Developing fine motor skills in kindergarten is harder than it sounds. It takes time and practice. Kids at young ages have often developed bad habits like holding their pencil with their fists or even stranger grips. I have seen them all.
It is very important to break these habits early on. There are fun activities and products that can aid in developing fine motor skills in kindergarten with your students and your own children. Here are some:
Develop Hand Strength
There are so many fun ways for students to develop their hand strength while developing fine motor skills. Kids will love the following:
Use a spray bottle– Give your children or students a spray bottle and tell them to water the grass. If you are at school, you may not want them to squirt each other with them.
Crumple paper– Have students write their names or a sight word. Afterward, have them crumple it up and shoot it in the trash can. Big fun!!
Use tongs and pom-poms- At a center or a sensory bin, have students use tongs or child tweezers to pick up colored pom-poms or small pieces of paper.
Teach students how to hold the pencil
In order to develop fine motor skills in kindergarten, students should practice, practice, practice. A good pencil grip is a key to success. But, students often come to you with bad habits. Here are ways to break bad habits.
Use golf pencils- Ticonderoga has some great golf pencils that force students to use the correct fingers and not grab the pencil with their fists. Because they are tiny, there is a need to pinch the pencil at the bottom.
Hold a small object with pinky and ring finger- Have students pinch the pencil at the bottom with their thumb and pointer and use the middle for support. Have them hold a pom pom with their pinky and ring finger in their palm. This will make sure they are using the correct fingers.
Use a pencil grip- These pencil grips show students the correct way to hold the pencil. It is easy for them to remember. They have a place to rest the middle finger. Students put their thumb and pointer in the correct spots.
How to Cut with Scissors
Open shut, open shut. That’s the way we cut cut cut. Fingers on bottom and thumb on top. Do not let the paper drop! Open shut, open shut. That’s the way we cut, cut, cut!” That is just one cute little chant that helps aid in developing fine motor skills in kindergarten. Here are some more fund activities.
Have kids lay on their tummies- Have students lay on their tummies on the carpet with scissors and paper. They have to use their elbows to hold themselves up, so this forces proper technique. They will not be able to turn their hands around. Students also love this.
Teach students about Allie the Alligator. They love to stick their thumb in the alligator’s eye and their fingers in the belly and chomp, chomp, chomp.
Use Playdough for developing fine motor skills in kindergarten.
Students in pre-school, kindergarten and first grade, and even much older love to play with playdough. There are many task cards that students can use to build letters, numbers, and fun pictures.
Students are learning their common core standards while developing these skills in an age-appropriate manner.
This will strengthen the fine motor skills of young students. Have them cut playdough with playdough scissors as well. Students love this.
Also, picking up tiny balls of playdough with tweezers is a motivating and productive activity in developing fine motor skills in kindergarten and pre-school students.
Have fun with fine motor skills
Students need these prerequisite fine motor skills to be successful in school. It is the foundation in which readers and writers are built upon.
Using engaging activities that are developmentally appropriate is always necessary in order to build student confidence and success.
Students will not get frustrated if they are having fun.
Teaching kindergarten is tough, but virtual learning in kindergarten is tougher. These distance learning tips for kindergarten will make this transition easier. Hopefully, it will make distance learning more fun for your students.
If you are like me, you would have never ever imagined that you would be teaching five year olds online. Who would have ever guessed these difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in.
But, here we are. Thrown into the unknown: Google Classroom, Canvas, Google Meet, Zoom, Nearpod, Seesaw, Jamboard, Google Slides, Kami, The new buzzwords are endless and completely overwhelming. I am an older teacher, and I thought I could never do it.
Guess what? I am doing it and I am finding my groove. Here are my best distance learning tips for kindergarten that will allow you to get your groove back.
Sing, Sing, and Sing some more.
Even if you don’t sing well, give it a shot. Have a few students unmute their mics and sing with you.
Pick one to do a duet. They love that.
I love to find familiar songs and use them to count, spell sight words or basically teach whatever. We count by 10’s to the song Hi Ho the Derio. I spell “like” to It’s a Small World. Spell “there” to the tune Celebration.
I teach a song about learning to cut to the tune of ” Where is Thumbkin?”
Who is cutting? Who is cutting? Thumb on top. Thumb on Top. Fingers on the bottom. Fingers on the bottom. Chop, Chop, Chop
Or, here is one for the vowels to the melody of “Bingo.”
There are five vowels in the alphabet and we will sing their Name-o’s.
A-E-I-O-U A-E-I-O-U A-E-I-O-U And that is all their Name-O’s
There is a vowel. It’s name is A
And “A” is their Sound-O
“A” “A” “A” “A” “A” “A” “A” “A” “A” “A” And that is what is sounds like.
You can do this for each short vowel sound. The kids can get up and dance as they sing. I have some great dancers.
Un-mute for awhile.
This is very important to build relationships with you and their classmates. Small kids need and love this.
It is very tough to have all students un-muted at the same time. Small groups work a lot better. I always give them the first few minutes to talk to one another. Muting my mic and camera helps them feel more at ease to talk to their peers.
Having students bring something to share for show-n-tell also really, really gets the ball rolling. Students at this young age love to share their toys and items that mean a lot to them.
Mix it up.
I don’t want to overwhelm my parents. Also, I don’t want kids to not have enough to do if they want to do more. I give a lot of optional assignments.
We use Canvas, so I just list optional assignments and link a Google Slide. I have created many google Slides for math,rhyming, sight words and short vowels.
Young students need a little practice to drag and drop slides, but they learn quickly. The below activities will help you to mix it up and keep it fresh. Your students will be more engaged if activities are varied.
During live sessions, I throw in Number Talks, share my screen for online books with RAZ-Kids and Discovery, and complete worksheets together.
Google is your friend.
Jamboard is engaging and fun for students. Let me walk you through the steps. Also, I will give you a freebie to start.
So, find a picture or worksheet that you want to use.
Screenshot editor and tool is an extension on Google Chrome that makes this easy. Save anything as a Png. Open Jamboard that is located in your Google Waffle.
Click the plus sign on the bottom right. Go to your toolbar on the left side, and choose the add image icon. Find what you would like to add. Matching activities are great.
Share and change settings to anyone with the link can share and edit.
Put the link in your chat box when doing small groups.
Share your screen and explain the steps to your kids. Show them how to find the drawing tools. My students loved this and being able to draw with their friends.
A simple favorite is “Simon Says” but use your name instead. I like to include this game with my learning objectives. When I teach shapes, I say, Mrs. Barton says, “Make a triangle with your fingers.”
Mrs. Barton says, “Find a cylinder in your house.” This incorporates movement, fun and learning together.
On Fridays, I like to play a different game. We have dance parties. I let them request songs that I find on my phone to play.
Go Noodle is, of course, also a favorite.
Give paper and pencil work.
Students in kindergarten need to cut, glue and write. These are essential skills that cannot be learned on the computer.
Deployment of materials is essential. This is how I have the students turn in work also. We have two bins for pick-up and drop off. One packet for the month has worked for my school.
Including fun art projects to go along with stories and social studies and science units has been a hit with the students.
They love to show me their finished projects on our live sessions.
Directed Drawing
Students love directed drawings. They also learn how to follow step-by-step directions. The below robot is one that I used during my shapes unit.
I drew it out first on a whiteboard.
During the live lesson, I gave directions very slowly and made a few things easier for the students. They absolutely loved this.
Some of their robots looked better than mine.
Don’t give up!
I hope these distance learning tips for kindergarten were helpful. We are in un-chartered territory. This is hard. But, it will get easier, and your tool belt will get larger.
Join Facebook groups for distance learning. They have been so helpful to me in learning new skills.
There are positives here. I feel like I am able to talk to my students in small groups and really form relationships. In the classroom, I always felt rushed and had to deal with the behavior of the other students in the room.
Guess what? Students are learning, and they will continue to learn. Let’s stick together and help one another.
Opinion writing for kids in kindergarten is my favorite concept to teach. But, it’s an all-out struggle. Rightly so, five year old students come to our classes without any previous experience with getting their thoughts on paper.
Teachers often think that opinion writing has to be started in the second semester of the year in kindergarten. I disagree.
Opinion writing for kids in kindergarten is often the best way to get students motivated to use that pencil and paper quickly.
Get started immediately.
Of course, students need to know how to hold their pencils. Once students grab their pencils and begin writing, it is very hard to change their grip.
So, pencil grip should be modeled by pinching the bottom of the pencil with the pointer finger and the thumb and the rest of the fingers should support those two fingers.
For students who grab the pencil with their whole fists or students with other awkward grips (I have seen them all) purchase or borrow a pencil grip from another teacher.
Students should write for twenty minutes a day. “How is this possible?” you ask. Read on.
Teach Skills in Context.
There are certain skills students need to write a sentence. First, they need to have knowledge of sounds of letters.
Having an alphabet chart and a sight word personal word wall gives students the tools they need to develop confidence while writing.
Practicing handwriting together while modeling how to write the letters in the words “I like you “accomplishes two goals. Students are learning how to form letters while they learn to write and spell a word.
I like to teach the sight word like by singing the spelling of the word like. I sing it to the tune of It’s a Small World.
l-i-k-e that spells like l-i-k-e
l-i-k-e that spells like l-i-k-e
l-i-k-e that spells like l-i-k-e
l-i-k-e like
In the beginning weeks, I model how to write short sentences that contain sight words such as I like you and I like mom.
This is opinion writing in kindergarten. Later on, they can expand to more than just the topic sentence.
Use Portable Word Walls.
I have always had a class word wall. I place the words up that are most used by students when they are writing in their journals.
The problem is sometimes it is hard for students to copy the word when it is so far away from them.
“I can’t see, Mrs. Barton,” they yell as if I am down the hall in the cafeteria.
Then, they move closer, and slowly but surely the whole darn class is standing by the word wall.
This led me to create a portable word wall that I laminate and add words as the students need them. Some students want to always write about their sister, and some students don’t have a sister.
This enables the word walls to be personalized to each student’s individual writing needs. My free portable word wall also helps students with letters and sounds as it has a picture of a word that the letter sound makes. This makes opinion writing for kids in kindergarten easier.
Use Mentor Texts to teach opinion writing in kindergarten.
There are many great books that teach opinion writing for kids in kindergarten. Main characters often have a point of view. This can provide an opportunity for students to agree or disagree with the main character. In addition, I like to have students put their thumbs up or down in agreement or disagreement.
Turning to their shoulder partner to discuss their opinions is also helpful. One of my favorite books to teach about opinion writing for kids is I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton.
This book is great because it weaves non-fiction with a cute and colorful story. Click on the freebie that goes along with the story. There are so many great facts about spiders.
This author has other books such as I’m Trying to Love Math that would be great for opinion writing also. The kids love it, and so did I.
Before I start my journal writing each day, I teach a mini lesson. This is sometimes referred to as shared writing. It is a huge help to get students writing and expressing ideas.
Each day, I model something that the students want to write about. I choose one skill to focus on each day. Skills can be:
Capitalization
End punctuation
Topic sentence
Sight word spelling
Stretching out words
Word spaces
I write this on a white board easel. Students help me sound out words and correct mistakes.
Use Engaging Writing Prompts
Sometimes, it is beneficial to have students expand their horizons and write on a pre-determined writing prompt. When teaching opinion writing for kids, I have found that students (and teachers) are always motivated by food.
Second, another motivating topic seems to be anything holiday related.
Use Personal Journals
I use journals to let students express themselves on any topic they choose. Also, I don’t worry if they are writing on the same topic daily.
Much the same way that students learn how to read by becoming confident reading the same book over and over, students develop confidence with writing the same sentences and sight words continuously.
Using I like and having a list of their friends enables students to engage in opinion writing about their friends. I find that this is the most motivating for them. As they get better at writing and using their portable word walls, they can describe why they like their friends. This is important to teach opinion writing for kids in kindergarten.
Share, share share
When we write something, we want to publish it by sharing with others. Maybe, that is why so many teachers have blogs. We like to share.
Just like teachers, student writing is more motivating when they get to share it with classmates and beam with pride. So, I like to read the writing of one table a day. Also, I ask the class what they did well, and use their writing to point out great things they have done such as putting a period at the end of the sentence.
Pointing out positives goes along way to get gets excited about sharing their thoughts on paper.
Social-emotional learning is very important to teach in kindergarten, and I have found the perfect book to teach it: Jellybeans.Even the title makes me happy.
This book lends itself to teaching about kindness, anti-bullying topics, and likenesses and differences.
Rhyming is incorporated throughout, so this is also a skill that can be taught with this book.
Kids have always loved jellybeans, but now they can actually relate to them. Really.
All of the jellybeans are different but the same. The book makes it known that we all have different talents, shapes, sizes and personalities but yet we are alike on the inside.
Jellybeans are different colors.
Social-emotional learning is based on acquiring an understanding of inclusivity and diversity.
Jellybeans highlights diversity by using beautiful and colorful illustrations to metaphorically connect jellybeans to people.
“Much like a dish of jellybeans, each of us brings a different flavor.”
Children usually see anyone outside of their “normal” as undesirable in some way.
Students start to realize that they are different when it is pointed out to them.
Because, the book Jellybeans shows our differences in a positive light, it challenges the idea that there is a “normal.”
We are all unique and have very special characteristics.
“Be your own jellybean. Be proud of who you are.” This statement from the book is powerful and inherently teaches social-emotional learning to our young students.
There is the Sassy Jellybean. We all have sassy jellybeans in our classes.
There is the Bubblegum Jellybean who is snappy and loud.
Toasty Marshmallow Jellybean is light-hearted and mellow.
This is a prime opportunity for social-emotional learning to take place.
Social-emotional learning is based on the ability of students to regulate emotions and adjust to their environments.
A study based on a national principal survey “found that students who receive high-quality social-emotional learning instruction have achievement scores on average of 11 percentile points higher than students who did not receive SEL instruction.”
Kids in the classroom will recognize these emotional traits in themselves.
Also, traits viewed as negative can be looked at in a positive light.
Jellybeans is a great conversation starter on how to regulate our emotions and appreciate different emotions in our environments.
Discuss how we can all have diverse traits at various times and some personalities might be appropriate in different situations.
Role play situations like a football game where it might be appropriate to be snappy and loud.
Lesson Extensions for Social-Emotional Learning:
Have students share with a shoulder partner their similarities and differences.
Talk about when you feel like the Sour Cherry Jellybean who is grumpy or the Tutti Frutti Jellybean who is lots of fun.
Brainstorm all the ways that the jellybeans are the same.
Role play situations where students may feel a certain emotion that is similar to the jellybeans.
Have students finish the sentence, “ I am……. . This will show the similarities to the jellybeans and other people.
What are the 5 best ways to teach reading to young students? I have found through my 25 years of experience that there is indeed a recipe for success.
Much like learning to speak, kids have an innate ability to learn to read.
The motivation must be developed and encouraged from the very beginning.
Research indicates that children shouldn’t be pushed but allowed to develop at their own pace, naturally.
There are many strategies that are helpful in fostering the natural desire to interact with the printed word. If used consistently, children develop a curiosity and excitement toward reading.
A love of reading is priceless, and here are the 5 best ways to teach reading to help develop a life-long love and habit.
Expose them to environmental print.
Environmental print is all around us. It is the words, logos and signs that we routinely see in our everyday adventures. Labels on cereal boxes and candy wrappers are all easily recognized and read by kids.
Parents can ask their children the letters and sounds that make up a favorite sign or logo.
This is a beginning step to learning to read. Children are assigning meaning to printed words. They become excited about knowing words on their favorite restaurants and toys.
My favorite game to play in the classroom is Read My T-Shirt. Students with words on their shirts come to the front of the room and challenge their classmates to read the words on their shirts.
I was surprised at how many parents told me that their children asked them to buy them t-shirts with words on them. I even had one dad make this shirt for his child. It was by far my favorite.
Open a book every day.
This is definitely one of the best ways to teach reading to students.
I don’t wait for a magical time in the year such as December to start to have students open a book of their own and read. Many teachers wait until students have learned their sounds to have them handle their own books. That’s madness.
Students learn to read by reading. Memorization is a beginning step. I hear parents say, “He’s not reading; he memorized the book.”
No, that is reading. It is the first stage. They are learning sight words and making meaning from the pictures.
“Pretend reading” is also beginning reading behavior that should be encouraged. It is much like “baby talk.” Students are imitating reading behavior while learning important print concepts like directionality and that the words and pictures tell the story.
I have a reading center in my classroom from day one. I read with each child every day for 5 minutes. It is the best five minutes of their day and my day.
It is also a great way to build those important classroom relationships.
Teach sight words in context.
Teaching sight words is all the rage these days. It is part of our curriculum and students usually learn lists of words.
The problem is students learn these words and then forget them if not taught within the context of actual reading.
Having easy books for students to read is sometimes a better way to get students to learn their sight words than flashing cards. They need to see them in the context of real reading.
Reading and writing should be taught simultaneously. Students should learn how to write sentences with sight words.
“I like” sentences are easy to begin with.
Shared reading works wonders.
Reading Rockets defines shared reading as an “interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a book or other text while guided and supported by a teacher.”
Big books can be used to read repetitive phrases chorally. Words, letters and sounds can be picked out by students. Text features can also be taught using big books.
My favorite shared reading activity is the Daily News. We know young students love to talk about themselves.
Students are chosen to give a sentence about something they have done.
“It is Chase’s dad’s birthday.”
“Mia went to the water park.”
These sentences are sounded out with the students and written on an easel white board. The class can read them together chorally. Shared reading is so motivating and this makes it one of the best ways to teach reading.
Students may come up to the board and pick out sight words, letters and sounds.
I have found this activity to be very motivating for students. They love to read their own sentences and that of their classmates.
Use a balanced literacy approach.
Balanced literacy is a teaching philosophy that works. It incorporates using the strongest components of phonics and whole language to develop a life long love of reading.
Instead of focusing on only phonics in the beginning of the year, meaning making is developed by surrounding students with interesting books and print.
Balanced literacy is the “Best of Both Worlds” Thanks Hannah Montana.
The best book I have found is called Reading Strategies. It gives so many useful strategies and ideas that are so relevant to use in a balanced literacy approach. There are so many anchor chart ideas that can be a great addition to the literacy-based classroom.
Re-reading the same book and close reading are valuable tools to allow students to create deeper connections to the text.
So there you have it: the five best ways to teach reading to young students. It really is an incredibly rewarding task. Young students develop quickly if surrounded by a literacy-rich environment in addition to the best phonics strategies.
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Scroll to the bottom to download the best syllable freebies from TPT authors.
Teaching syllables to kindergarten students can sometimes be the same as catching a greased pig. It is difficult. Kids this age want to count the sounds and not the beats of the words.
As a kindergarten teacher for 20 years, I have found some tricks to make this task as painless as possible. But, it still can cause a few teacher headaches along the way especially in the beginning.
In addition, I have also found the best syllable freebies that will provide reinforcement and fun. Understanding the reasons why we teach a certain concept is important to teaching it well.
Take a look below to incorporate some new ideas on how to teach syllables effectively to our youngest students.
What is a syllable?
A syllable is a single unbroken sound of a spoken or written word.
It has one vowel sound with or without surrounding consonants.
Syllables are different from phonemes. This is where the confusion begins in kindergarten. Students want to count each small unit that makes a sound instead of the parts. They are counting the phonemes. So, emphasizing the fact that syllables are the word parts is important.
The number of times you hear a vowel in a word is equal to the number of syllables in a word.
Why do students need to learn about syllables?
Knowing how many syllables a word contains doesn’t seem like the most important concept for kindergarten students. Honestly, it really isn’t. However, it is part of understanding phonemic awareness and how words are spelled.
In addition, an understanding of syllables helps students learn to decode words more effectively. They won’t just guess at longer words but will read each part.
I teach my students to break words into parts when they are using invented spelling. Each part needs a vowel sound.
What are some good tips to teach syllables to kindergarten students?
Tell students that syllables are “chunks” that each word is broken into.
Everyone knows clapping is a great way to teach syllables. Clap as you say each word part and encourage the students to join in after a couple of examples.
Have the students put their hand under their chins. Every time their jaws hits their hand, that is a new syllable.
Stomp or jump every time you hear a new syllable in a word.
Play hopscotch outside. Have the students jump in a box every time they say a word part.
Sing or hum the word using emphasis on the syllable parts.
Syllable activities and free printables!
Mix it up. That has been my main motto in kindergarten. Kids at this age have the attention span of a fruit fly. Common knowledge. Having various effective syllable activities is important to students staying engaged and learning.
Basketball Syllables is a free TPT product that is included in the free file download at the end of this article. It is made by livelaughilovekindergarten, As a center, the basketballs with 1,2, and 3 can be glued onto individual bags. Students then place the pictures inside the bag with the correct number of syllables.
The basketballs can also be placed on a pocket chart. Students can be called up to place the pictures underneath the basketballs with the correct number of syllables.
This syllable resource has it all. There are center activities and plenty of cut and paste and other worksheets for each season. Students will learn about the seasons, vocabulary and syllables at the same time.
Final Thoughts
Syllabication is a big standard in kindergarten. It is confusing for five year olds, so the more engaging and varied the syllable activities that are used, the better. This free download will provide you with whole group as well as individual practice. I hope you enjoy and will visit the amazing stores of each of these TPT authors.
