So the school year is here ... you have worked hard to create routines and build classroom culture. Now it's time for a some fun! I'm sure fun has been infused already, but fun on devices can be a little different. It can feel challenging to your students - or not challenging enough. Sprinkling fun AND educational digital activities is benefit to all classrooms.
We will share some activities and websites ... but be mindful of your students and the rules for your school/district. Not all districts view programs the same. Not everything has to be subscription based either. There are tons of freebies out there.
Tip #1: What options are built in to your curriculuar programs?Often, educational programs created for our youngest learners have fun built right in! The companies know how hard it can be to engage little ones when they are so new to everything. Most good educational programs have some sort of badging or points or tracking to keep your students interested. You don't always have to look beyond what is already provided.
Tip #2: Where do I start?One of the highlights of my week has been to have scheduled appointments with kindergarteners where I could do little tech lessons with them. Often it was nuts & bolts - how to log in, how to carry a chromebook, how to plug in headphones - but after awhile, we moved on to websites like Starfall and ABCya. I always loved sharing sites where books are read aloud, too. The kids LOVE selecting their own books & listening. Since we are in Ohio, we heavily use INFOhio and their BookFlix and Tumblebooks. Then we move into district purchased programming. Most of these programs focused on reading and math and the students love it.
Tip #3: I have Google accounts for my littles ... is this good? YES!!! You are super LUCKY!!! Google accounts means you can utilize any of the activities we have right here on this blog! We use Google and we share out all of our templates so you can enjoy them, too. Best part - you can make your own copy & modify to best suit your kiddos. I strongly recommend creating a Google Classroom where you pop these activities (and any links to other important activities or programs) and students can access them. It takes some time for them to perform so many steps, but it's worth it!
Tip #4: How do we move on after the littles are more comfortable? Build in some choice. I made picture based login cards for several programs. When they had choice time, they could select the login card for the program they wanted to use and could independently log themselves in. Login cards can be of great help when subs or other helpers are in the classroom.
Tip #5: What programs / sites do you recomment?Keep it simple ... really look at what your district already provides. Those should be your top priority. Use those and use those well - teaching your littles how to log into a few programs will serve them and you far better than barely touching on a bunch of different programs. When you are ready, or if you don't have many district provided programs, here are a few we recommend:- Starfall --> is great for letter and number recognition - it works much better on a chromebook than a tablet. You will need to purchase the app if you want to use it on a tablet.
- ABCya --> while not my favorite, is an easy one with a wide variety of games and activities
- US! Tech with Littles --> you don't have to go far ... we share out templates and activities as well as links to other educators awesome things, too! Use the label search on the right side to help narrow your search down.
- Innovating Play --> Christine Pinto & Jessica Twomey are two educators with a passion just like us. This is their website full of their goodies.
Littles CAN and WILL use technology ... but how well? That's up to you. Talking with your grade level and future year teachers will also pay off if you can all agree to the same rules, procedures, and routines.
We have found there is very few things the "littles" can't do with devices. Give the proper time, patience, and scaffolding, and they CAN accomplish it!
Build in some choice. I made picture based login cards for several programs. When they had choice time, they could select the login card for the program they wanted to use and could independently log themselves in. Login cards can be of great help when subs or other helpers are in the classroom.
- Starfall --> is great for letter and number recognition - it works much better on a chromebook than a tablet. You will need to purchase the app if you want to use it on a tablet.
- ABCya --> while not my favorite, is an easy one with a wide variety of games and activities
- US! Tech with Littles --> you don't have to go far ... we share out templates and activities as well as links to other educators awesome things, too! Use the label search on the right side to help narrow your search down.
- Innovating Play --> Christine Pinto & Jessica Twomey are two educators with a passion just like us. This is their website full of their goodies.
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