Beginning of the Year Kinder Activity

One major concern I had my first year teaching was how to teach the first day of kindergarten. 5-year-olds were about as intimidating as it got for me. Luckily, an experienced teacher in my district passed on an idea that was a big hit. I’ve added a lot to it since then, and it has become something I look forward to each year.

Many of my kindies don’t have preschool experience, so full-day kindergarten can be overwhelming. I see them at the very end of the day as well. By 3 PM of the first day, many are frazzled and ready to go home.

Enter the epic lesson of epic-ness: Scrub a dub!

To save time the first day, I use poly-spots to help the kids get into a circle. Once there, I congratulate them on making it through the day. Then, I make a big deal of sniffing the air and confide that someone is… stinky. And needs a bath.

It is silly, but it breaks the ice. Students start giggling and forget that they were cranky a minute before. Then, I introduce the chant:

Students point out a body part that needs scrubbing (knee, elbow, underarms, feet, etc.) I pick one, and we “scrub” the area using invisible sponges. After the chant we echo sing “All clean” on sol-mi.

Once students get the concept, we add in real sponges. There is one catch: if students touch their sponge before I touch mine, I take their sponge away. They can get it back, but it isn’t easy:  they have to earn it by using an invisible sponge.

The students think this is a fun game. I sweeten the deal by faking out and pretending I’m about to touch my sponge and yanking my hand away. Giggles had by all! In reality, I’m laying the groundwork for instruments by teaching them to follow rules with a quiet manipulative. They also learn my policy that if you get something taken away, the only way to earn it back is by continuing to participate. They know this upfront and it’s introduced in a no-pressure way, making the policy less of a tantrum-inducer once instruments are on the line.

At first, we play the game simply. Once students have that down, I make the game more interesting by adding in musical opposites. Sometimes I stick to one for the entire chant, and sometimes I do both opposites. Students then decide which term matches what we just performed. Once students have mastered the game, they take over my role and take turns being the teacher. They get a kick out of leading, and it’s a great opportunity to assess individual student knowledge of opposites and singing sol-mi.

This activity has served me well, and is actually one of the most requested at the end of the year when I allow students to revisit old favorites. I hope it serves you well!