New Year Activity for Confident Kindergarten and 1st Graders

Do you ever feel discouraged by the lack of connection within your classroom? 

We get stuck thinking things like, “Will they ever get along?” or “If only I could create a calm, connected environment in my classroom...” 

When you’re unsure what to do, it’s hard to move forward. 

The good news is, you can easily bring order to the chaos by implementing habits and activities in your classroom for your students to thrive - which means you’re thriving too.

In this post, I’ll define connection and provide 3 steps to get your class back on track. I hope that this will give you a roadmap so you can get started with connections in your classroom and give you the confidence to know where to start.

What is the perfect New Year’s Activity to connect with your Kindergarten and First Graders? 

In the context of a classroom and teaching, the term "connection" refers to the establishment of positive and meaningful relationships between the teacher and students, as well as among the students themselves. Building connections in the classroom is crucial for creating a positive and conducive learning environment.

In other words:

Ultimately, a strong connection in the classroom contributes to a positive learning experience, promotes a sense of belonging, and enhances students' overall well-being and academic success.

The added benefit is that you will feel happier with your classroom environment and excited to work with your students each day. 

Building Relationships with Your Students

The problem here is many teachers are feeling a disconnect in their classroom but feel like it's too late to save this class, and maybe it's just better to wait until the next school year to start fresh or try something new…

We want to reassure you that it's never too late to build the classroom community you and your students deserve! This will contribute not only to their students' emotional health in a very positive way but also to your own mental and emotional health in a positive way.

So what does it really mean to “build relationships” with our students? For me, it means taking the time to really see our students and meet them where they are. It means keeping their behavior and their identity separate. It means putting time IN to get to know our students in a deep and profound way. Thinking about what matters to them, what their interests are outside of the classroom, who they are connected to outside of school, what is their story outside of the classroom, etc.

This is a crucial component because without this connection, we are missing a huge opportunity to make a difference in our students' lives. .

Many people put a lot of energy toward academic success - which is so important of course, but the thing is that academic success comes along even stronger when there is personal connection between you and your students. 

They must go hand in hand and work together to create the best environment between you and your class. 

How Do I Build These Connections?

This is where relationship-building activities are key. 

Activities where you can have one-on-one time with your students to ask them intentional questions is a really great way to build connection. 

An activity that I have created for this specific case is called my Dream, Needs, and Abilities Project Freebie. 

This D.N.A. activity is meant to be an interview-style activity where teachers sit down with each student to ask them three simple questions: what is your dream for the future? What do you need to work on right now or what are you actively working on? What are your abilities (what are you currently an expert in?)? Taking the time to talk to our students one-on-one sends them the message that their teacher cares for them, and sees them as an individual (not just a student in their class). 

If you’ve spent hours trying to figure out how to build connections with your students but something is missing, try this D.N.A activity and allow it to help you build those connections.

Connection Building Activities

Remember that the key to successful connection-building activities is to create a positive and inclusive atmosphere where students feel valued and supported.

Here’s where you’ll really start to make even the students that may be a little more shy or closed off feel really included and more confident and comfortable within the classroom. 

Of course, this takes time and effort, but it is so worth it once you have a classroom environment full of connectivity and love for one another. 

Here are some more ideas for activities to do with your students when you feel they need a break from academics and to reconnect:

• Positive Affirmations:
  Incorporate positive affirmations or compliments into the daily routine. This can be done through a "compliment circle" or by having students write and exchange uplifting notes.

• Classroom Circle:
  Arrange the desks in a circle and facilitate discussions on various topics. This setup fosters a sense of equality and encourages students to actively participate in conversations.

• Celebrating Diversity:
  Embrace and celebrate the diversity within the classroom. Highlight different cultures, traditions, and holidays throughout the school year. Encourage students to share their own cultural experiences.

• Goal Setting:
  Encourage students to set personal and academic goals. Discussing these goals individually or as a class helps build a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

Putting it All Together for Your Connected Classroom

There you have it! The 3 components of building your connected classroom.

It may sound like a lot, but like most things practice makes perfect. Creating habits within your classroom is key - habits take time. Take it day by day and don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. Keep going and stay positive, friend!

What’s next? Download Dreams, Needs, and Abilities Freebie

As I mentioned before, I have the perfect connection building activity for you and your students. This takes connection to a deeper level and really makes your students feel so loved and appreciated by you. 

Click here to download Dreams, Needs, and Abilities Freebie now >> 

Are you ready to uplevel as a teacher? Click here to join the waitlist for my best-selling program, The Heart-Centered Classroom Instructional Toolkits.