Mrs. Coomber's Kinderland

We are getting to that point in the school year when the room is buzzing with excitement. Actually, the room has been buzzing since Thanksgiving. In the midst of Elves on shelves, lights, music, and the holiday spirit around every corner, the energy is palpable.

One day the kindergarteners asked if we could decorate the room for Christmas. In the same breath that I mentioned I didn’t have decorations, the kids were gifting me snowflakes they had been creating in our writing center. They carefully folded, cut, wrapped, taped, and labeled little gifts for me. My heart was filled. Not only was there so much joy in the act of gifting, but there was also so much pride in their ability to create independently. While they were not “writing” per se, they were joyfully building skills across all areas of development.

Fine Motor: The students had to color, cut, fold, punch holes, and tape. This involved building, strengthening, and refining the same motor skills necessary for writing and typing.

Literacy/writing: The students used phonics knowledge and inventive spelling to write messages on the packages. They labeled packages with my name and their names. They learned to spell words such as love, from, by. I even got the whole sentence, “Mis Combr, you are the best teacher.” They applied the same skills I teach them in small group literacy lessons- letter formation, segmenting sounds to write words, and writing complete sentences with spaces between the words.

Creative and Critical Thinking: This gift-creating endeavor, and open-ended activity, involved planning (thinking about how and which materials to use), problem-solving (to fit materials together), and perseverance (to start again when things didn’t work as expected). Throughout the process, the students are exercising the same critical and creative thinking skills they will use in math, science, reading, and writing throughout their school days.

Social Skills: When there was only one piece of green paper or only one sticker left, the students had to share. They had to negotiate and solve the problem of limited resources. I saw them cut paper in half or play Rock, Paper, Scissors to make decisions. These are the same skills students need to collaborate and solve social problems in the classroom and on the playground.

Kindness & Empathy: The students enjoyed the act of giving as much as the process of creating. I saw students gifting each other, especially when a peer seemed sad. These are the same skills students need to understand others ‘ emotions and work together respectfully.

Emotional Regulation: The hands-on act of creating was also a source of emotional regulation. It encouraged active expression and communication.

I also cut out a simple Christmas tree with green paper. The students used open-ended art materials to create ornaments and then taped them onto the tree. Decorating the tree is an ongoing activity this week in the classroom.