A counselor friend recently asked me for some fun movement ideas to add to her kindergarten lessons to help keep her students engaged. While these simple activities are absolute “must-dos” for the little ones, they can easily be used across any elementary grade! Here are a few quick ideas to get those wiggles out and minds focused.
(Ironically, I wrote a book on this very thing … how to increase engagement…and it was just released. (eeek!) Here is a link to the book that has engagement ideas for grades K-12, but more on that later. For now, here are some ways to spice up your lessons for the littles.
Bring a Prop ANY Prop:
- Puppet/Stuffy (you don’t have to make the puppet talk… just have it wave and the kids are glued!)
- Stuffed animal (you can tell the students that the stuffy is watching for good listeners)
- Something in a box that is a clue to the lesson
- A ball or bean bag to pass around
- Toy microphones
- Scarves or shaky eggs to accompany song
- Magic wand
Lesson Structure
1. Warm-Up (2-5 minutes)
I begin with a warm-up activity. This could be relevant to your lesson or not. It gives the kids a minute to regulate and get ready for the learning.
- Stand if you agree.
- Chant or song with finger play
- Find the hidden picture/ How are these pictures different
- Follow my pattern (me first then you)
- Simon Says
Here are some examples of warm-ups I use on these slides you can save, download and add to your lesson.
2. Lesson Content (5-7 minutes)
- Part 1 Structured Instruction
- Read a book
- Show a short video
- Use short interactive ppt
Giving students frequent opportunities to respond with thumbs up/down or different yes/no callback response helps them stay engaged during the longer “sit and get” teaching chunks.
Part 2 Briefly Review Content:
- Have several students choose a question card to answer. ( I always have the whole class say “Pick a Card, Any Card.”
- Turn and talk
- Roll and respond
- Say the lesson theme in different ways (baby voice, robot voice, whisper)
3. Movement or Music Break (2- 5 minutes)
Even one or two minutes of movement can dramatically improve students’ focus for the rest of the lesson.
- Freeze dance to a short movement song.
- Sit in a circle for hot potato. The person who has the object when the music stops, answers a question about the lesson
- Cake Walk
- Different stretches while taking deep breaths.
- Follow the leader to a song. (March, Tiptoe, Clap)
- Practice calming stretching poses.
4. Independent or Group Activity (5-10 minutes)
Wrap up the lesson with a hands-on activity that lets students practice the skill.
- Worksheet/ Coloring page
- Sorting or matching cards
- Craft activities
- Playdough mats (I use these for I Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins)