Every New Year's I think about what I would do differently in my classroom for the rest of the year. For most of my preschool groups, January seemed to be the month in which they gelled as a group and were able to play independently. They knew the routine and rules, and they were gaining so many self-help skills, they seemed to not need their teachers as much.
There was a year, though, that this gelling did not happen until March, and it did not happen without a lot of work on the staff's part. We noticed that this group was still very adult dependent all through January and began to question why. At one meeting, I noticed that of the 16 kids in the class, 12 were oldest or only children in their families. The light bulb went off. They WERE adult dependent. They had had more than their fare share of adult attention in their young lives.
We set to work on building the peer relationships in the classroom. We intentionally planned activities in which you needed at least two kids to play. We put out the wooden boat, which doesn't rock without a kid on both sides and it is too small for an adult to ride. We brought out the parachute, an activity in which everyone has to help. We randomly assigned partners for walking in line with matching cards, encouraging partners to help each other get there outdoor gear on because they couldn't join the line until they were both ready. We loaded the song choices with partner songs, like Row Your Boat, Down in the Valley 2x2, The Hello Song (from Get Set for School), and Build a Bridge (from I am Moving, I am Learning). Computer was not a choice, unless you had a partner to play with there. We put out games like Hi Ho Cherrio, Go Fish, and Zingo, that required a number of players. We also employed a "busy hat," for teachers to wear. If a teacher had on a busy hat, the child needed to go find another child for help. It worked like a charm.With the strategic planning of activities that forced the kids to work together, we saw a huge improvement in the classroom community culture. Kids got much better at seeking out other kids for play, rather than adults. By March, they felt like a really solid group. and the teachers were able to sit back and watch them play and take data on their learning.
Ever since that year, I have paid attention to the birth order in my class groups. I also learned a trick about putting the class list in birthday order, to get a sense of how old or young your class leans each year. It really helps to go into the year with this knowledge to maintain developmentally appropriate practice. A group that in young, for us very heavy on summer birthdays, you plan slightly different expectations, than if you have a group who will all be turning five in the fall.
Happy New Year, Everyone.
