Hands on learning

So, what exactly is hands on learning anyway? This is a question that many parents ask me. Hands on learning is a time when children actually use materials, manipulatives, and others objects to learn about many concepts. Examples: Using dyed pasta to create an ABB pattern for math, using magnet letters to create words, using magnetic word cards from the word wall and sorting them on another magnetic board according to the number of syllables, using marshmallows and toothpicks to create 3D cubes. I could name many others.


I can tell you right now that I am NOT a fan of giving students a bunch of worksheets to learn. Worksheets limit the students ability to be creative and does not engage the kinesthetic learner.



We just finished out first week of school. Yay!! Everybody made it out with a smile on their face. The first week is a time that we spend getting to know one another but also a time to learn some fun routines and activities that will later be a part of our normal curriculum and station times. I decided to teach the word can already, since the word is used in several beginning of the year books we are reading. Rather than having students simply memorize the word by using flash cards and copying the word over and over again, each student made the word with play doh. By using the play doh the students practiced letter formation, sight word recogntion and helped strengthen the small muscles in their hands.

Later in the year the students will learn how to play many of the games that I have created for center time. These games are tailor made to match the kindergarten learning benchmarks for several subjects. Here is a game I made this past May. The students were reviewing all of our lightning words (sight words) and some CVC words. The game promoted counting skills as well because they earned pennies for correct answers and had to count out the correct number. Games not only allow students to practice reading and math skills, but also role playing, taking turns, cooperation etc.