We made our family apple tree in kindergarten

This was the first week in Kindergarten so I wanted to drop in and welcome the new group.

Of course, most of the children I already know but it was fun to see how much they have grown and quite amazing to see that they will be the new big kids on the block. During my visit, I had the chance to see how many skills they are already quite good at as they made their family apple trees.

The children were learning how to select their own supplies they needed for the project from the project table.

They gathered each item they needed for the project all by themselves. The teacher was able to observe their skills in following directions and organization.

Then they went to the tables to create their trees. They traced and cut out the tree top and trunk then glued them to their paper. The teacher was able to observe their fine motor skills and their ability to manipulate the materials.

Once they had their trees cut out and glued on, they printed the names of their family members on the apples. The teacher was able to observe their skills in cutting, gluing, and tracing.

Then they glued the apples to their tree tops.  The teacher was able to assess their knowledge of their own family and family relationships and observe their writing skills.

The children did an excellent job printing the name of their mom, dad, and sibling names on their apples. Most of the children already knew how to spell the name of each member of their immediate family. Those who needed assistance with the spelling of the names could look up on the dry erase board and copy the names from there.

All the children had excellent beginning writing skills. I did notice that some of the children were writing in all capital letters – they will work on writing their name and other words with lower case letters throughout the school year.

A child’s family is the most important thing in their life and making a family tree like this is a good way to bring what matters most to a young child into the classroom environment!

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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