A Few of Their Favorite Things...

My kiddos are amusing. I wonder what I would have been like in school, but since I didn't go to preschool I really don't have much for reference. However, I can note their favorite things and incorporate them into the classroom like you wouldn't believe!

1. Pete the Cat
Alright, my kids have only heard the one book, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. No one told me about this book before, but I wish they had at some point in Children's Literature. At any rate my kids like it so much that I went ahead and incorporated several activities from the book and ordered all the others from Scholastic. And it is very much one of my favorite things to see them engaged in a fun book.

2. Going 'Inside'

How can one convince students to choose a book listening center? Stick it inside a tent of course! They love being hidden inside the tent, I've played three or four books backed to back for students before because they want to stay in the tent. I think part of the fun is that it is 'kid-only', teachers can see inside but it is pretty small so they don't go inside.

3. Big Words

They love learning big words. They might not use them but they do enjoy learning them. I've taken advantage of this by adding 'Amazing Words' to the new circle time learning. But I've also used terms like science and vocabulary and had students remember them! 

4. Non-fiction

Yes, my kiddos do like some storybooks (#1) but they love almost all non-fiction, especially non-fiction with photographs! Finding good preschool level non-fiction has proven to be harder than I would have ever imagined.

5. Sick Turtle

A game that I found online (but I cannot remember where!) to play with my kids on Talk Like a Pirate Day. With a couple exceptions they love Sick Turtle. It is a game where I call out a command and they perform a corresponding action. I like it because it tests their memory and listening skills (along with gross motor - triple whammy!). They like it because when I say, "Sick Turtle!" they can lay on their backs and wave their arms and legs in the air. I'm considering adopting this game to lots of varieties...

6. Shark Tag

I got the idea for playing shark tag from another ECE teacher in the district. But my class is pretty small and they didn't really understand the concept that after being tagged they become 'it'. So now I lay down different colored hula hoops and call out colors for them to run to for 'safety' (even if I catch them they continue playing, in this game one person is always it). I have even caught them initiating this game by themselves! They still call it Shark Tag even though the hula hoops are all that remain of the original game (even the rules are different). But I love it because it tests their listening and color recognition (again gross motor!!!), they love it because I chase them. They love chase, no matter who the chaser or chasee is, and probably 90% of their recesses end in some sort of game of chase.