404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids [Spiral bound]

This invaluable resource helps K-3 teachers deal with restless, energetic students including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The book contains quick movement breaks that can be used between other classroom activities to minimize disruptions and maintain a positive learning environment for all students. The activities, labeled according to appropriate age levels, length of play time, and group size, include shape recognition, stretching and relaxing, pantomime and imagination movements, balancing, and team relays. None of the activities require special skills, and there are enough for every day of the school year.

As a new Kindergarten teacher, this book will stay on my desk and the activities in it will be included in all my lesson plans. Written to use with preschool children to third graders, the author encourages caregivers to use movement, but movement with a purpose. Not just for teachers, anyone exposed to children who can’t sit still and focus for periods of time needs to read this book. The author has a background as a teacher and trainer of dancers and athletes. Unfortunately she passed away last year, but I am thrilled that she left behind this valuable tool.

The first thing I learned was that when I have my kids stretch in the classroom without a specific purpose in mind, I can be setting the scene for kids who can’t calm down -- which is the opposite of what I would expect! Now I know that doing balance exercises are more appropriate for getting a class to calm down and concentrate.

Before we see instructions for each activity, Davis takes the time to explain why they are important. I could see this text being read in a college education class, because she reminds us of the value of movement in all areas of development for children. She has loads of activities that can be used with different subjects as an effective supplement to curriculum. I love that there are activities to support matl“W