5 Ways to Make Dismissal EASY
Friends,
Dismissal. Ugh.
Am I right??
Well, I have started to LOVE this time of the day.
Let me tell you why.
At about 10 minutes before dismissal, I call my students row by row or group by group and have them put their chairs up on their desks, clean up any trash on the floors, and put their backpacks on top of their chairs.
Then we sit together on the carpet.
This has been a favorite time of mine now.
This is what we might do on any given afternoon:
1. We will read a book and laugh.
This will not be tied to standards. This is not a time to teach. It's a time to build our relationships with each other. We will laugh and talk and hug. It is the best. Here are some of my most favorite books that I read in my classroom. (Affiliate link)
Click here to get this book
2. We will sing songs.
I used to teach preschool back in the day. We sang a LOT of songs. I still sing some of these songs with my kids in my first grade classroom as well. Even something as simple as Twinkle, Twinkle...they will love it. They are kids and they love to sing. Just taking 10 minutes out of our day to remember we're kids, its awesome.
Here are some of our faves:
• London Bridge is Falling Down
• Bingo
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm
• Five Little Ducks
• Jack in the Box
• Children are Sleeping
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Hokey Pokey
3. We will dance.
Put on some GoNoodle or some Just Dance Kids on YouTube and HAVE FUN. Kids love to see you join in as well. Try some Pop See Ko with those kids and see them light up.
Here are some of our faves on YouTube (Some of these are on GoNoodle too):
• Pop See Ko
• Pop See Ko 2.0
• I Get Loose by Koo Koo Kanga Roo
• The Gummy Bear song (Just Dance Kids)
• Ghostbusters (Just Dance)
• Nintendo Mario Brothers (Just Dance)
• Who Let the Dogs Out (Just Dance)
• That Power (Just Dance)
4. We will talk.
We will sit and just talk to each other. Just talk. About anything and everything. They need that. Sometimes I have them sit in a circle and I pull out the microphone. We take turns sharing our thoughts with one another. I want to make sure they all have the opportunity to feel and be heard.
Here are some ideas:
• What are you doing tonight?
• What are you going to do this weekend?
• How did you feel when art (or another class/activity) was cancelled today?
• How do you feel about the friend next to you?
• Tell your friend something kind.
• What is your favorite _____? (food, candy, movie, show, song, etc.)
5. We will say goodbye.
Sometimes we do high fives. Sometimes we hug. It's up to you. Just let them know you can't wait to see them tomorrow.
After we've done one or two of the above in that 10 minutes, I call them by name or by color of hair or by what's on their shirt...anything, just not all at once :) They go to their desk, get their backpack and line up at the door.
Then, according to their backpack dismissal tag, they line up outside in their group. The bus #12 group stays together and have one color of tag on their backpack. Bus #42 group has another color on their backpack. The kids that are getting picked up have another color. This keeps the kids together and is a visual for you that they are exactly where they need to be.
Having a routine for the last 10 minutes has helped me to make dismissal so easy and fun. I used to lose my mind with the chaos, and now it runs smoothly and everyone leaves happy and safely.
If you end up using some of these ideas, let me know on Facebook or Instagram by tagging me @learningandlovingit! I hope they help you have a smooth dismissal!
Dismissal. Ugh.
Am I right??
Well, I have started to LOVE this time of the day.
Let me tell you why.
At about 10 minutes before dismissal, I call my students row by row or group by group and have them put their chairs up on their desks, clean up any trash on the floors, and put their backpacks on top of their chairs.
Then we sit together on the carpet.
This has been a favorite time of mine now.
This is what we might do on any given afternoon:
1. We will read a book and laugh.
This will not be tied to standards. This is not a time to teach. It's a time to build our relationships with each other. We will laugh and talk and hug. It is the best. Here are some of my most favorite books that I read in my classroom. (Affiliate link)
Click here to get this book 2. We will sing songs.
I used to teach preschool back in the day. We sang a LOT of songs. I still sing some of these songs with my kids in my first grade classroom as well. Even something as simple as Twinkle, Twinkle...they will love it. They are kids and they love to sing. Just taking 10 minutes out of our day to remember we're kids, its awesome.
Here are some of our faves:
• London Bridge is Falling Down
• Bingo
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm
• Five Little Ducks
• Jack in the Box
• Children are Sleeping
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Hokey Pokey
3. We will dance.
Put on some GoNoodle or some Just Dance Kids on YouTube and HAVE FUN. Kids love to see you join in as well. Try some Pop See Ko with those kids and see them light up.
Here are some of our faves on YouTube (Some of these are on GoNoodle too):
• Pop See Ko
• Pop See Ko 2.0
• I Get Loose by Koo Koo Kanga Roo
• The Gummy Bear song (Just Dance Kids)
• Ghostbusters (Just Dance)
• Nintendo Mario Brothers (Just Dance)
• Who Let the Dogs Out (Just Dance)
• That Power (Just Dance)
4. We will talk.
We will sit and just talk to each other. Just talk. About anything and everything. They need that. Sometimes I have them sit in a circle and I pull out the microphone. We take turns sharing our thoughts with one another. I want to make sure they all have the opportunity to feel and be heard.
Here are some ideas:
• What are you doing tonight?
• What are you going to do this weekend?
• How did you feel when art (or another class/activity) was cancelled today?
• How do you feel about the friend next to you?
• Tell your friend something kind.
• What is your favorite _____? (food, candy, movie, show, song, etc.)
5. We will say goodbye.
Sometimes we do high fives. Sometimes we hug. It's up to you. Just let them know you can't wait to see them tomorrow.
After we've done one or two of the above in that 10 minutes, I call them by name or by color of hair or by what's on their shirt...anything, just not all at once :) They go to their desk, get their backpack and line up at the door.
Then, according to their backpack dismissal tag, they line up outside in their group. The bus #12 group stays together and have one color of tag on their backpack. Bus #42 group has another color on their backpack. The kids that are getting picked up have another color. This keeps the kids together and is a visual for you that they are exactly where they need to be.
Having a routine for the last 10 minutes has helped me to make dismissal so easy and fun. I used to lose my mind with the chaos, and now it runs smoothly and everyone leaves happy and safely.
If you end up using some of these ideas, let me know on Facebook or Instagram by tagging me @learningandlovingit! I hope they help you have a smooth dismissal!
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