Spring Fever

Are the children in your life a little more out of control than usual? Many people say it is Spring Fever. There are plenty of reasons children might be a little less focused this time of year. One of the most obvious choices is allergies. Allergies can make people feel irritable, sleepy, and have lack of attention. There is also the thought that the increased amount of light affects behavior. Birds know it is time to mate because of increased light, maybe someone we know it is time to come out from hibernation, eat, and socialize. No scientific evidence for that last part, but it is definitely true for my group, this year! Even if you don’t believe that theory, it could be that children are getting less sleep; often with more daylight, a lot of us stay up just a little later. Whatever it is, we need to help the children get through it and keep them focused on learning.

By spring, my class is ready for me to use the kind of humor in the book, Piggy Monday by Suzanne Bloom. In this story, the children go “hog wild” and forget all the lessons about manners that they learned earlier in the year and they turn into pigs! The Pig Lady comes and reminds the class of the things they need to do and the children all return to their former, well behaved selves. The most critical folks might be insulted that the whole class and teacher becomes swine, but children love the humor and are able to extract the message that goes with it.

Some days it seems as if the children in my class never stop talking. I haven't had a chance to use it, but I think “My Mouth is a Volcano” by Judy Cook sounds perfect.. The boy in this story has so many thoughts and as he tries to hold them in, they all erupt. This book is empathetic to the boy, but also teaches about interrupting. The story goes right along with our kindergarten visit, when Mrs. Shank told the group that sometimes you just have to think the words and not say them all. I’ve been using her message, quite a bit lately.

A few other tips:

Maintain consistency by sticking to your routine as much as possible and by following through on your expectations.

Add more movement into the day. When Mrs. Shank counted with her class, they stood up on every tenth number.

Encourage parents to help children get more sleep. Remind them of the research about the connection between lack of sleep and behavior problems.

Remember that allergies and their medications may influence attention. Use your best attention grabbing activities. Have the children work on projects that reflect their interests. Provide novel activities. Find out what motivates your children and provide that as a goal or reward. Work more in small groups.

Group work also gives more children opportunities to talk, just be sure to give them clear guidelines and responsibilities. Learning is a social activity so put that aspect to good use.

Have children write and draw about the things they want to tell others. After they do this, give them an opportunity to share their work with others. They get to think about what is on their mind and share it. You get to have them working on fine motor, literacy, and language skills.

Take time to slow down. I know, I feel the end of year push to do all the things we didn't get done and to teach the untaught lessons, so the children must feel it too. Slow down the pace as you and the children take time to appreciate the moment.