How do you start your class for the day? Something fun to get the students going? What’s your appetiser, your amuse bouche to kick start the day. Here we provide our top 4 tips on ways to start your day and fill the registration void.
Number 1: How Many uses can you think of?
A great way to get students thinking creatively, why not propose a question such as how many uses can you think of for a pen? A chair? A stapler? A football? These questions are designed to get your students creative minds working and ready for the lesson ahead and the various problems they will need to solve. You can get as creative as you like to broaden the students’ imagination.
Number 2: A riddle
“I’m tall when I’m young and I’m short when I’m old…what am I?” Riddles are a great way to get students to put their thinking hats on and start problem solving. Riddles have been around for eons so you’ll never run out of options for your class. Just google “riddles” for some more ideas.
Katherine Rosman has included some recent riddles for kids, have a look :
https://katherinerosman.com/riddles-for-kids/
Number 3: I went to the shops and I bought…
A common memory game to get the class ready for the day, the teacher begins by saying, “I went to the shops and bought” something beginning with A. The game then moves around the class with each student saying another item from the alphabet whilst also reciting the previous items – for example “I went to the shops and I bought an apple, a banana, a chicken”. This will keep the class occupied and thinking whilst you get the register out of the way.
Number 4: Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles are great for refining motor and perception skills. Why not put some different jigsaw puzzles out on each table in the class and have the students work on them at the start of the day? This can work for different age ranges with more complex puzzles being used with older children. Invest in some roll up jigsaw mats so you can pop them away and continue the work each day with different groups working on different puzzles.
For more ideas check out the many resources available online and for more on our series of blogs see here!
