Following directions activities for kindergarten

7 Core Following Directions Activities for Kids That'll Improve Listening

Inside: Quick and easy following directions activities for kids that will help them practice self-control, emotional regulation and improve listening skills.

There was a joke traveling around years ago from Carrie On Y’all that said, “Maybe if I start yelling ‘Get your shoes on!’ the night before, we could get to school on time the next day.”

Honestly, the struggle is real.

Kids need A LOT of practice to learn basic life skills.

Following directions activities can support better listening skills in your child.

Teaching kids to follow directions isn’t as simple as doing a listening activity for kids, watching fairy dust shower from above, and seeing your kids transform into magical listeners.

Several years ago I was getting ready to take my son to school. He insisted—like life or death insisted—that he needed to wear his green shoes.

So I helped him find his green shoes, laid them out on the floor, and then realized I made a horrible mistake.

He shook his head and said, “No green shoes, mom. Nooo!”

In exactly two minutes, the green shoes went from being my complaining child’s most prized possession to the most horrible and disgusting shoes one could don.

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Teaching kids to follow directions – let’s simplify.

1. Connection first. Attention follows.

A few brief moments using SAY WHAT YOU SEE®, where you describe what your child is thinking, doing, feeling or saying, makes a big difference. This is the building block of connection, and when kids feel connected to you, they are for more likely to cooperate.

It might sound something like, “You’re drawing a picture with big green squares and red lines.”

No brainer, right? And yet, I still find myself talking to my kids without taking a brief moment for connection.

Sharing a set of instructions before you briefly connect with your child is like speaking foreign language. It can fall flat.

I know I have my child’s full attention when I have two things:

• Eye contact
• Eyes level (get down to the child’s level).

2. Be short and specific.

Kids tend to hear a lot of conversational white noise when adults are speaking to them. Say exactly what needs to be said for your child to follow your directions. Trim everything else out.

Instead of… “Hurry up. We gotta get out the door for this appointment. Get your coat lets go.”

Try… “Coat please.” Or, “You’re missing a coat.”

3. Use “wait time.”

This is a great strategy that I learned from a teacher. After giving a set of instructions to your kids, pause for 3-7 seconds to allow their brain to process and apply the information. Research shows kids are more likely to follow directions if you give them “wait time” or a hearty pause.

As adults, we are used to processing information much quicker, but kids…they take time.

Think of it this way: Keeping realistic expectations and waiting is the difference between you giving up and throwing your tea in the air vs. you calmly taking a sip of your tea while you employ “wait time.”

4. Unless you are offering a choice, don’t ask.

If your directions aren’t up for negotiation, keep that door firmly closed. Offering choices is a fabulous way to help end power struggles and enjoy a happier home.

But…everything in life is not always a choice. If you can’t offer a choice within a parental boundary you feel good about, give instructions as a statement, rather than a question.

Instead of… “Can you pick up your toys?”

Try… “I see toys on the floor and it’s time to leave.”

Or if you’d like to offer a choice, you can say something like, “I see blocks and dolls. Show me which one you want to put away first.”

5. Practice using following directions activities.

In order to build great listening skills, kids need a lot of practice…A LOT.

Which makes sense! I think we all can relate to needing a lot of practice before we can get good at anything. I could tell you a few stories about burnt dinner rolls for the past five years, but that’s a story for another day 🙂

Related:

• 50+ Best Simple Games for 2 Year Olds and Up
• The Ultimate List of Board Games for 2 Year Olds

7 core following directions activities for kids.

There are several good ‘ole fashioned standby games to play with kids to help them 1) Listen and hear what you are instructing and 2) Practice following the directions you shared.

1. Simon Says

One person is Simon or Elmo or Dora or Spiderman or Teacher or Whoever, and this person is the “leader.” Simon gives a set of instructions and everyone else follows. The person who doesn’t follow the instructions is “out.” And the person who follows the instructions throughout the game, wins Simon Says.

2. Red Light, Green Light.

One person is the leader who calls out “Red Light” or “Green Light.” When the leader calls out “Red Light,” everyone stops. When the leader calls out “Green Light,” everyone goes. Anyone who doesn’t stop or freeze during “Red Light” is out.

3. Follow the Leader.

Take a walk around your house or outside and whatever you (or the leader) does, everyone else must follow. This is a great game to allow your child to be the leader and have you follow your child. It’s a perfect opportunity to model following directions for your child!

4. Map Game

Try this map game and help your kids work their way through the grid following the directions given. Practice counting and using the words left, right, forward, and backward.

5. Two-step direction games.

Do one of these 2-step direction games with your kids. This is perfect for preschoolers and above! Have your kids follow some of the 2-step directions throughout the day (e.g. Shake your head “yes” and then quack like a duck.) Brilliant!

6. Lego® Game

If you have kids who are old enough to play a board game, try this Lego Game to help your kids practice reading directions and following them.

7. Visual direction activities.

With kids, visual directions are so important! You can make life simpler and fun using visual directions for your kids, such as a printable daily schedule for kids.

• Bedtime routine cards
• Morning routine cards
• Mealtime routine cards

Using routines is a great way to support cooperation and help your kids learn to follow directions.

They are also energy saving, AND a great way to avoid yelling “Green shoes!” ten times every morning or “Eat your dinner!” six times every evening.

Grab your FREE Following Directions Checklist Here!

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3 Activities to Teach Following Directions

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A preschooler’s ability to receive, understand, and follow directions can vary from child to child. By giving children time to process directions, and by offering plenty of positive reinforcement, they will begin to be able to comprehend and complete specific tasks as they develop and grow.   Proposing a few simple options or providing several encouraging suggestions for preschoolers to choose from, early learners will start to respond positively when given instructions.

3 Activities to Teach Following Directions

Teach preschoolers how to follow directions through fun and engaging games and activities. By incorporating play with lessons, children are more likely to enjoy the learning processes of listening to instructions, recognizing given assignments, and completing the tasks. Here are three educational games that will provide preschoolers with exciting opportunities to pay attention and follow directions.

Simon Says

This is a classic listening game that is fun for all ages.

How to Play:

Designate someone to be Simon. Simon then gives a directive by saying, “Simon says…” followed by a given task. An example of an instruction would sound like, “Simon says…pat your head.” Everyone playing would then do what Simon says. If Simon gives a direction without saying “Simon says…” first, and players complete the action, those players are out.

Make the game simple for preschoolers by giving one instruction at a time. Once they seem to get the hang of it, challenge them by giving them a two-part direction, such as “…jump two times”.   If the game becomes too difficult, go back to a one-part directive. Keep it fun and engaging.

Modifications:

Change the name from Simon to a more appealing character that preschoolers may be interested in. Maybe incorporate holiday icons like Santa for a game of Santa Says, or a movie character such as a Minion for Minion Says. The more relatable the game is to children, the more likely they’ll enjoy playing.

Red Light, Green Light

This is an active game that focuses on following directions.

How to Play:
Designate someone to be the traffic cop. All other players are lined up at a starting point. The traffic cop then says either red light or green light. When green light is stated, everyone heads toward the finish line. When red light is called, everyone must immediately stop. The round finishes when all have crossed the finish line and then a new game can begin.

Modifications:

While this game focuses on listening to follow directions, incorporating visual cues will add another level of learning. Color a red circle and green circle to hold up as that color light is called for. In addition, using only the visual cues without speaking could be a fun alternative as well.

Another way to enhance the game is by incorporating a yellow light. When yellow light is called, children will have to slow down or even crawl to get to the finish line.

Hokey Pokey

This is a fun interactive dance with a directive song.

How to play:

Get everyone in a circle and start singing or play the Hokey Pokey song. Put the hands, feet, head, backside, and whole body in and out of the circle with the Hokey Pokey. Preschoolers will have a blast while listening and following directions to shake all around.

Learn more about The Importance of Play In Child Development.

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Priority direction of the kindergarten

VERSION FOR THE VISIONLY LIMITED

Priority activities of the educational institution for the implementation of the main educational program of preschool education.
The ongoing changes in the kindergarten, taking into account the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard, are due to the objective need for changes that are adequate to the development of society and the educational system as a whole. Based on previous experience and positive results in health improvement, correctional and developmental, artistic and aesthetic work with preschoolers, kindergarten teachers are aware of the need for changes in the work of the institution.
The main direction: purposeful socialization of the child's personality, education of a physically healthy, diversified, proactive and liberated preschooler. Improvement of pedagogical systems for children, through the solution of program educational tasks not only within the framework of directly specially organized forms of education (classes), but also the implementation of educational areas in the joint activities of an adult and children and the independent activities of children, and during regime moments in accordance with the specifics of preschool education
The following areas of priority in the activities of the kindergarten are:
· Preservation and strengthening of children's health;
· physical and psychological health protection of children, formation of healthy lifestyle habits;
· ensuring the conditions for the safety of the life of children in kindergarten;
· formation of emotional and volitional qualities and universal values ​​among pupils;
· interaction with families of children as a partnership;
humanization of the goals and principles of educational work with children;
· raising the educational level of pupils through additional education.

Goals and objectives of the activity of an educational institution for the implementation of the main general educational program of preschool education.
Purpose: creation of conditions for the implementation of the right guaranteed to citizens of the Russian Federation to receive public and free preschool education; the formation of a general culture, the development of physical, intellectual and personal qualities, the formation of the prerequisites for educational activities that ensure social success, the preservation and strengthening of the health of preschool children, the correction of shortcomings in the physical and (or) mental development of children.

Main tasks:
· To create optimal conditions for the preservation and promotion of children's health.
· To create conditions for leveling the starting opportunities for children of senior preschool age to study at school.
Provision of cognitive-speech, social-personal, artistic-aesthetic and physical development of children, taking into account their individual characteristics and abilities;
· To create conditions for the development of cognitive-speech and artistic-aesthetic abilities of children above the basic level.
· Education taking into account age categories in children of citizenship, universal values, respect for human rights and freedoms, love for the environment, Motherland, family;
· Ensuring the social adaptation and integration of the child into society and the successful transition to the next educational level - primary school;
· Creation of conditions for maximum involvement of parents (legal representatives) in participation in educational and leisure activities;
· Meeting the additional educational needs of children and parents (legal representatives) and the choice of programs and technologies by kindergarten teachers.

Education and Consulting Center LLC

Volgograd 2008-2022

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Kindergarten No. 54 | Belgorod, st. Kurskaya, 8-B

Sticky 07/31/2021 Newsadmin

11/10/2022 Newsadmin

As you know, a person begins to choose a profession in childhood. In our kindergarten, the "Group Guest" technology is being implemented. In the course of which the mother of our pupil, Zakablukova Olga Anatolyevna, came to visit us. She works as a doctor at the Regional Hospital of St. Joasaph, Belgorod. Olga Anatolyevna told the children about her profession.

Olga Anatolyevna played the role-playing game "Doctor's Office" with the children. Showed the children how to use a phonendoscope. The children enjoyed listening to their own heartbeat. She also showed how the doctor measures blood pressure. Examine the contents of the first aid kit.

From the conversation, the children realized that in order to become a doctor you need to read a lot, study at school for good grades. This profession is very responsible, because a person's life depends on the doctor's work. At the end, Olga Anatolyevna asked the children if they wanted to become doctors. Most answered positively. "Guest of the group" is one of the effective forms of work with the families of pupils. Many thanks to Olga Anatolyevna for an interesting and informative meeting with the profession of a doctor, for her active participation in the educational activities of children and the life of the kindergarten.

Yulia Vladimirovna Maklakova, teacher

Olga Borisovna Chebukina, teacher

07.11.2022 Newsadmin

Autumn came to visit the kids, and she brought leaves. After examining each leaf, the guys came to the conclusion that the leaves are all green. And looking out the window, we saw that the leaves are multi-colored - yellow, red, orange, brown, green.

We offered the guys to see what the leaves would look like if they were gently rubbed with our fingers... And then miracles happened, our leaves began to change color. And each had its own color - yellow, orange, red, etc.

That's how we learned that at first the leaves are green, and then, in autumn, they become multi-colored and completely fall off the trees.

Lidiya Alekseevna Bogdanova, educator

Elena Viktorovna Leonova, educator

01.11.2022 Newsadmin