Archive for February, 2019

Teaching Feelings & Empathy in Early Childhood Education

6 years

by signewhitson in Uncategorized

This week, I’m teaching my Pre-K and Kindergarten students about Feelings and Empathy, using Frosty & his many feeling faces. There are endless variations to this great core matching activity.

I’ve had kids work in partners or groups of three to complete the activity. Some students have asked me if I can leave a copy of the activity in their classroom after my lesson is over because they want to continue playing the Feelings matching game during their Quiet Time.
With pre-readers, I omit the feeling word cards and just challenge students to come up with their own original feeling words–which is a great way to build their emotional vocabulary.
Students who like a little friendly competition have spontaneously started to time each other in matching up the faces and words correctly.
I’ve challenged kids to copy the face on the snowman with their own face, to deepen their experience of the feeling and facial expression.
Best of all, I’ve had kids tell each other what could possibly make the snowman feel each individual feeling. Their imaginative and empathetic responses have been amazing!

School Culture Builders: Inspirational Messages for All

6 years

by signewhitson in Uncategorized

A positive school culture that leaves no space for bullying is best built through the dozens of “little” things that faculty and staff do on a daily basis to connect with kids and create shared values of kindness, unity and compassion. On that note, winter Mondays call for Inspiration!

Here are some of the messages I printed and shared all around our school today–on mirrors, on doors, inside bathroom stalls, on walls, and anywhere else students and faculty could use some pick-me-up messages and reminders that the most important thing we teach inside of our school walls is how to care for ourselves and others with kindness and dignity.

Hope the messages lift you up as well!