Classroom Community Building Activities for the First Week of School!
Have you read this great post by Megan over at I Teach. What's your super power?We completely agree that community building activities are important and help lay the foundation for a successful school year because, let's face it, if your students don't get along, it'll be hard for real learning to take place!
Here's a peek at some of the activities Megan suggests spending some time on in the beginning days of the school year;
- Alice Walker's Finding the Green Stone provides a great object lesson reminding students that their attitude is important and affects, not only themselves, but those around them. After giving each student a shiny, green 'stone', have your kiddos brainstorm and write down how they plan to 'keep their stone shiny' throughout the school year.
- Toothpaste and toothpicks provide another great object lesson reminding students to speak before they think! As your kiddos will find out, it's easy to quickly squeeze all of the toothpaste out of the tube, but trying to get it back in poses a serious problem. Words are the same. Spouting off in anger or frustration is easy, but once you say the words, you can't take them back so it's important to think before you speak!
- Providing opportunities for your students to work together is also a great way to build a cohesive classroom. We love the idea of having your kiddos work in teams to brainstorm and perform random acts of kindness for others in the classroom, staff they come into contact with, their family members, etc. Not only does this provide a chance for students to work together, it also sets a great tone for the school year!
These are just a few of the activities Megan shares in her post! For other great ideas on discussing how students should treat each other, the power of words, and learning how to work together, be sure to check out the full post over at I Teach. What's your super power?
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