The First Ten Minutes of Kindergarten
What to Do With Excited Kids During Morning Arrival Time
Oct 1, 2009
The first ten minutes of the kindergarten day is often the most challenging time for teachers. Students are not ready to sit down quietly, there is exciting news to share with classmates! At the same time, teachers are often responsible for attendance, lunch count and other morning responsibilities. How can teachers balance this difficult but crucial part of the day?
Assign Morning Jobs
Assign students “morning jobs” that they are responsible for completing as soon as they enter the classroom. Some ideas for jobs include:
- Check home/school communication folders for notes from parents.
- “Sign In” to the classroom, either by writing their name in a book, or placing an object with their name on it in a place that signals he or she has arrived at school. For example, students could take an apple with his or her name on it, and velcro the apple to a class apple tree bulletin board.
- Buy lunch or milk. Students can move a magnet name (made with magnet business cards) to their lunch or milk choice for that day.
- Answer a question of the day on the easel. To get some quick fine motor practice, students can answer a yes or no question by writing their name under the response they agree with.
Develop Student Independence
In order to get students to do morning jobs independently, they must practice! Dedicate time each day for the first week of school to practice the morning routine. Ask students to put their backpacks on and make a line in the hallway. Lead students back into the classroom, slowly demonstrating and pointing out each job. Allow students to practice many times, gradually releasing responsibility to the children each time.
If students have difficulty completing jobs independently, ask a trusted parent volunteer or specialist teacher to monitor students for a few days. Once the students form the habit, they will rarely need reminders. Independence builds confidence in children. Before long, the kids will be proudly completely their jobs and begging for their parents, teachers and friends to watch them!
Introduce Calendar Folders
Once the children are finished with their morning jobs, they need some work they can complete at their tables independently. It is important that the work not be too serious, as children will want to greet their friends, discuss afternoon activities, and share stories.
Enter: Calendar Folders. Calendar folders are made from manila file folders. Inside each folder, teachers can staple a monthly calendar with dotted numbers (later in the year, print blank calendars and have the students fill out their own numbers) and a weather graph. Students can color the front of the folder with anything that reminds them of the month. For example, in October students will draw pumpkins, apples, and their Halloween costume.
Each morning, students trace the number on their monthly calendar and color the box. As the students color the calendar, they should make a pattern with their colors or designs. Next, students will look outside and graph the weather. Templates for the monthly calendar and weather graph can be found at Jessica Meacham's Kindergarten/First Grade Website, along with other ideas of what to include in calendar folders throughout the year.
Once five and six year olds learn this predictable routine, it will become automatic to them. They will know their responsibility and feel successful each time they complete a task. In addition, they will also feel free to share morning news with their friends and greet friends as they enter the classroom. Building community and independence within the first few minutes of the day will make the rest of the day run more smoothly!
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