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Do you ever feel like you give directions and most of your class doesn’t remember what you even said? I guarantee as early childhood educators, most of us have been there. I have a simple tip for helping students remember AND follow directions. Plus, it’s fun! Try it today – I think you and your kids will love it.
*For more tips on how to create a positive AND playful learning environment in your classroom, be sure to join us in P.L.A.Y. (Playful Learning All Year)!
Before students can follow directions, they need to remember them. This can be tough when our directions involve more than one task. This easy and effective tip is a game-changer for getting your kiddos to remember and follow directions given! So what’s the tip?
Turn directions with multiple steps into a chant or song for your students. Or, if you know a song that would work, put the directions into the tune!
For example, maybe the directions are, “Get a drink of water, put away your coats, and go to the carpet.” You can turn these directions into the chant, “Water, coats, car-pet. Water, coats, car-pet!”
Having students repeat along with you a few times helps them remember what’s coming up, and gives them a tool if they are stuck.
We all know that by the end of the school day, it’s definitely not easy for students to follow multi-step directions. That’s why this tip is perfect to include as part of your dismissal routine! A fun end-of-the-day chant for finishing work and packing up could be, “Color, folder, pack, and line up! Color, folder, pack, and line up!”
Multi-step directions are tricky for our youngest kiddos, so we can help them out by breaking them down even more and making them easier to follow – plus who doesn’t like feeling like Snow White singing out directions?
(even if you “aren’t allowed to play”)
If you’re wanting to incorporate playful learning, free-flowing centers, effective routines, and more in your Pre-K or Kindergarten classroom, then you’ll definitely want to join us in P.L.A.Y. (Playful Learning All Year)!
This course is a deep dive into practical ways that you can create a playful learning environment in your classroom. Be sure to request an invitation so you’re the first to hear when the virtual doors open!
