Introduction

Sometimes when children feel excited or nervous, they may talk in a silly voice. While this might feel good to them, it can make others feel uncomfortable or confused. It’s crucial for educators to teach Kindergarten students about appropriate voice modulation and understanding social cues during conversations. This blog post will discuss an easy-to-implement, no-prep activity to help students learn when to use their regular talking voice and when to save their silly voices for a more appropriate time.

No-Prep Activity

The “Silly Voice or Talking Voice?” activity is designed to help students identify the appropriate voice to use in different situations. Here’s how it works:

1. Have the students sit in a circle.
2. Explain that you will be presenting different scenarios, and they will have to decide whether it’s a good time to use their regular talking voice or a silly voice.
3. Present a scenario, such as “You’re at the library and need to ask the librarian for help.”
4. Ask the students to raise their hand if they think it’s a good time to use their talking voice or their silly voice.
5. After the students have made their choice, discuss the scenario and explain why using the talking voice would be more appropriate in that situation.
6. Repeat the process with various scenarios, ensuring a mix of situations where using a silly voice might be acceptable (e.g., playing with friends at recess) and where it’s not (e.g., during a class presentation).

This activity will help students understand the importance of using appropriate voice modulation in different social situations and teach them to consider the feelings of others before deciding on the tone of their voice.

Discussion Questions

Here are some questions to stimulate further discussion with your students about using appropriate voice modulation:

1. Why is it important to use our regular talking voice in certain situations?
2. How do you think others feel when we use a silly voice at the wrong time?
3. What are some situations where it’s okay to use a silly voice? Can you think of any situations where it’s not okay?
4. How can we remember to use our talking voice when we’re excited or nervous?
5. How does using our talking voice help us communicate better with others?

Related Skills

In addition to voice modulation, teaching Kindergarten students the following related skills will help them develop strong social-emotional abilities:

• Reading social cues and body language
• Active listening
• Empathy and understanding others’ feelings
• Expressing emotions in a healthy way
• Adapting communication styles to different social situations

Next Steps

Are you interested in exploring more activities and resources to help your Kindergarten students develop strong social-emotional skills? We encourage you to sign up for free samples of the discussed skill and others at Everyday Speech. You’ll find a range of engaging, age-appropriate materials designed to help your students build a solid foundation for successful social interactions.