I need help from Teachers Please!!!

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I have a new job as a kinder/first after school program leader. I have worked with high schoolers and middle schoolers but never kinders (except my daughter but that was as mom).

I need some classroom mangement advise. Kinders are so very different from what I have done before that any input you have would be very usefull.

We have from 3:10 until 6pm to be with the kids. My activites are lined out for me and I have completed my lesson plans (which I will adjust according to my students).

Where I need help is keeping the kids focused and on task. Yesturday was my first day and and the first day of school for many of the kids. By the time they get to me in after school they have already been at school for six hours.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

[wgwtgb]

Fun crafty things. Try dltk-kids.com

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I work in a special ed preschool classroom so I think I can offer you a few ideas. The most important thing is to establish a classroom routine early on and stick to it. The kids would probably love to play and run around for the entire time, but that will get old for you really fast! Write your schedule on the board and point to it each time you switch activities so they have visual guide and get used to looking at it. Be sure to have all the kids on the same page all the time. It's not fair if one or two are off playing while the others are doing a focused task. If someone doesn't want to do a task or project, they can sit quietly at the table but they should not be allowed to go off and do their own thing.

Here's the main thing that keeps us sane: Keep the kids moving around the room in a very organized fashion. We never say, "Everyone line up to wash hands." They sit in their circletime chairs and we call them one at a time while we play music to keep the others occupied. We also never say, "Everyone line up to go outside." Again, they're called one at a time. If the kids get used to a schedule and a routine from the beginning, the classroom will be much calmer overall. People who enter our room can't believe how calm and orderly it is. And I think our kids are happier because they really like the structure and knowing exactly what's expected of them.

 

[clh2]

Not a teacher...just thought I would toss that in

I would have some sort of good-behavior reward system. DD has been out of K for a long time now - her teacher had done something with popsicle sticks - pbut I do not remember what it was.

 

[vettechick99]

The younger they are, the easier they can be to control. They need (thrive on) structure and routine, so get those in place ASAP. And don't believe for one second that they know how to do something. Even if they do, they always forget.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Thanks for the tips!

I am working on instilling our structure every day. It's hard to have things up around the room because there is a class in there until school ends. But I was thinking of getting a chart and making a page for each day - we have schedule dictated to us - and having that up for the kids to see.

I am also creating a sticker chart for each child. For every five stickers they collect they will be able to visit the treasure box. Once thier sheet is complete they will be able to take it home and start with a new one.

A few of my students have never been to school before and are in a class that does not have a full time teacher. So these students are not getting any structure during the day and are resisting it in the afternoon.

Do you know of any attention getters? I have some but would like to have a file of more to try.

Also how do you handle wanderers? I have one girl that will wander and it is hard to keep the class on track and go get her at the same time. I have 24 kids to myself.

Thanks for helping!!!

 

[Sinderelli]

Look at drjean.org I love her! I teach 1st grade and use many of her songs & chants in my classroom. As a PP said, structure and routine are a MUST!

 

[Sinderelli]

Maybe you could try breaking the 24 kids into smaller groups and having 4 or 5 "stations" that they rotate through in 30 minute increments? You could use bins filled with activities if you don't have a lot of room in the classroom. I use this sometimes in Math- one bin filled with tangram activities, one with puzzles, one with a paper craft activity, one with an art activity, etc.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Look at drjean.org I love her! I teach 1st grade and use many of her songs & chants in my classroom. As a PP said, structure and routine are a MUST!

Thank you for your tips!

I am going to look at the site today.

I hadn't thought of stations.

 

[vettechick99]

Also how do you handle wanderers? I have one girl that will wander and it is hard to keep the class on track and go get her at the same time. I have 24 kids to myself.

Thanks for helping!!!

Wow, 24 by yourself is tough!

You need to firmly remind her that it's unacceptable and dangerous and also have a consequence for when she gets up.

When I worked with first graders (3 years), we had them move cards. They started on a green card, and if they misbehaved they had to move their card to yellow. Then again to blue, to orange, and red. No consequence with green or yellow but they lost 5 mins of recess at blue, and all at orange. Red was no recess and a code sheet. My kids hated to move their cards so they were on their best behavior - most of the time. I also let the parents know by sending home a newsletter with either a happy face (they stayed on green and yellow), straight (blue), and unhappy (orange or red). That way the parents knew what was going on. You could go simple and just give the kids a sticker on their hand for that day? GL!

 

[dimimi]

I am a teacher. I would make sure the kids are up and about. Do not require them to sit, but move around. One thing our teachers do is...clap. They will clap and the kids clap back. Or they will say, "if you can hear my voice, clap twice."

I like the idea of using stations and having the kids rotate to the different centers. Allow the kids to stand, or sit on the floor, or maybe at one or two centers, have to sit in a chair. I am sure you already have time for them to run around outside.

I would say your portion must allow for snack and socialization. The kids are young and need to get some energy out.