January 2023’s theme of the month at Al Haadi School is time-management. In our Kindergarten class we have been practicing time management skills through various activities. Before exploring the importance of time management and how our lives revolve around it, it was important for me to introduce Kinders to a basic understanding of time. We introduced the concepts of day and night, and how certain activities are typically done during the day and other activities are done at night. I enjoyed our initial conversation about time with the Kinders and it was intriguing to see their innocent and cute responses. Some students couldn’t help but tell me about things they love to do so much that they would do them all day, every day, and forever – like playtime, playing with Legos, eating ice cream, and eating popcorn.
We also focused on being quiet during quiet and relaxation time, as it is generally a challenge for the Kinders to stay quiet during these periods. To help with this, we used a 5-minute timer and had a competition between the girls and boys teams, with the girls team coming out on top.
To reduce distraction for Kinders during independent reading time, we introduced 10-minute timers and saw amazing results. Kinders were able to stay focused, follow the time accurately, and enjoy reading effectively because the timers were placed in front of them. To end the day, we read the book “Sleep Tight Charlie” together as a group. This book emphasized the concept of getting a good night’s rest in a funny and engaging way and sparked discussions about the importance of sleeping and resting at night.
Next week, we will continue discussing this topic and explore how the Qur’an also mentions day and night on many occasions. We have a fun craft activity planned related to this topic as well.