Children laugh about 300 times a day. Our hallways, classrooms, and playgrounds should be filled with the joyful sounds of our students. I’m sure we hear it at recess, but how can we bring more laughter and joy into our classroom? Leaning into play before Morning Meeting, throughout math lessons, and during our literacy block has brought laughter and joy into the classroom for my students and myself!
When students arrive each morning, they have time to connect with one another during community choice time. The choices vary throughout the year but always include opportunities for building, creating, and collaboration. Students can choose to independently read, but most often they choose friends to work with. The teamwork and friendships that grow from this time are incredible! The time is typically technology-free, but students have been enjoying making stop-motion videos using Koma Koma. They are planning to use these videos to create iMovies that will go along with a script they are writing.
Incorporating play into our math lessons has brought tricky concepts to life while deepening and accelerating our understanding. When comparing heights, my students wanted to make a tunnel over a student. This was not the original plan, but I rolled with it. Then they asked if they could turn off the lights. With the flick of the lights, the giggles and laughter began. They were all engaged and ready to think more about how they would compare the height of the student to the tunnel.
Recently, students have shown an interest in writing and performing plays. At times, it seems the effort needed to figure out the scheduling and support the process is too much, but being intentional about finding the time allows the students to shine bright! When they performed their play, it was a hit with their classmates, and laughter filled the room.
The students are bringing their joyful and playful nature to our classrooms each day. I have found that leaning into their ideas more often has brought the laughter back to our classroom. Most recently, students mentioned Louis Armstrong and asked to listen to one of his songs. This was in the middle of a small group phonics lesson. My initial thought was that we need to keep working, but instead I played the song. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sweet voices singing “What a Wonderful World.” This was even better than laughter!
