Hi, it's Barbara from The Corner on Character and I'm already back at school. When do you start? In honor of the Olympics, I created this bulletin board; click {here} for the questions that make it interactive.
Click the graphic for a blog post about the board. |
A New Beginning by Marissa Rex
At
the beginning of the school year, our kindergarteners have a lot on their
plates. This group of students must quickly learn academic and social skills,
find their way around a new school building, and muster up enough self-control
to last, in many cases, an entire school day. While we allow some transition
time and offer support, the change of pace can be overwhelming for these
students.
As
an elementary school counselor, I spend a lot of time working with my
kindergarteners individually, in small groups, and as a whole classroom family.
My goal is to create an environment where my youngest students can feel
successful. To do this, I often use games that teach important school skills while simultaneously fostering peer relationships.
One
of my favorite team-building activities is called The Memory Circle. Students
sit in a circle on the floor and are reminded that the better they listen, the
more team points they will earn. I start with the first five students, asking
what their favorite color is. Then, once each student has answered, I quiz the
rest of the group: What is Jack’s favorite color? Who remembers what Sarah’s
favorite color is? The entire group works
together as a team to answer the question and for every correct answer, the
class earns a point. I typically set a goal for 15 points (for a class size of
25 students). This way, students can reach the goal and feel excited about how
far they can exceed it; often, students create a new, more challenging goal
once they see that they can achieve beyond 15 points. When finished, we reflect
as a group: What did we have to do to hear the right answers? What
does a good listener look like? Why should we listen to adults and other kids? Throughout the year, you can play additional rounds
of The Memory Circle with other topics, such as favorite animal, book,
center, number, letter, etc.
Additionally,
I enjoy using puppets with my students. At the beginning of the school year, a
great way to utilize puppets is to role play positive school behaviors. For
example, ask students to brainstorm helpful ways to behave on the bus. When a
student shares an idea, they can pick a puppet and a friend to act out the
behavior. This continues with various locations (playground, classroom,
hallway, cafeteria, etc.) until every student can participate. It may sound
simple, but puppets can be magical. I love hearing my students’ giggles and
seeing their entranced stares—puppets are indispensable.
Overall,
I find that my students respond best when they can be part of the lesson rather than a passive observer. Students, especially kindergarteners, love
sharing who they are and what they love. By connecting the essential school
concepts that they need to learn with their innate desire to share and feel part of
a group, school counselors (and teachers!) can make a big impact.
As
I think about these team-building ideas, refreshing my school brain, I cannot
help but feel excited for this upcoming school year. I love watching this fresh
group of students walk through the doors, ready to learn; they are blank slates
just waiting for the chance to, metaphorically-speaking, doodle and paint. I
wish everyone the best of luck as summer winds down and your newest kiddos come
knocking at your door. Here’s to a great year!
Marissa Rex is a licensed PreK-3 teacher, K-12 school
counselor, and founder of ElementarySchool Counseling.org. She currently works as an elementary
school counselor in an urban Ohio school.
In her spare time, Marissa loves to spend time with her
husband, family, and friends. Also, she is active in her local community
theatres, takes art classes at the Toledo Museum of Art, and volunteers at Camp
Quality Ohio, a summer camp for children with cancer.
Thank you, Marissa, for stopping by and contributing to our collaborative! Click {here} to travel to The Corner for a few more getting-to-know-you connection ideas to use with students or staff or {here} to go to the Kid Activities page for even more first-day-back suggestions. Happy New Year!
I love the way you and Marissa collaborated on this post, Barbara! Lots of great ideas! I pinned different parts of the post to 3 different Pinterest boards. Deb @ LivingMontessoriNow.com
ReplyDeleteDeb, you are the queen of connections AND you have such a gift for encouragement and support. Thank you, thank you. I am truly blessed with such a caring community of counselors out in cyberspace!! I knew I'd need a break to get my keynote ready, and Marissa didn't even hesitate to jump in and help out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind affirmations.