Nurture Your Classroom Community in Spring: 3 Tips

We are in the final weeks before the end of the year! Spring is exciting because the end is near. But, it is also stressful…because the end is near. There are still skills to teach and review. Special programs and assemblies must be fit in. There are final assessments to take. In the midst of it all, our students are restless. Social and emotional issues flare up when the routines get interrupted! Today, I have 3 tips to help you nurture your classroom community as we near the end of the year!

Keep Your Routines Firm

Some of the worst behavioral issues will arise when students have unstructured time. Even in the midst of the end-of-year chaos, keep your routines as consistent as you can! The occasional afternoon spent in free choice centers or watching a movie is fine. But, doing those things too often prevents your students from knowing what to expect. And when little learners do not know what to expect during the day, they feel a little untethered. Keeping routines in place as often as you can, and being clear when those routines are changing, can keep students from acting out of a place of anxiety or lack of boundaries!

Use Positive Affirmations

In order to nurture your classroom community, you must nurture the way that students feel about themselves! Place positive affirmations around your mirrors and doorways for students to repeat back to themselves while they are washing their hands or lining up. The more time students spend speaking kindly to themselves, the better! This practice can boost self-esteem, which is so important as students are bombarded with tests! You can grab a set of positive affirmation cards for FREE by checking out this post!

Read Social Stories

The last part of the year is a great time to build empathy in our students! Reading social stories helps students see appropriate ways to respond to different emotions they may experience. The end of the year can be an overwhelming time…especially for kindergartners! Social stories can make a great break in your day to help students emotionally regroup and discuss positive ways to handle different situations! You can check out my social stories and other positive mindset resources HERE.