Fair Play in Kindergarten

This month has been amazing learning about fair play and integrating it into our class.  I posted a video of the students playing some games in PE class.  Students had to catch and throw a ball to each other with a scoop catcher, play tic-tac-toe with buckets in hula hoops, scooter boards around the cones and roll a ball to knock down bowling pins.  They worked together in teams to complete the tasks.  The scoop and catch game was really hard.  I loved how creative they were figuring out rules for themselves that each person playing could agree to that made them be successful with the game.  The student that was using the ball to knock down pins was tricky as well.  There was a person behind the pins to stand them back up and get the ball after the ball was rolled.  This person could have knocked down the pins themselves, but had to not cheat for their friend and them them knock down the pins fairly.  Tic-tac-toe was also a game students had to concentrate on to play fairly.  They worked in pairs to put the bean bags in buckets to make three in a row.  I asked the students when they were done what they think would have happened if there were no rules to the games and students didn't play fair or share.  They all said it would be no fun at all and that the rules help make it fair for everyone.

We read a book called Let's Play Soccer.  Although the book is geared to the concepts of how to play soccer, it still shares why playing fair, sharing the ball among players and following the rules make the game more enjoyable.  We talked about how we could take these ideas and transfer to other games we play at school, such as tag.  Students recognized that this is a much better idea to play fair.

Weekend with Wendel is another great book about fair play, sharing and listening to what others preferences or interests are.  We discussed how fair play can be as simple as asking someone a friend, "What would you like to play?"  Kindergartners can often get caught up in themselves so this was a great lesson in finding out what others might enjoy to do.  This story is about a mouse that stays with a friend for the weekend and the visitor does everything they want, but doesn't ask his friend what she might want.  In the end, she does something back to him that could have turned out messy, but ended up making the two be friends and wanting to play more.   

Thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers, I found some ideas that were very helpful in teaching fair play to my students.  I found the Fair Play Promise.  It is perfect for students to read and remember when playing a game outside, inside, toys, sharing books, or anything else that students have to work together to do.  It ends reminding students to say good game to your friend.

I found a song, although I don't sing, about fair play.  It talks about student situations of using fair play such as running outside to be first and how that might not be fair.  Dad reminds them to be fair is to share.  Sharing makes more friends and makes things happier.  

I have a poster called "Be a good sport".  It says be a good listener and follow directions, playing fair means everyone gets the same chance, be happy sharing, try hard every time, play safe and cheer for all.  It seems like a great, simple reference for students to remember what fair play looks like.  

I also have a power point about fairness.  It is an interactive activity with the class where students play a game in two teams and experience what it is like to have one team win unfairly, then experience an activity where it would be easy to cheat and how students have to play fairly to be successful for the benefit of the whole class.  I saw students really engaged in this and really understanding how fair play is important in so  many areas of their lives at school and home.  

I asked the students to look for examples of fair play at recess one specific day. They have been reporting fair play nearly every day since then, which I love hearing about.   Some things they shared are: sharing the recess equipment like the balls and jump ropes, taking turns on the slide, helping a student balance when their shoe fell off while another student went to retrieve the shoe, helping a friend when they fell down, listening to directions of a teacher and playing with new friends then the regular ones they play with.  I know there are more things students did, and continue to do.  I love seeing the students after the fair play lessons and how they begin to use the language with their friends and throughout the day.

The challenge Kerry shared with us was to role play acts of fair play.  I didn't video tape much, just one, which I will post.  The ideas students came up with was cute.  Some students demonstrated sharing in the play kitchen, sharing math tools, showing another student how to put a puzzle together, hugs and good friends, pretend hitting another student and solving that problem, and getting along with someone you don't normally play with.  This has been so great to see the students getting along with other students out of their preferred friendship circles.  

As usual, I love the changes in my classroom after teaching the fair play month lessons.  I am super happy to have this topic in October.  It was great to get the year going and then work on this.  I think it will be a better year having this as a early in the year topic to rely on all year.  It is a common language that all the students have now.  I look forward to seeing how we grow as a community throughout the year with fair play strong in the way we get along with others.