At the beginning of the year, I asked students what they played with at home, and the responses were concerning to me. Only four out of nineteen students actually named a toy or game, the others told me that they didn't really play with toys and preferred video games and electronic devices.
Play is such an important part of a child's learning development and social development. This past year, I added Morning Bins to my classroom morning routine. These bins included math manipulatives, Legos, Tinker Toys, Spirograph, and Marble Run to name a few. Students would work with a small group for 10-15 minutes each morning creating and playing with the items. It evolved into so much more than I anticipated.
I was able to observe students gain social skills and communicate problems and solutions through words versus anger or negative behaviors. I noticed that students gained focus, along with improving fine motor skills and the ability to "forget" any problems that had been part of their morning.
Since I work with students for both second and third grade, I want to continue to enrich their learning, encourage them to be curious and ask questions, along with working on social development and strategies for social situations.
By incorporating more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) into our Morning Bins, students will be able to continue learning how to share, work with others in a positive manner, compromising and strategize through obstacles. While those social aspects are being met, their knowledge and problem-solving skills will also strengthen. All of these skills are life-long skills that are essential for students to thrive as adult citizens.
About my class
At the beginning of the year, I asked students what they played with at home, and the responses were concerning to me. Only four out of nineteen students actually named a toy or game, the others told me that they didn't really play with toys and preferred video games and electronic devices.
Play is such an important part of a child's learning development and social development. This past year, I added Morning Bins to my classroom morning routine. These bins included math manipulatives, Legos, Tinker Toys, Spirograph, and Marble Run to name a few. Students would work with a small group for 10-15 minutes each morning creating and playing with the items. It evolved into so much more than I anticipated.
I was able to observe students gain social skills and communicate problems and solutions through words versus anger or negative behaviors. I noticed that students gained focus, along with improving fine motor skills and the ability to "forget" any problems that had been part of their morning.
Since I work with students for both second and third grade, I want to continue to enrich their learning, encourage them to be curious and ask questions, along with working on social development and strategies for social situations.
By incorporating more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) into our Morning Bins, students will be able to continue learning how to share, work with others in a positive manner, compromising and strategize through obstacles. While those social aspects are being met, their knowledge and problem-solving skills will also strengthen. All of these skills are life-long skills that are essential for students to thrive as adult citizens.
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