I've been teaching a lot of Foundation Stage lately (Nursery and Reception, or the equivalent of Preschool and Kindergarten). There's a LOT of play-based learning at this stage, which means a significant part of my job is to get down-and-dirty and engage with the kids through play.
The following is a selection of sustained (as in, approximately 20-30 minutes) activities that have been ridiculously amusing for my students:
The "I Feel Like I'm on a Date" game: In this "game", one child and I took turns asking each other questions, which we then both had to answer. We learned A LOT about each other, delving into such "what's your favourite....?" topics as colour, toy and place in the room.
The "Put Your Hood on Because It's Cold Out" game: This was actually a repeated request. It was so cold the other day that the kids were all made to zip up their coats and put their hoods up. A few had fallen back as they ran around, so I said "put your hood back on!" while flicking it back onto one kid's hat. Within a few minutes, I had a crowd of about 7 of them surrounding me, each dramatically tossing their hoods off every time I put it back on, just so I'd do it again. I'm sure the squeals of excitement and raucous laughter belied the simplicity of what we were actually doing.
The "Ms.Chorney is Tired So She's Going To Make Up a Game That Forces Her To Stand Still" game: I think this one is my personal favourite. Especially since another teacher later asked me about the game, and wanted me to explain the rules to her because she'd never seen it played before. Well, DUH! I just MADE IT UP! Anyway, I told one kid to go and get me a "magic wand" because we were going to play "Magician" and I got to be the Magician. I waved around shouting "Bibbity, Boppity, [insert animal name here]!" The kids then had to run around acting like that animal, then come back to me so I could "turn them into" something else. The beauty of this one lies in its requirement for child activity AND teacher laziness. Sometimes I really think I am a genius.
The "Jaws Theme Song" game: Here's the premise for this one: I sit down (notice a theme here?) and pull one kid at a time onto my lap. I open and close my hands while doing the 'nah NAH, nah NAH' bit, then tickle them at the climax of the tune. The kid squeals with delight and squirms his or her way off my lap. Immediately, a hoard of other children are pushing their way towards me, shouting "do it to me AGAIN!" Seriously, who BEGS to be tickled over and over again?? Crazy kids...
Who needs grown up kids when you can have little kids!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I like the "Ms.Chorney is Tired So She's Going To Make Up a Game That Forces Her To Stand Still" game. I think I'll have to try that one myself. : ) Sounds like you're doing a great job.
ReplyDeleteSome v. inventive games!! I can see all that university schooling coming into play :) Sure sounds like a lot of fun though!
ReplyDeleteHi Angela! Sounds like your creative mind is being put to good use!
ReplyDeleteYour 'magician' game reminded me of a story my sister-in-law tells about teaching some kids she regularly babysat that football included a "sleeping back", which mostly involved her getting to lie down while the kids ran around like crazy. :)