Teamwork in Kindergarten

Our school district's social emotional learning curriculum is The Positivity Project. Each week the program introduces a new character strength to empower students to build positive relationships. This week the character strength is teamwork. We learned what teamwork means, shared when we have been a part of a team and discussed how a group feels when using teamwork. The kindergartners also enjoyed a number of activities throughout the week utilizing teamwork and team building.

One activity we used is a Kagan structure called Talking Chips. We read a book called Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. After hearing all of Lilly's ideas about what she wants to be when she grew up (a teacher, a dancer, a surgeon, an ambulance driver, a diva, a pilot, a hairdresser, a scuba diver) a student asked if the class could all share what they want to be when they grow up. Instead of letting just one student share their laundry list of career options along with their explanation why, as Lilly did, we learned how to take turns when sharing our ideas. Each student in the team received two talking chips. They are then able to put a talking chip in the middle when they want to share what they want to be when they grow up and why. Only the student that put in a talking chip can share at a time. Then, another student can put in a chip and share. Once all the chips are in the middle and everyone has had an equal number of turns, then they can get their chips back. The kindergartners did a fantastic job for their first time using this structure!

        

We also played a fun game with our teammates called Drop the Rock. In this game the team lines up with their hands behind their back. One teammate has the rock (eraser). They secretly drop the rock in another teammate's hand. When they feel the rock dropped in their hand that person runs across the field to the other line. As soon as the teammate with the rock in their hands they take off, the other teammates need to try to tag them before they get to the other line. We had so much fun learning this game and playing with our teammates.

Even more teamwork occurred when we completed a Jack and Jill challenge by trying to bring the water up the hill. Each person on the team had a cup that they could use to take turns dipping into the bucket and transporting the water up the hill. The bucket was too heavy to carry up the hill alone, but as a team the water was carried up the hill a little at a time without any tumbling down the hill or breaking any crowns!

We will continue to work together as a team in kindergarten to learn and have fun this school year!