I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!

Have you ever heard one of your students say, "I don't want to do this?"  I love what Barbara Brown (a fabulous kindergarten teacher in Orlando) told me. She said when her students say, “I don’t want to do this!” she responds, “I don’t want to do it either, so let’s just get it done and then we can do something fun.”

There’s an important life lesson here. We all have to do things we don’t want to do. The best thing is just to do it and then you can focus on the things you want to do!  (Get those assessments and reports DONE and then shut your door and sing and dance!)

Happie Sticks

Happie sticks can be a motivation for your students when they finish their work early.  Write special activities on craft sticks and store them in a cup or can on your desk.  Children get to choose one activity at a time, complete it, and then they can choose another stick.  Here are some examples:

     make a book

     play a computer game

     do a job for your teacher

     play a board game

     make something in the art center

     draw on the board

     read a book

     help a friend

     make something with play dough

You Get What You Get

Here is a song to sing when children complain about not getting the item that they want. It goes to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.”

     You get what you get.
     You get what you get.
     Just like in the gum machine,
     You get what you get.