Would You Rather?

This post contains affiliate links.

This week we have been focusing on Ocean Exploration as part of our Ocean Dive unit from Experience Early Learning. It's only Tuesday, so we have only completed two of the topics this week: Diver and Shipwreck.

One of our activities was a game called Would You Rather? This game is a great opportunity to practice voting, counting, and their communication skills! There are six questions and pictures that go with them. For this activity I used the shells that were provided in our Experience Preschool box this month as a manipulative. I gave each student a shell to cast their vote with and asked them the questions. They placed their shell on the picture that was their answer. During this activity we practiced our communication skills by explaining our vote. Why would you rather explore a sea cave than a school of sharks or sea sponges?

Children have opinions and it's important that they feel their opinions are heard. It's also important that their opinions are shared in a respectful manner, including any disagreements that may follow. As preschoolers they can understand the idea that voting is a way for people to make decisions. In preschool we learn to respect each other, and this is a great way to work on respecting disagreements. Not everyone may have the same answer or agree with their friend, but it's important to listen to why somebody chose their answer. I loved hearing them explain their reasoning behind their choices.

We talked about how it is okay to have a different opinion than our friends, and that I wanted to know what they would choose. Some of them took longer to think about their answer than others. Some knew right away that they would rather swim with a shark than a diver, while others had to think about it a little more - sharks are interesting creatures, and a favorite to most in my classroom, but they are also dangerous, therefore they would be safer swimming with a diver than a shark. As I said, I enjoyed their answers!

It's important to teach children to share their thoughts and opinions, and this is a great way to do that for preschoolers. I want my preschoolers to be excited to share their thoughts, and making children feel heard is a great way to get that excitement. After everyone took their vote we counted the shells to see what had the most votes and then we compared the answers. This game included a lot of laughter and they all did a great job listening to each other.

The Experience Preschool curriculum box for Ocean Dive has been wonderful! We have been learning so much about the ocean, what lives there, and how to respect it.

Next week we will be diving into STEAM!