Picking Positively Perfect Partners!!!

Hi Everyone!  Just one more day until I am back to teaching kindergarten with my 25 kiddos.  Spring Break was wonderful and although it is really hard to go back, I am thankful for this amazing job that is so rewarding.  It does make it easier to return.

Now, onto the purpose of this post...I am going to share more of my journey into Partner Work.

 I am having my students get into partners at the very start of the day almost every day.  It is a random pairing and here are some of the ways I am having students become pairs. I have a special red heart bucket where I put the item for the day.  I greet each child at the door and then give them one item.  They now quickly start looking for their partner and sit down next to them.  Anyone who cannot find a partner stands up near the front and I help them.  Sometimes I call each team up to say their match and other times I just have them return the items to the bucket.

Here are some fun ways to become pairs:

Here are some of the activities my students did in pairs recently:

They loved playing a game where they said a word and the partner said another word that came to mind.

Sharing what they did over the weekend or talking about a topic we are studying

Playing a game like this one where they roll the dice and color an egg with that number

We have played lots of games, read books and have completed worksheets together about a wide variety of skills.

Another favorite activity is to "quiz" their partner about sight words, spelling, addition etc...

After we are done I try to ask them what they liked about working with their partner. I love hearing them tell me that working with a partner is lots more fun than doing it alone!  They also give a compliment and an appreciation to their partner before heading back to their regular spot. 

I am going to have my students do some physical skill practice together soon too. Beanbag or ball tossing would be fun!

Do you do Partner Work on a regular basis?  How do you choose partners?  What do you have them do together?  I'd love to hear what you are doing if you don't mind sharing!