My main goal as a Kindergarten Teacher is to intentionally teach with purpose and fun. I do my best to plan engaging activities that my students will enjoy, while also practicing a skill that has been previously taught. These partner and independent activities allow students to continue learning while mastering Kindergarten concepts. Yet finding activities, games and materials that are worth the purchase can be a challenge. I prefer activities and materials that are purposeful and fun, but can also be used in a multitude of ways. And I can’t wait to share these Learning Bean Bags from Educational Insights!
Learning Bean Bags
Bean bags are an age-less game. I remember playing with them as a kid and now you can see adults getting into bean bag competitions…otherwise known as, Corn Hole. Bean bags are where it’s at then, right? But these bean bags are not your average bean bags. These bean bags can help your students practice a variety of skills, all while using gross motor muscles and having fun!
Educational Insights offers multiple bean bag styles but these are my favorite: Shapes, Colors, Numbers & the Alphabet. They all come inside a drawstring pouch, for easy storing. They are 2.75″ square and are washable.
Color Bean Bags: These color bean bags feature 10 colors (red, blue, yellow, orange, green, white, black, gray, brown, purple) for a variety of activities. Each displays an embroidered color word on each bean bag. Using bean bags for tossing activities helps support gross motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination.
Number Bean Bags: These number bean bags cover numbers 1-20. Each show the numeral as well as the number word, one on each side of the bean bag. Evens are in blue while odds are in red, which helps children differentiate between the two.
Alphabet Bean Bags: All 26 letters are incorporated with these bean bags. They are yellow all over with letter written in either blue or red. Consonants are in blue and vowels are in red. This will help children distinguish the differences.
Shape Bean Bags: The shape bean bags include 8 different shaped bean bags with the name of the shape on the bean bag. Each one is also a different color. The shapes included are: triangle, square, circle, star, hexagon, pentagon, rectangle & oval.
What’s So Amazing about These Bean Bags?
These Educational Insights bean bags are great for tactile learners. They help to support fine and gross motor skills, integrating movements and of course learning necessary skills.
Tactile learners learn best when they use their hands and physically touch items. These bean bags are perfect for this. They allow children to learn in a hands on, up and around way. Children believe they are playing a game, which they are, but they don’t quite realize that learning is the whole point of the game.
Gross motor skills are important and not super difficult to strengthen. If children get up, move around and throw bean bags, they are strengthening those gross-motor muscles. Integrating movement in the classroom allows students to get the wiggles out, which in turn can help with behaviors.
The classroom options are vast. Little Learners can use these bean bags in a whole-group setting, small group, partner or even independently.
Bean Bag Activity Ideas
All of the bean bags are stored in their own individual drawstring bag. This makes it easy for little learners to play Mystery Letter, Shape, Color or Number. Student will draw a random bean bag and then state its name. For instance, if a letter J is drawn, student will say J and/or include the sound and even name something that begins with that letter.
Other ideas include:
- Ordering alphabet letters
- Ordering numbers
- Missing letters or numbers (Line up letters or numbers and remove some of them from the line-up. Little Learners will fill in the missing letter/number.)
- Draw shapes/numbers/letters with chalk and have students match to correct one.
- Throw each bean bag, saying the specific name.
- Hidden Bean Bags – Hide bean bags around the classroom. Set a timer and give students a chance to find bean bags and sort them or hold on to share what they found with the class.
Giveaway Time!! –
I’m super excited to be choosing 3 winners to win these amazing Learning Bean Bags! Head over to my IG to enter!
Do you know that Kindergarten Chaos offers personal development courses & workshops? I share my tried and true tips and ideas for teaching intentionally and with purpose and fun to the kids of TODAY!
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