Each new school year brings new challenges. This is true for the teachers and the students. For the educators who are in charge of the five to six year old children, the first days of classroom activity can set the tone for the whole year. Most kindergartners these days have attended pre-k and know a little about what is going on. Other little ones are first time students with no prior experience. First graders will be a lot more savvy than their younger counterparts, but they are still small children. One of the best ways to start the year off is to jump right into learning games for kindergarten and 1st grade.

All teachers have to follow the curriculum chosen by their school departments and the state and federal government agencies that issue guidelines and progress requirements. Within that structure however, educators can make their own plans for achieving those goals. Students will be tested periodically throughout the year to ensure that they are on the right track.

Small kids have notoriously short attention spans. As an educator, you do not have very much time to capture their attention and imaginations. This is where playing a game can help. If you distract them with something new and unexpected, children will be curious and willing to give it a try.

Most young people are visual. They love picture books, kids television shows, animated movies, and puzzles. Many of them are already computer literate. If you offer them interesting and novel images that tell a story or pose a problem, they will not even realize they are learning a lesson.

One of the nice things about new learners is their eagerness to please. They are still young enough that they want you to like them and will make an effort to earn your praise. At this age, kids tend to be curious and like to have things explained to them in a way they can understand and remember. Repetition works with small children and so does consistency. You will always have a few in the class that hang back, afraid to answer questions for fear of making a mistake. These children need extra time and coaxing to succeed.

Even adults have a hard time sitting in one place all day. The younger the child, the harder it is for him or her to concentrate without frequent breaks. One recess a day is not enough. If you can incorporate exercise into a learning game, children will work harder and do better when they have to sit at their desks.

Games that involve music are wonderful. The correlation between music and math is well documented and starting to teach this early can make a big difference in the educational life of your students. Music helps children remember things better and retain them longer. You can find great examples of musical learning games online.

Most teachers who work with small children do it because they love it. Their goal is to inspire and promote the joy of learning to all of the kindergartners and first graders in their care. Games, music, and art projects can help you accomplish this important goal and set you on the path of becoming a memorable teacher.