Planning Board 2022

You’ve probably heard your children talk about the planning board. This whiteboard in the kindergarten classroom is beginning to fill up. What is this for?  How does it work?  The kindergarten students help explain the importance of the planning board. After posing the question, “What would you like to teach your parents about the planning board?” here are their answers….

“Painting is one of our choices.” -Amelia

“We can go to discovery.” -William

“It has different colors for the different work periods. It has numbers for each of the work periods.” -Ezra

“We can plan to go to painting in the studio.” -Sebastian

“The pictures help you know where to go. There are different color pictures for the classroom and the studio.” -Claire

“We have different options and our names are on it.” -Wini

“I’m going to give my parents a lesson and they have to do all of the work periods.” -Charlie T.

“You go and work at your plan and if you finish you can clean up and go somewhere else if it is open.” -Joseph

“You can switch places.” -Joan

“You go to teacher’s group everyday.” -Zeke

“You can go to the discovery table.” -Stella

“You can go to the blocks and when you unbuild you have to stack 4 and sail.” -Arturo

“You can go to blocks.” -Jack

Students go to three different 25 minute work periods every morning.  Everyone goes to teacher’s group and a work period that the teacher plans.  Students have one work period they can choose themselves. The colors represent the first, second, and third work period. If they are finished in a work period of their choice before the 25 minute time is up, the children get to clean up and choose somewhere new to work. This allows for flexibility and space for children to explore many areas.

“You can switch places.” -Axel

“You can go to discovery” -Rodrigo

“When you go to teacher’s group, you can’t switch. You have to stay the whole time.” -Charlie S.

Planning on the planning board requires the children to make a choice with intention. Planning before work periods allow for development of important skills, such as thinking and reasoning, goal making, understanding multi-sequence actions, decision-making, self-regulation, and responsibility.