My 10 Favorite Activities in Our Kindergarten Year

Kindergarten is a magical age where students walk into your classroom not having a clue what school is about and leaving knowing all the basics that will help them flourish in their next years. They come in maybe knowing one or two people and leave with a bunch of friends. They make leaps and bounds because they’ve had you as their teacher.

This year is my 4th year teaching kindergarten. Over these four years, I’ve found that I look forward to certain activities that I do consistently in my classroom. These activities are more than just teaching students the basics. They teach students to be kind, to celebrate milestones and to learn more about each other. Read what my 1o favorite activities are and let me know what your favorite activity is in the comments below!

In no particular order…

My 10 Favorite Activities in Our Kindergarten Year

1. Nellie

Nellie is a stuffed cow that my students take turns bringing home for a week. During their week with her, they take pictures and write in a journal all that they did with her. When they bring her back, they share what they did, with their classmates. After they share, their classmates get to ask questions about their time together. Then, Nellie goes home with someone else. I love this activity because I get a glimpse into my student’s home life. I get to see what kinds of sports practices they go to or if they have movie nights with their family. Learning even just a little something about my students helps me connect with them on another level.

2. Field Trip to the Farm

Every October, I take my students to a local pumpkin farm. During this field trip, we get to ride a tractor, learn about a pumpkin life cycle and pick out our very own pumpkin to take home! This is always our first field trip of the year and students are so excited! For many, this is their first field trip ever. I love seeing their bright eyes as they hunt for the perfect pumpkin to take home.

6 Things You Must Do Before a Field Trip

3. Classroom Birthday Celebrations

In my class, I celebrate birthdays in a special way by reading an important moment that has happened each year they’ve been alive. You can read more about my birthday celebration in this post.

4. Guided Math Centers

Some of my favorite times in the classroom are when I’m meeting with a small group, helping them out however best fits their needs. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll know how important guided math is to me. If you want to read more about how this looks in my classroom or how to get started in your own classroom, click the links below.

Everything You Need to Know to Launch Guided Math in Your Classroom

How to Write Differentiated Lesson Plans to Use During Guided Math

Guided Math Centers: What are students doing when they’re not meeting with me?

How to Assess Student Learning During Guided Math (Standards Based Grading)

All Your Guided Math Questions Answered: A Collaborative Post with Sam Ripley

5. Elfie Kindness Letters

During Christmas time, I use Elf on the Shelf to encourage acts of kindness. Each day, Elfie, our classroom elf leaves us letters next to whatever crazy thing he’s doing! The letter gives us a challenge or task that we can do that day to spread kindness during the Christmas season.

6. 100th Day of School Celebration

I love having any excuse for a celebration and the 100th day of school is such a perfect day to celebrate your students! Every year, the first and second grade classes and I team up to have a huge 100th day celebration. We each have 3 centers in our room that go along with “100” and students rotate through each of our rooms. This is always a day where students feel so proud of all they’ve learned in the 100 days they’ve been in school.

7. Guided Reading Centers

Like guided math, I absolutely love my guided reading time where I get to meet with students at different reading levels. During this time, I get to really tailor the lessons to whatever support or challenge the students need. I love seeing the lightbulb go on during this time and being able to continually encourage growth no matter what level.

How to Create the Perfect Guided Reading Lesson

8. Hatching Chicks

Each spring, as part of my animal unit, I hatch chicks in my classroom. This has become a huge tradition and something that kindergarteners hear about from siblings and friends long before they come to my class. It’s such an amazing experience for students as they get to learn all about the life cycle and what living things need and then get to witness a live chick hatching in their very own classroom.

Hatching Chicks in the Classroom: Everything You Need to Know

9. Kindergarten Projects

This year, I gave my students a monthly project. These projects went along with some sort of theme for the month. For example, during their September project, students wrote an “All About Me” book. In April, our theme was culture so students learned about their culture and shared it with the class. These projects were so important because it got families involved in their child’s learning and through them, we were able to learn more about each other. Students were also able to show their creative sides and practice public speaking during their presentations.

An Inside Look at Kindergarten Projects Throughout the Year

Projects: An Alternative to Homework

10. End of the Year Alphabet Countdown

Last but not least, our end of the year alphabet countdown is one of my favorite memories each year that I teach kindergarten. Each day, we do something that goes along with a letter of the alphabet. For example, for D we had Dino Day and made dinosaur fossils out of salt dough! This countdown is a perfect way to celebrate the end of kindergarten and the transition to first grade!

An Inside Look at my End of the Year Alphabet Countdown

 

Do you have any favorite activities you do year after year? I’d love to hear about them! Comment below.