Welcome to Preschool Activities: Teacher Introduction and Ideas
Teacher’s Introduction
Students who come to preschool for the first time are bound to be nervous about starting school, making new friends and being in a strange environment. One of the obvious reasons for this is, they are probably used to being home with a parent or babysitter. They need to find a new comfort level in this strange environment.
One of the advantages of teaching preschoolers is their wonderful imagination and pretend play. Preschoolers want to be like adults. They want to be important and they want to do the things that adults do. Use this to your advantage by using welcome preschool lesson plans that nurture the needs of the children while building on their nature as children.
As teachers introduce themselves to the students, they should make sure to do it in such a way as to build excitement in the children.
One way to do this is by explaining to the students that the teacher is about to take them on an adventure where they will learn things they never knew and use that knowledge to create their own adventures.
Let the preschoolers know that they are very important and use the activities below to let them know they are welcome.
Activities
There are some basic tools to use to help students feel welcome in class:
You can create a preschool schedule that will give students a feeling of stability as they learn what is expected of them and when it is expected.
You can also use lesson plans that focus on making new friends in preschool. You do, however, need to give the students a general feeling of welcome and optimism about the class.
Create ID Cards:
One of activities you can use involves creating identification cards for the class. To do this, read the instructions below:
For this activity you will need a computer and printer, letter size printer paper, colored ink in the printer, clear contact paper and a digital camera.
There are a couple of different ways to do this. Either print out the cards (below) and tape the pictures to the cards and write the information on them, or paste the pictures and text onto the cards after downloading the document. Either way, the idea is to make identification cards for the students that identifies them as “special agents” or “adventurers.”
Students will turn these cards in as they enter the class, making attendance a snap and helping them to feel as if they are coming into a private club rather than a classroom.
Paste the pictures and their names on these cards and then laminate them or cover them with clear contact paper. The cards need to be protected so that they will last all year and you can put on or take off stickers as needed.
As you hand out these cards to the students, let them know that having these cards means they have a job to do. They thought you were going to be teaching them all year, but in fact it is their job to teach you as they offer their knowledge with fresh eyes.
Help them to feel special by telling them that teachers learn as much from the students as the students learn from the teachers. It is their job to make progress through the ranks of adventurers or special agents as they hone their skills and add their knowledge to yours.
Students will know they are proceeding through the “ranks” as they are given stars for accomplishing assigned tasks throughout the school year. Place the stars on the front or back of the cards so that they can proudly display them every day. With these simple activities, students are sure to feel welcomed at preschool.
