Cultivating Kindergarten Confidence: 5 Ways to Empower Young Learners

Nurturing confidence is at the top of my teaching practice. Confidence is a crucial foundation for our children's success. It is not only critical to their educational journeys, but also in life. Kindergarteners are at an age where they're developing their self-esteem and sense of self-worth.

Here are 5 activities that are fun and effective in boosting confidence:

1. Show and Share:

One way to help kindergarteners build confidence is through Show and Share. These opportunities allow children to share something they're passionate about with their peers. Encourage each child to bring in an item, picture, or even talk about a family pet. The act of standing in front of their peers and expressing themselves helps develop public speaking skills and boosts their self-esteem. At the end of the share, students respond by offering compliments or by asking questions.

2. Appreciation Gallery Walk:

We do "Appreciation Gallery Walks" where kindergarteners can proudly display their creations. Students keep their creations at their table while moving around the room with "grace and dignity" stopping to admire their peer's creations. The gallery walk it's not limited to art. We also use it for building structures.

3. Team Building Activities:

It is important to ensure that the daily schedule allows for time to play and create. Those Choice Time opportunities are key as they allow kindergartners to engage in activities like building with blocks, solving puzzles, and engaging in the dramatic play area. These all require cooperation and problem-solving.

I also love group games such as Charades. It helps kindergarteners to express themselves non-verbally. I love the look on their faces when they successfully acts out a word and their peers guess it! It is such a boost in self-confidence to know that they have solved a challenge.

4. Storytelling:

Storytelling is not only a fantastic way to develop language skills but also another BIG confidence booster. I incorporate storytelling in my morning meetings. Students love to share their own stories, even if they are simple tellings about their favorite toy or a recent family outing.

5. "You got this!" Activities:

Incorporate activities that allow kindergarteners to complete tasks independently. For example, during snack time, encourage them to open their own containers. I also teach my students to ask each other for help.

We also incorporate a "Helping Hands" job routine. Every child gets a job that they are in charge of doing for the duration of a week. We use visuals to help them remember their jobs and responsibility. Some of the jobs are intentionally created as "team" jobs such as sharpening pencils to encourage team work.

Happy Teaching!

TP@Sparking Creativity