Status Updates From What Every Kindergarten Tea...

What to do at home to support children's development of reading skills.
Tell parents that reading aloud to children is one of the primary ways to support kindergartners' growth as readers and to foster a love of reading.
Encourage parents to read aloud daily, to choose a variety of books, and to talk with their children about what they read and why they read.

Most parents appreciate learning about problems earlier rather than later, so when you have less-than-possitive news to share, don't put it off.
When a problem is small, it's easier to address. Also, parents won't be surprised if you need to do more involved problem-solving with them at a later time.

Building a relationship with parents does take some work, but it is very rewarding work.
Start by projecting a warm and welcoming presence to all families, not just those that reach out to you.
Find something positive about their child to mention in every interaction.
Maintaining an open, empathic demeanor will be your key to to success in working with all parents.

For children, probably nothing is as exciting as a field trip outside of school. They'll eagerly anticipate going to the local fire station or a nearby park. These trips can deepen student's learning.

Make sure learning is active and interactive. Children need to move, do things, and talk when on trips.

Try to choose projects that kindergartners will find meaningful and can safely work on with just a little adult help. For instance, if kindergartners are working on a food project, choose recipes that_for the most part_ they can make themselves. When children do most of the work, they gain the benefits of such a project like: using measurement skills in a real-life setting, and learning to prepare different foods.

Eating lunch in the cafeteria can be both daunting and exciting for kindergartners. Like recess, lunchtime offers children the opportunity to meet their social-emotional needs for connecting and interacting with classmates.
By spending some time with children when they have space and freedom to eat, talk, and laugh with classmates, you'll help ensure that they return to the classroom refreshed and ready to learn.

It is extremely important that during the first few weeks of school, devote some class and scheduled recess time to teach all the skills kindergartners need for success at recess.
Begin by teaching and modeling a few specific skills that children need to have to make their first recesses safe and fun. Start these lessons in the classroom and then go outside and practice them with children.

Kindergartens are active and energetic, and their gross motor skills are rapidly developing. They need recess time to run and play.
Kindergartners can feel safer and be more successful at recess when we take the time to carefully introduce and teach the skills required; and when we supervise and monitor their behavior closely.

Class celebrations help kindergartners feel closer to each other, become more excited about learning, and realize what they're doing at school is valuable.
To come up with some ideas, think about the purposes for celebrations.They should help students learn more about a topic.
Celebrations help students to collaborate with their families or other classes to see how the skills they're learning connect to life outside.

To deepen the sense of community in your classroom, give children frequent opportunities to share information about themselves with each other.
Also, take the time to teach students how to speak clearly and succinctly to avoid the mumbled, rambling discourses.

Kindergartners feel important and connected to their classroom community when their names are known and when they are welcomed in a warm and friendly way every day.
They have to learn the skills of greeting. Teach them to use a kind face, make eye contact, and speak in a friendly voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

One of the successful interactive routines is reading books. Students really enjoy it specially when the book contains children's favourite characters. You should read aloud and when you read, model how loud the "no" and "okay" should be and what to do with your body while saying these words. Continue to reinforce the message that students do not have to be perfectly silent but should participate in positive ways.

Kindergartners need some signals to get your attention. Teach them simple and nonverbal signals that will not disrupt whole class.
Use signals for different situations such as: taking a turn to speak in a whole group, when children need to go to the bathroom and an SOS signal (hand shut-hand open-hand shut) for emergencies (like: a bloody nose, feeling sick, a bathroom accident...)

Reinforce success often:
- Kindergartens thrive on your approval and they need to hear exactly what they are doing correctly.
- Build a positive learning community.
- Name the specific behaviors that you saw students doing well.