Happy May! We are into the last month of school...hard to believe! I read
this post on Growing Kinders about behavior management ideas. It was just the boost I needed to get through May! I decided to make a jar of "Happy Rocks" for my classroom and started using them May 1st.
Here's the jar after I printed a cute label and put smiley faces on the rocks. I am using them to reinforce good behavior of individual students. You probably see the same thing in your room...I have some students who are
always on task, who are
always ready to listen, and who
always walk quietly in line. When I introduced the happy rocks, I explained that it makes me happy to see students who remember what to do and do it without having to be asked every single time. When students are doing what they are supposed to, they get a happy rock.
The first day I gave out a lot....our first line of the day was superb! I didn't have to remind anyone to use walking feet or keep hands to themselves in line.
Perfection! It only takes one good listener to get a happy rock and everyone is ready. It has worked like a charm this week. You could use this as a group motivator; I decided to use it for individuals because, as a parent, it bothered me when my own children came home from school and said the whole class had a consequence because a couple of children made poor choices. I believe in teaching my class that good choices bring good things. I do not use extrinsic rewards often and choose not to use candy...I simply want to let the good listeners know that I appreciate their hard work day after day. Click on the picture to get your own happy rocks label. : )
Hope you had a happy May Day! One of my students surprised me with these goodies!
Thanks for checking in on my little corner of the kindergarten world!
