In today’s world, effective communication is an essential skill. As educators, we strive to teach our students how to engage in meaningful conversations and develop their social skills. This blog post focuses on a fun and engaging activity called Conversation Drivers and Stoppers Bingo, designed for PreK students to learn effective communication strategies. Let’s dive in!

Introduction

Conversation Drivers and Stoppers are two key concepts in promoting effective communication. A conversation driver is a strategy that helps start or maintain a conversation, while a conversation stopper halts a conversation before it is ready to end. Teaching PreK students to recognize and use conversation drivers, and avoid conversation stoppers, is a crucial aspect of their social-emotional learning journey.

No-Prep Activity: Conversation Drivers and Stoppers Bingo

This activity is easy to implement and requires no preparation or materials from the educator. Here’s how it works:

1. Explain the concept of conversation drivers and stoppers to your students.
2. Create a simple bingo board for each student, with different conversation drivers and stoppers written in the squares. Some examples might include “asking a question,” “smiling,” “not listening,” or “interrupting.”
3. Play a short video or act out a scene with your students, focusing on the use of conversation drivers and stoppers. Pause the video or scene at key moments to discuss the drivers and stoppers being used.
4. As the students identify conversation drivers and stoppers, they can mark the corresponding squares on their bingo boards.
5. The first student to get four drivers or stoppers in a row (up, down, across, or diagonal) and shout “Bingo!” is the winner.

Remember to keep the activity fun and engaging, and encourage students to discuss their observations and thoughts throughout the game.

Discussion Questions

Here are some questions to stimulate further discussions and deepen students’ understanding of conversation drivers and stoppers:

1. Why is it important to use conversation drivers in our daily interactions?
2. Can you think of a time when you used a conversation stopper? How did it make the other person feel?
3. What are some strategies we can use to avoid conversation stoppers and encourage more drivers?
4. How do conversation drivers and stoppers affect our relationships with others?
5. Why is it important to be aware of our body language and tone of voice when engaging in conversation?

Related Skills

Teaching students about conversation drivers and stoppers is just one aspect of promoting effective communication and social-emotional learning. Here are some other related skills that can benefit your PreK students:

• Active listening
• Empathy and understanding
• Assertiveness and self-expression
• Conflict resolution
• Collaboration and teamwork

Next Steps

Now that you have a fun and engaging activity to teach conversation drivers and stoppers, why not explore more social-emotional learning resources? To get started, sign up for free samples of this skill and others at Everyday Speech. Enhance your students’ learning experience and prepare them for a successful future with effective communication skills.