with a Sharpie. Why did I do that? I have no idea, it was just what I decided to do when I was prepping the materials, but the end result was still fab! Once the students draw the outline of their portrait, they get to paint! Using watercolor is a tricky thing for many second graders. They have a hard time always gauging how much water to use, so a discussion about this (and a little modeling) ahead of time is a good idea. Tip: No matter how much explaining and modeling you do, you'll still have a student or two that uses too much water. Let them use a tissue to blot their paper if you notice this happening. I lay the portraits to dry on the floor, in an out of the way spot. They dry within minutes here in the desert. Once they are dry, I flatten them by stacking heavy teacher manuals on them overnight. I could iron them, but my iron and I do not get along. At all. The next morning, I hang them up and admire the sight before me...all year long. :) At the end of the year, it's always fun to repeat this process. You will be amazed at how much growth your students show. Here are a few examples from last year. Amazing, right? We always get lots of compliments on our portrait display, and the kids are always very proud of them. They love seeing if their parents can guess which one is theirs, and it's fun to see how many parents get it right! At the end of the school year, I send the portraits home as a keepsake. Many parents have commented how much they love them, and they are the perfect size for framing! First week self-portraits are a great way to encourage students to take risks, have fun, and learn to use materials. Beyond that, the students take great pride in their creations and enjoy them just as much as I do, and we have something truly magnificent (that they created!) to look at all year long. :) Share It:
Find out why teachers should be using icebreaker activities for small groups all year long and not just at the beginning of the school year.
Looking for activities to do at home with a 2 year old? Look no further because we've got you covered with 20 awesome at-home activities.
Students circulate through the classroom and meet new friends! Here's a great team building activity I like to have on hand for the first week of school! Use "Find a Friend" for a quick structure to allow for student interaction, to model classroom expectations for movement in the room, and to review and practice classroom manners. With the recording sheet in hand, students circulate through the room to pair up with a new friend. Students greet each other and take turns to ask a question related to the grid. For example, student A will say say to student B, "Do you like to read?" Student B will reply, "Yes, I do like to read." Student B will then sign his name in the corresponding box on Student A's paper. (If the student replies with a "no", I encourage my first graders to try again and to ask about something else on the paper. After all, we have different likes and dislikes.) Before rotating, students thank each other. Students mix and pair again with a new partner to complete the grid as time allows. I do remind the children that they may only sign someone's paper one time. These activities promote positive interaction, movement, and community. It also allows for me to model (...again) how to stand up and carry the paper/pencil, how to find a partner quietly (by making eye contact), how to say "please" and "thank you", and how to speak using an inside voice. Click here to download this "Find a Friend" activity. link Here's One for Color Words. Click on the image below to download this "Find a Friend" activity. (Some children may need to have support with recognizing and reading the words.) Like Those? Here's one for number words, too! Click on the image below to download this "Find a Friend" activity. Happy Holiday Weekend!
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Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
Use magic play dough as a fun activity for the first day of school. Your students will be amazed as they ease their way into a new school year.
Are you teaching the alphabet to your toddler? Check out these fun letter A activities for 2-year-olds! Shortly after she turned two, I began a Letter of the Week series with my younger daughter. After
Find out why teachers should be using icebreaker activities for small groups all year long and not just at the beginning of the school year.
In this post I will share with you a super fine motor tool kit that will reach a variety of kiddos and probably contains many items that you already have on hand. It’s back to school time and all of us are beginning to think about how we want to approach the new school year. ... Read more
The Fishbowl Game is a fun-filled memory game that combines Charades, Password, and Taboo. It is easy to learn and perfect for large groups, which means
