Enhancing Connected Play and Social-Emotional Learning in PreK Classrooms
Introduction
Connected play is an essential skill for young students to develop strong social-emotional learning foundations. When children learn to connect their play with others, they enhance their communication, cooperation, and empathy skills. This blog post will introduce a no-prep activity for PreK educators, followed by discussion questions, related skills, and next steps for further exploration.
No-Prep Activity: The Imaginary Adventure
This activity requires no preparation or materials and encourages students to practice connected play by sharing an imagination and building a story together.
- Have the students sit in a circle.
- Explain that they will go on an imaginary adventure together and each student will contribute to the story.
- Start the story by setting the scene. For example, “Once upon a time, we were all in a magical forest.”
- Ask the student to your left to add a detail or event to the story, making sure they connect their idea to the previous one.
- Continue around the circle, with each student adding a connected detail or event to the story.
- End the story after each student has had a turn, or continue for multiple rounds if time permits.
Throughout the activity, encourage students to listen, collaborate, and build upon each other’s ideas to create a shared imaginary experience.
Discussion Questions
After completing the Imaginary Adventure activity, stimulate further conversation with the following questions:
- How did it feel to connect your ideas with your classmates’ ideas during the activity?
- Why is it important to listen to others and build upon their ideas in connected play?
- Can you think of a time when you connected your play with a friend’s play? How did that make you feel?
- How can we practice connected play in our everyday activities at school and at home?
- What other skills do you think connected play helps us develop?
Related Skills
In addition to connected play, there are other essential skills that contribute to a strong social-emotional learning foundation for PreK students. These include:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Conflict resolution
- Sharing
By nurturing these skills in young students, educators can help create a supportive and inclusive learning environment that fosters emotional well-being and social competence.
Next Steps
If you found this blog post helpful and would like to explore more activities and resources to support social-emotional learning in your PreK classroom, we invite you to sign up for free samples at Everyday Speech. Gain access to an extensive library of materials, including videos, games, and worksheets that will help you build a stronger, more connected classroom community.
