A Tale of Kindergarten Collaboration

Our kindergarten year has been full of opportunities for reading, writing and arithmetic, along with the hard and important work of socializing within small and large groups! The school year often begins with two students connecting over common interests and past shared experiences with a narrow individual goal in mind. A strong sense of self is developed and established as each student finds their voice by sharing likes, dislikes and their ideas. One on one experiences also allow students to connect more deeply and provide opportunities for practicing communication and negotiating skills. Who will go first? What can I say, do to get what I want? What do I need?

Connecting over a shared kindergarten interest- reading!

As the students grow and develop, friendships are extended and the lenses through which they view their classmates expands. What does she know about this? Maybe he can help me with that? I really wish I could try that too. What does my friend need? With increased social interactions and more sophisticated and intentional group experiences, the goals are still often individual, yet the students begin to see other points of view more readily.

One on one with some challenging chess moves and rules

Throughout the school year, we have noted that our class has been very successful at working, independently, one on one, and during fantasy dramatic play experiences where each student could decide a role and act it out. The harder work was when all ideas needed to be heard, compromises made and solutions developed during the more advanced kindergarten work and play of small and large groups. How could we, as teachers, help the students to translate and transfer their strengths of play to the cooperative and collaborative class work of a kindergarten?

Multiple players with set rules and a need to read

With more developed organizational skills and increased social maturity, the class was ready for "big kid" board games! It seems as if the class has found what they have been looking for with a little help from their teachers! Chess, Uno, Sorry, Trouble, Alphabet Go Fish, Memory and Connect Four appeared in the classroom and the excitement was almost uncontainable. New games offered new challenges, new rules and new ways of interacting with peers. Cooperative play was also turning towards collaborative learning. The kindergartners were now more organized and teamwork was more evident as goals became group oriented.

Collaborative play includes compromise and flexibility

During these more advanced cooperative and collaborative experiences, the students practice planning ahead, using logic and problem solving strategies, and social skills to navigate this more difficult type of work and play. The students begin to fully understand the importance of sharing ideas, listening to one another, sharing materials and talking time, and what is and is not fair for all.

Collaborative art map

Working together for a common purpose

Board games helped our class to see more clearly all of the participants of the group and as well as what was needed for the good of the group. The students were just as interested in the other children as well as the task at hand. Art projects became more collaborative, as did other favorite kindergarten activities such as reading and talking to one another. The skills of taking turns and sharing began to move seamlessly into other group experiences.

The cooperation and collaboration practiced and strengthened during our board game times was utilized and put to the test in a different form when our class spent one morning creating a "robot" art show. The teachers stood back and watched the experience unfold as the class took charge. A stage was designed, tickets were printed, and the other kindergarten class was invited as an audience. This organic experience evolved from one student's idea that quickly blossomed into shared ideas and everyone finding a niche to fill that interested them. When one student suggested the adults had to pay for admittance to the art show, she was asked, "What would the class do with the money?"

Without hesitation, a class discussion ensued about how we could raise money for an animal for the classroom to adopt, such as a red panda. All of a sudden, two long lists were brainstormed of how to raise money for animals that need our help and the class' art, nature and animal passions collided into a beautiful idea. Stay tuned for further information on our end of the year project that, as one parent, described our kindergarten class as developing into "social entrepreneurs!"