As a kindergarten teacher, one of the things I am constantly looking for is new ways to build independence in the classroom. When my students come to me, it’s often their first time at school. We have so much to learn to build their confidence and promote more independent action. But the good news is that this is actually a lot of fun! I love watching my students blossom into independent workers in the classroom. If you need some simple ways to build independence in your room – here are 6 of my favorite ideas!
Reasons to Focus on Building Independence
If you’re new to this idea, let’s pause and chat for just a minute about why this is so important for learning. For most kindergarteners the concept of independent work is new. While they might have been working to build independence at home with certain skills, independence in the classroom can feel daunting. My goal is to boost confidence and help my students learn the routines and expectations so that they can be successful. Not only does this make them feel more capable in all areas, but it makes our classroom run more smoothly too!
When everyone knows how things are supposed to run and has the confidence to put those expectations into action – a magical thing happens! Your classroom will hum right along during work time and allow more opportunities for one-on-one or small group teaching. In my room, I find this is most helpful during center time. Once my kids have gotten to the point of being more independent, they move through centers seamlessly. This makes it SO much easier for me to be present and helpful to the kids at my small group table and ensure that everyone gets some individualized attention.
How To Build Independence in Kindergarten
So, how do we get to this point in our classrooms? Great question, friend! Before we jump into the ideas I want to start with something you should not do. Don’t just assume that your students know how to work independently. This is a skill that must be taught and scaffolded just like everything else. Rushing into independent work without teaching those skills usually leads to less than desirable outcomes. If you have tried independent work and it hasn’t worked well, take a step back.
Over the years, I have discovered a few ways to build independence in the classroom that work exceptionally well for kindergarten. These are foundational things in our routine and often what we focus on at the beginning of the year, after a holiday break, or anytime my kiddos seem out of sorts. Think of these ideas like a classroom reset to help your students work towards building independence, confidence, and capability with classroom activities.
1. Give Students Responsibility
First up, everyone’s favorite – at least in kindergarten, that is! Students love to be given jobs. Having responsibilities of their own makes them feel important to the classroom community and allows them to shine in a way that isn’t tied to academic performance. In my room, I like to set up a list of classroom jobs that we rotate through every week. On Monday morning, jobs are divided among my group and everyone gets a chance to carry out their role. Some of the jobs we have in kindergarten include:
- door holder
- line leader
- caboose
- paper passer
- trash collectors
- pet feeder
- weather watcher
- lunch counter
- teacher’s helper
These simple jobs teach responsibility and build independence in a way that’s meaningful and fun for students. They can see the results of their efforts right away in the classroom and love to have a job that’s just theirs. Consider using a job chart in your classroom to build independence and foster a sense of community among your students.
2. Use Predictable Routines
Another great way to build independence in the classroom is with a predictable routine. I like to use a schedule chart in my classroom that has both words and pictures on it so that students know what’s coming next in our routine. Since we follow the same routine every day, the kids learn pretty quickly and expect what is coming next. This is great because it allows students to understand the expectations and act on them without even being asked.
For example, in my classroom, we have a daily morning routine that my kids have come to know and expect. They walk in the door, hang up their backpacks, and then head over to their table to work on the morning tubs set out for them. I don’t even have to ask once they learn the routine! An important part of making this work to build independence is also to make sure you choose activities for the morning tub that they can do all on their own.
For morning tubs in my room, I like to use these Sight Word Worksheets with Building Bricks. Once students know how to complete these pages, they can be fully independent. They will build the word with bricks, find and circle the word, and trace and write the word. Not to mention, the hands-on learning component of these pages is the perfect way to start our day!
3. Use Familiar Centers
This next way to build independence goes hand-in-hand with what I mentioned above. Center time is when my students have the most opportunities to be independent in the classroom. For this reason, I always make sure to choose familiar centers and activities that they have used before. This way, when they arrive at the center, they will know exactly what to do! It’s best to avoid new games or complicated activities for center time. Instead, introduce them first to the whole class or through small groups before adding them to your center rotation.
In my room, one of our go-to’s for center time are seasonal Snap Cube Mats like these Winter Roll, Snap & Graph Activities. My kids LOVE these activities and learn how to use them quickly. To use, students roll dice, grab a snap cube based on the code, and then place it on their mat. As they roll each time, they fill in one square on their graph as well. This is a great activity for building independence in the classroom and a lot of fun for students too! I print and laminate these pages ahead of time and then place them in a bin with snap cubes. It’s a ready-to-go center activity that comes in handy all month long.
I have activities like this for all the seasons so I can easily change out the mats to make them relevant all year long. Since my students know how to complete the activity, they can get a new center and know just what to do. By setting up some of your centers with consistent activities, students can easily build independence in the classroom.
4. Encourage Teamwork
Another fun way to build independence in the classroom is by encouraging teamwork among your students. You can do this by teaching children to ask a friend for help, before asking a teacher. This is great because it will promote teamwork and responsibility as well as critical thinking. I love listening to my kids work together to solve a problem before asking me for help!
This is wonderful because it will reduce the number of times you’re interrupted while teaching and help students learn some valuable lessons from each other in the process. One caveat to this is that my students know there are exceptions to this rule. If someone is hurt, or if there is an emergency – my kids know they come straight to me. But for questions about schoolwork or routines, they know they can lean on a friend first.
5. Have a Plan for Early Finishers
Next on this list is so important when it comes to building independence because all of your students are likely working at different paces. Everyone will finish assignments at different times and it’s key to make sure you have a plan in place for them to utilize. In my room, I prepare a few early finisher activities at the beginning of the week. Then, I place these activities in bins and set them on a specific table in the classroom. If kids finish an assignment early, they know they can head over to the table and choose an activity.
I tend to use no-prep activities for early finishers such as these Color by Code Worksheets. These are fun and engaging for students and easy to start and stop if they don’t finish before it’s time to move on to a new activity. Plus, my kids love coloring the seasonal pictures!
6. Embrace Student Choice
Another thing to keep in mind is that student choice is valuable as you focus on building independence in the classroom. Allowing some flexibility in the assignments that students complete can help students feel empowered. A great opportunity to use this technique is for fast finishers as mentioned above. Have a couple of different options to choose from and allow students to choose the one they’d like to complete.
Allowing for student choice increases their buy-in and feeling of ownership in the assignment. Since they were allowed to choose which one to complete, they will likely feel much more motivated and engaged. Plus, it allows them to have a little more control over their day which is a great way to build independence and confidence in the classroom.
Make it a Priority to Build Independence in Your Classroom
So, what do you think of these six easy ways to build independence? Pretty simple, right? I love these ideas because they’re easy to weave into our daily routine. Not to mention, when we use them regularly in our room – everything runs so much more smoothly! So consider applying a few of these strategies over your week to build independence and confidence among your little learners. I know you’ll be so happy you did!
Looking for More?
Check out these posts for more activity ideas to help build independence in your classroom!
- Fun Ways to Use Snap Cubes in the Primary Classroom
- 6 Ways to Make Worksheets More Engaging
- 9 No-Prep Math Games & Activities You Can Use In Class Today!
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