The very first time I placed a set of SitSpots down inside my kindergarten classroom we all did the happy dance...not just me... but my kids and my custodian as well - once he realized that the spots weren't duct tape. What a difference these little spots made to our day...our week... and ultimately....our school year.
The excitement and relief on my part didn't stop there! As the creator of these amazing little spots, it didn't take me long to realize that there were a lot more places we could go with SitSpots.
The real magic happened when I used SitSpots for "Floor Games". It was absolutely incredible to see the changes that transpired to my students' engagement levels as soon as I gave my students the option of replacing their writing tools with a different kind of tool used for skills practice. Instead of using pencils, markers, and/or crayons for skills practice, they now had the option of using beanbags, nerf balls, jumps, etc. Their engagement levels increased tenfold... they couldn't wait to "play". Once I realized the impact these games had on learning, I began creating additional floor games. All of these games were content driven and related to the Common Core State Standards, and I basically transferred the content from the practice worksheets onto the spots (one word, letter, number, etc. per spot).
Here's a floor game that I'm hoping will act as a springboard for implementing floor games into your classroom. It's a step toward managing those wiggles and giggles while improving academic skills ...but a very important one indeed.
Additional floor games will be posted monthly. All you'll need to do is modify the content of these games to fit the needs of your class.
Objective of all the Floor Games:
To increase student engagement levels and practice academic content skills
- 12-SitSpots circles in various colors
- 2-SitSpots paw print shapes
- 1-Sharpie Paint Pen (permanent marker - can not be removed)
- Beanbags (3-5) or other objects
Print one upper/ lower case letter (i.e. Aa) onto each spot or piece of tape (that will be placed on top of spots if wanting to reuse them) or modify this content to fit the needs of your students
Use paw prints for students to stand on when tossing the beanbags
One student identifies a letter and “calls it out” by name and phonetic sound before tossing the beanbag onto it
Each student gets 3 tosses
Students who miss the targeted letter walk over to that letter and stomp on it while calling the letter out again.
Low-level students may need a student monitor for additional assistance.
Reminder: Print content that is specific to the curricular needs of your students (i.e. site words, vowels, numbers, shapes, etc.) while using the same guidelines as above.
For additional information on floor games click here.