Games are a powerful way to teach skills, release and regain energy, and build community. The 36 games in this book are designed to maximize fun and challenge while minimizing the risk of emotional and physical harm. Many games are suitable for playing both in the classroom and on the playground. Some are adaptations of traditional favorites; others are original creations. All the games are easy for teachers to teach and children to learn. Each game descriptions includes "helpful hints" for making the game fun smoothly.
Confident Parents, Confident Kids lays out an approach for helping parents—and the kids they love—hone their emotional intelligence so that they can make wise choices, connect and communicate well with others (even when patience is thin), and become socially conscious and confident human beings. How do we raise a happy, confident kid? And how can we be confident that our parenting is preparing our child for success? Our confidence develops from understanding and having a mastery over our emotions (aka emotional intelligence)—and helping our children do the same. Like learning to play a musical instrument, we can fine-tune our ability to skillfully react to those crazy, wonderful, big feelings that naturally arise from our child’s constant growth and changes, moving from chaos to harmony. We want our children to trust that they can conquer any challenge with hard work and persistence; that they can love boundlessly; that they will find their unique sense of purpose; and they will act wisely in a complex world. This book shows you how. With author and educator Jennifer Miller as your supportive guide, you'll learn: the lies we’ve been told about emotions, how they shape our choices, and how we can reshape our parenting decisions in better alignment with our deepest values. how to identify the temperaments your child was born with so you can support those tendencies rather than fight them. how to align your biggest hopes and dreams for your kids with specific skills that can be practiced, along with new research to support those powerful connections. about each age and stage your child goes through and the range of learning opportunities available. how to identify and manage those big emotions (that only the parenting process can bring out in us!) and how to model emotional intelligence for your children. how to deal with the emotions and influences of your choir—the many outside individuals and communities who directly impact your child’s life, including school, the digital world, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Raising confident, centered, happy kids—while feeling the same way about yourself—is possible with Confident Parents, Confident Kids.
You're teaching first grade this year. What do you need to know? Margaret Berry Wilson gives you practical information about daily routines, furniture, and much more. She starts with a concise review of first graders' common developmental characteristics and then shows how to adjust your classroom and your teaching to fit these common characteristics. The result: Students can learn, and you can teach, with minimum frustration and maximum ease and joy. In a warm, conversational style punctuated with anecdotes and examples from her own classrooms, Margaret shares practical know-how on topics like this: Arranging a circle, desks, and tables Choosing and storing supplies Scheduling a child-centered day and teaching daily routines Planning special projects and field trips that maximize learning and build community Understanding the special concerns of first graders' parents and finding the best ways to communicate
You're teaching 2nd grade this year. What do you need to know? In a warm, conversational style punctuated with anecdotes and examples from her own classrooms, Margaret Berry Wilson reviews second graders' common developmental characteristics and shares practical know-how on topics such as: Arranging a circle, desks, and tables Choosing and storing supplies Scheduling a child-centered day and teaching daily routines Planning special projects and field trips that maximize learning and build community Understanding the special concerns of second graders' parents and finding the best ways to communicate with them
Stop bullying before it starts. Use the practical strategies described in this book to prevent bullying and create a safe, inclusive elementary classroom where kindness and learning flourish. Veteran educator Caltha Crowe offers a proactive approach to bullying prevention that shows you how to create a positive classroom environment and how to respond to mean behavior before it escalates into bullying. Learn to: Recognize and stop gateway behaviors as soon as they start Build a caring classroom community Create rules with children that help prevent bullying Talk candidly with children about bullying Work with parents in your anti-bullying efforts
HERE ARE OVER SEVENTY GAMES TO HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN TO READ--AND LOVE IT. Peggy Kaye's Games for Reading helps children read by doing just what kids like best: playing games. There is a "bingo" game that helps children learn vocabulary. There is a rhyming game that helps them hear letter sounds more accurately. There are mazes and puzzles, games that train the eye to see patterns of letters, games that train the ear so a child can sound out words, games that awaken a child's imagination and creativity, and games that provide the right spark to fire a child's enthusiasm for reading. There are games in which your child has to act silly and games--sure to be any child's favorite--in which you do. Easy to follow and easy to play, these games are ideal for busy, working parents. You can read a game in a few minutes and start to play right away. You can play on car trips, while doing the laundry, or while cooking. These games are so much fun for the whole family that you may forget their serious purpose. But they will help all beginning readers--those who have reading problems and those who do not--learn to read and want to read. Games for Reading also includes a list of easy-to-read books and books for reading aloud, and a "Note to Teachers" on how to play these games in their classrooms.
Whatever happened to the old-fashioned children's games and songs? Old favorites like Kick the Can, Fox and Geese, and Red Rover encouraged camaraderie, physical activity, coordination and social interaction--as electronic and computer games never can. Family and campfire singalongs helped preserve the folksong and storytelling tradition while instilling in children a sense of community and a confidence in their musical capability. Writer and poet Sharon O'Bryan has gathered a collection of the old games and songs. She brings the old days back to life with instructions for outdoor games like King of the Mountain; car games like Graveyard; card games including Old Maid; and favorite party games such as Blind Man's Bluff. Lyrics and music to singing games and campfire songs are added to this collection to offer old style amusement for every child and occasion.
You're teaching third grade this year. What do you need to know? Mike Anderson gives you practical information about daily routines, furniture, and much more. After a concise review of third graders' common developmental characteristics, Mike explains how to adjust your classroom and your teaching to fit these common characteristics. The result: Students can learn, and you can teach, with minimum frustration and maximum ease and joy. In clear, plain writing peppered with classroom stories and examples, Mike shares practical know-how on topics like this: Arranging a circle, desks, and tables Choosing and storing supplies Scheduling a child-centered day and teaching daily routines Planning special projects and field trips that maximize learning and build community Understanding the special concerns of third graders' parents and finding the best ways to communicate with them