Megan Reynolds

Megan Reynolds

I am a teacher & designer. Connecting with students & seeing them enjoy learning is my favorite feeling on earth! I hope you enjoy this article!

Kindergarden Exercise Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Exercise Choice Board for Kindergarden in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your Kindergarden Classroom during Exercise you will need to create the Exercisechoices (there are lots of examples), organize the classroom, and have a goal;

Time-saving, differentiation, and dynamic classroom management are my favorite reasons to use a choice board!

Integrating choices every day you will need to hone in on the best way to apply Kindergarden Exercise choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from yourKindergardenrs

Ideas & Examples of Great Kindergarden Exercise Choices

Froggy Jumps Spot
Hop like a frog to each spot: Bend down, hands on the ground, jump forward, and ribbit! Reach the next spot, squat like a frog, and jump again! 🐸🌼🌟
Bunny Hop Race
Jump like a bunny to the finish line! Put your hands up like bunny ears, squat down, and hop forward. Keep hopping until you reach the end. Have fun!
Animal Stretch Safari
Let’s pretend we’re animals! Stretch up high like a giraffe, reach out wide like a big bear, and curl up small like a tiny mouse. Follow me on this fun stretchy adventure!
Dance Party Freeze Game
Dance when music plays. Freeze like a statue when it stops. No moving! Let’s see your funniest dance and silliest freeze! Ready to giggle and play?
Balloon Keep-Up Challenge
Hit the balloon up with your hands and keep it from touching the ground. See how many times you can do it without dropping it. Have fun!
Silly Wiggle Dance-off
Stand up & shake like jelly! Wiggle your arms, legs, & wiggle your belly. Make funny faces & turn around. Let’s giggle & wiggle to the ground! 🤸‍♂️🎶
Teddy Bear Tumble Time
Jump like a teddy bear: feet together, hands up. Tumble forward, tuck head, roll on back. Stand up, clap hands. Fun rolling game! 🧸🤸👏
Superhero Pose Quest
Stand tall, feet apart. Stretch arms out like wings. One foot forward, bend knee. Fist on hips. Big smile. Be strong like a superhero! Save the day!
Rainbow Yoga Flow
Rainbow Yoga Flow is like making a rainbow with our bodies! We stretch up high, touch our toes, and make fun shapes. It’s like playing with colors but using our arms and legs!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Exercise in a Kindergarden Classroom

Keep It Simple

Everyone “teacher & student” should know exactly what they are doing. If you don’t make it even easier! 

Differential Instruction vs Saving time?

There is nothing more irritating than “Saving Time” with a Choice Board & ending up with “More work!”.  Are you using this to hit standards or save time or both? 

"Self Guided" or "instruction-based"?

If you giving out work, should they do it on their own or are these more instructions for each choice?

General rule, if the grade is > 3 there is more work per choice.

FREE Blank Fillable & Custom Choice Board

All ages, all grades where you need 9 grid choice board. Start loving learning again! 

How To Manage Your Kindergarden Classroom During Exercise (With a Choice Board)

I find its easiest to use a big board at the front of the classroom where all students can see the choices  then decide what they want to do

This often will be coming in from a break or transition between subjects. 

If you can get all students to know whats expected during a choice activity it becomes one-hundred times easier to manage the class & have everyone know what choices they have!  

There are three core steps you have to hit when using a Choice Board; 

1) The Set Up
2) 
The Instruction 
3) The Q+A 

1) The Set Up

Select your choices, decide on how you are going to use this time in your classroom. Build the choice board

1) The Instruction

Tell the students what they are going to be doing (this becomes easier over time) Simply start with 3 options & move from there. 

1) The Q & A

Does anyone have questions? This will help you or the next time. Remember the goal is to make this easier each time! 

Why Use A Choice Board?

So, let’s chat about choiceboards and why they’re like the coolest thing ever in your classroom. 

Picture this: kiddos bouncing into the room, eyes lighting up because they get to pick their own adventure in learning new words.

 It’s like a mini vocab party, and everyone’s invited!

We all have our own jam, right? Some of us are little artists, others are born performers, and some love to get lost in stories. Choice boards are like a buffet of fun learning snacks, so every munchkin finds something tasty that helps the vocab stick!

And here’s the kicker – when the little ones get to steer the ship, they turn into these mini captains of learning. They’re making the calls, and with every choice, they puff up a bit more with confidence. It’s a win-win – they’re learning and feeling like the boss at the same time.

Plus, for us teachers, it’s like having a secret helper in the room. We get to sprinkle in all sorts of activities that match our students’ levels and what makes their hearts tick. It’s like custom-making a learning playlist that gets every kid grooving to the vocab beat. How cool is that?