RESOLUTIONS AND PERSONAL ACTION IN KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM

New Year Resolutions For Kindergarteners: Time to take Action!
By Chetna Oza (Chatsworth East International School) 

There's an inevitable pattern to January 1st at my house. I take down the tree and decorations, and start making my New Year's resolutions. Traditionally, a new year is seen as the ideal time to kick start a phase in your life and take personal action. Many people make resolutions. As adults, we often resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, or save money - the list is endless! Looking at this through a PYP lens, New Year’s is an opportunity for us to have a clean start and take planned responsible action. This year, a thought came to my mind: why not encourage my students to take action using ‘New Year Resolutions’ as a frame? Our students are used to taking action, so making resolutions is a natural link. It would be timely and also encourages children to take action on their resolution.

First day back, I facilitated a discussion about the New Year. We discussed the beginning of a new year, with January being the first month. People all over the world celebrate the New Year on December 31st; the last day of the old year. The new year is often symbolized by a new beginning: time to take personal action!

As a class we read a very interesting story, ‘Squirrel’s New Year Resolution’. This story touches on important aspects of behaviour management in the classroom. We followed with a class discussion of how we can be at our best, revisiting our Class Essential Agreements. The class discussed how each of us can be responsible for our actions and make a difference in our school environment. These are things that kindergarten students do not think about a great deal, but they can think about how they can be better at sharing, cleaning up, or being kinder to others. It's a great way to get kids thinking about classroom behavior after the long Christmas break.

Student wanted to use their knowledge of letter sounds and tricky words to write a couple of short sentences about their New Year Resolution. We helped the students transcribe these and put them on our class Action Board as a reminder for children to take action throughout the year.

When reflecting on this experience, I felt that the children are very proud of their written New Year’s Resolutions and are excited to take action to achieve them. There was a sense of achievement as the class came together as a team to redefine our Class Agreements, take ownership of these and focus on taking action on their New Year Resolution. Good luck with your resolutions and personal action!

by Chetna Oza,   K2 Teacher Chatsworth East International School.