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Introducing Safety Signs in the Classroom

Safety Signs

Introducing safety in the classroom is vital to children’s learning. As early as their age, they need to develop a sense of responsibility for their physical well-being. Since they live in a community, walk along pathways, cross the street and take a bus, they must be aware of visual reminders that keep them away from vehicular accidents and other untoward incidents.

Safety Signs

Although safety is a serious topic, the concept can be made more interactive, fun and meaningful for children. By showing safety signs to them, you can do one of the following activities:

  • Classify signs based on color and figure out what each color conveys. As they sort them out, they will realize that red means prohibition, yellow suggests caution and blue implies mandatory obligations.
  • Categorize signs based on their shape. What does a red circle with a diagonal line tell them? How about blue circles? What message do they get from yellow triangles and green rectangles?
  • Group the signs that contain only words, only pictures and both words and pictures. With proper and enthusiastic guidance, preschoolers would love to try identifying the letters, reading the words and interpreting the symbols.

Safety signs need not be taught at one time in the classroom. They can be simply integrated in a context where children will understand why they have to be placed here or there.

  • Traffic signs can be taught before the class goes on a field trip. This way, they’d understand why their bus has to stop at red and go at green lights.
  • Emergency signs can be introduced as you bring the entire class to the gym for their PE class. You can intentionally pass along the hallway with the exit or fire extinguisher sign so they’d know what it is for.
  • When you introduce different means of transportation, you can prepare a parking lot with helpful signs, and let the children identify where the bus should stop, where the vehicles must enter and where the bicycles should be.

To sum up your safety lesson in the classroom, let the kids remember the simple procedure, “Stop, look, listen and think.” The best illustration for this is when they cross the street. They need to stop at one end of the pedestrian lane, take a look at the vehicles and cues around, listen to sound engines, and think of the right thing to do.

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Basketball for Children – Feel, Handle and Shoot

basketball for preschoolers

Before you buy Nebraska Cornhuskers Men’s Basketball tickets, Oklahoma Sooners Men’s Basketball tickets and Oklahoma State Basketball tickets, why don’t you read some tips on how to incorporate basketball in your preschool activities? It’s impossible to implement all the rules into the classroom but you should not miss the opportunity to let them appreciate the sport.

basketball for preschoolers

Multi-sensorial Approach

Bring an actual ball into the classroom and have a short interactive description about it. Discuss about its shape, colors and size. Let them touch the rubber and describe how it feels. Dribble in front of the class and ask them about the ball’s movement. Compare its characteristics with a plastic or stuffed toy ball and let them enumerate the differences. Even this simple basketball-for-children activity can make them aware of the things around them.

Handling the Ball

Teachkidshow.com suggests the following basketball drills:

    • At first, let them toss and catch a small softball at a close distance. If they’re able to manage it successfully, increase the distance and eventually, replace the ball with a plastic or a rubber ball that bounces.
    • Buy a kiddie hoop and backboard for shooting practice. Start at close distance again and gradually raise the hoop and increase the distance according to their capability and interest.

Dribbling Games

Games can serve as springboard for acquiring a new skill. Ehow.com states that you may use them to teach the kids how to dribble. Below is their suggested game description:

  • Mark an X for each child on the floor
    with tape, and give each child a ball. Ask each child to dribble the
    ball one time on their X, then hold the ball. Anyone whose ball bounces
    away is out of the game. The next round, ask them to dribble the ball
    twice on the X. Continue until there is one child left, then start
    again.

You may also do stretching and other warm-up exercises before any physical activity to prepare their bodies and to set the mood for basketball drills.

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Where Is Santa Claus?

where is santa claus 7

Like everyone else, you have probably dreamed of meeting Santa Claus, sitting on his lap and playing with his white mustache. When you were a kid, you must have written a letter to him and asked for a remote-controlled toy car or a pretty doll that sleeps when rocked. And because you were nice to everyone, the elves didn’t miss your name in the list.

The proof? The present in the stocking or under the Christmas tree with a Yuletide card that said, “For the most lovable child in the world”.Before opening the gift, some kids would run around the house or look up to the chimney with a where-is-Santa-Claus expression, hoping they can still hear his jovial ho-ho-ho trademark or say hello to  red-nosed Rudolph. This lack of interaction made Apple Kids Play School come up with the idea of bringing Santa to their students’ house

When they implemented the idea on December 23 last year, it was a busy night for the teachers. They escorted the most sought-after man at Christmas to each destination, bringing all the gifts the accomplices elves inexhaustibly and specially purchased wrapped. The students had different reactions when they saw Santa and their present in his bag. Here are some photos taken during that memorable night.

where is santa claus 1Some were tickled by joy.

where is santa claus 2Some didn’t want to let Santa go.

where is santa claus 3Some couldn’t believe Santa visited their house.

where is santa claus 4Some were scared.

where is santa claus 5Some sulked in his presence.

where is santa claus 6Some didn’t want to stay away from their parents.

where is santa claus 7Some kids in the neighborhood asked for a moment, too.

where is santa claus 9All adults requested for a photo with Santa.

But the main purpose of the school wasn’t purely fun. They also took the occasion an opportunity for personality development. They found a way to creatively motivate the students to behave in a better way. Santa didn’t only give away gifts. In every conversation, he showed off his memorization skills by appreciating the students’ great characteristics and discouraging their naughty habits. One student was surprised why Santa knew he was an active boy but a poor sport.

The students soundly slept that night without having to ask their parents, “Where is Santa Claus?”

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Apple Kids Play School is a Korean preschool in Mabolo, Cebu City. They follow a play-based thematic curriculum for their regular students and provide authentic learning for young ESL students. For inquiries, you may call (63) (32) 268-7733.

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Football for Preschoolers

football for preschoolers

Football, according to various sports’ polls, remains to be the most popular sport in America. No wonder why people queue up at ticket centers for Bears tickets, flock to stadiums or glue their eyes on TV when there’s a live coverage of a football game.This popularity makes the idea of bringing football into the preschool classroom a very interesting one. Children get excited as they mimic strong players kicking or passing the ball or the spectators rooting for the home team. They also get to improve their motor skills and foster teamwork as they play the game.

football for preschoolers

However, as common sense suggests, we have to customize the game according to the students capabilities and developmental needs. If you don’t have enough resources, you can create your own football and net as part of your art class. Here are three examples of simple games that you might want to incorporate in your class.

A. Shoot the Football

Position the net at one end and let the kids line up at the other end, holding their own ball. Have a player run towards the net and let him shoot the ball. The other kids can get too excited to have their turn so make a line and remind them not to go beyond it. You can also ask them to cheer their classmate, as if they’re supporting NFL Chicago bears.

B. Fastest Football Team

Divide the class into groups of five. Ask them to form a line by group at one end, place a huge net at the other end and put a basket of ten footballs in front of each line. Once you blow the whistle, each member takes turns in taking one football, running towards the net and shooting the ball. The team who can finish shooting all the balls the fastest is the winner.

C. Treasure Football

Choose one kid to be the treasure master. Ask the rest of the class to close their eyes and count from one to ten while the treasure master hides the ball somewhere. They then try to look for the ball. The student who can find it will be the next treasure master.

Footy4kids.co.uk shares a lot of soccer coaching tips for children of all ages. Go and visit their website and get ideas from their contributors.

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