I have found that it is crucial to have activities that students really like and that takes focus (especially with kindergarteners!) Closer to the beginning of the year, my students were finishing the tasks quickly and some were acting out. This week and last, I have discovered reading and math lessons that they enjoy.

For reading, they are writing the letters of the alphabet and then turning them into something that starts with that letter (i.e. the letter A becomes an alligator by adding teeth). We have the process down of having four different pages at their desks – they start by writing the letter and its add-ons in pencil for each letter for that day, and then they get to color it. Even the students who often get bored easily or might throw a tantrum are very focused and love decorating 🙂 I just wish there were more than 26 letters in the alphabet haha, as we are finishing up on Friday.

For math, we are focusing on left vs. right and they have been interested in the different songs and projects that go along with that. One song in particular is

Today they had to trace their left and right hand in pencil and then they got to color it. They were all so focused on making sure they were tracing the correct hand (the pages were labeled) and then creating colorful fingernails or interesting designs!