Introduction

Teaching PreK students the importance of appropriate classroom behavior is essential for creating a positive learning environment. This blog post introduces an engaging and interactive activity called “How We Act in School Bingo” that helps young learners understand and practice important social-emotional skills while having fun.

No-Prep Activity

The “How We Act in School Bingo” activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator. To play, simply follow these steps:

1. Divide the class into small groups or pairs.
2. Explain the rules of the game: Each student will have a bingo board with different classroom behaviors listed. The goal is to get four behaviors in a row – up, down, across, or diagonal – and say “bingo!”
3. Begin the game by focusing on one student at a time and describing a situation in which they exhibit a specific classroom behavior.
4. The other students will then identify the behavior and mark it on their bingo boards.
5. Continue playing until a student gets a bingo.
6. Pause the game whenever the discussion icon appears in the corner, allowing students to talk about the behavior and why it is important in the classroom.

Discussion Questions

Use these questions to stimulate further discussions on classroom behavior and social-emotional learning:

• Why is it important to raise our hands before we speak in class?
• How can we show self-control when we’re not called on to answer a question?
• What are some other positive classroom behaviors that help create a good learning environment?
• How do our actions in the classroom affect our classmates and the overall learning experience?
• Can you think of a time when you demonstrated one of these positive behaviors? How did it make you feel?

Related Skills

Besides raising hands and waiting for turns, there are other important social-emotional skills that contribute to a positive classroom environment. Some of these skills include:

• Active listening
• Respecting personal space
• Cooperating with others
• Using kind words and actions
• Managing emotions appropriately

Next Steps

Integrating social-emotional learning activities like “How We Act in School Bingo” into your classroom can greatly benefit your PreK students. To access free samples of this and other engaging activities, visit Everyday Speech’s sample materials and sign up today! These resources will help you create a positive and supportive learning environment for your young learners.