Free Choice: White Board Magnets

Having an HOUR long class (Eep! I know!) for PreK and Kinder Art seemed straight up crazy-pants. I was used to 35 minutes tops. Now I have an hour? Awesome? How was I going to fill the hour? What am I going to fill that hour with? These kiddos can't handle that much time, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. 

If you teach the tinies then you know you've got to vary their activity during class. When the year starts we're up, we're down, we're here, and we're there. But what happens when they adjust to the routine of school and mature ever-so-slightly? Answer: they get free choice.

When they finish with their work for the day and clean up they get to choose an activity. I added the most MAGICAL free choice activity this year: whiteboard magnets! Seems pretty simple when I type it but I'm telling you, they're the best! My tiny humans clamor for time with the magnets.  

Here's what I did:
1. Gather scrap plastic. I was given a box of flat plastic sheet scraps. 
2. Use scissors and an Ellison die-cut machine to cut out a variety of shapes.
3. Buy some rolls of strip magnets.
4. Cut up said magnets and adhere to the back of the plastic shapes.
5. Throw in a box and notify the tiny humans!

Building is actually a component of the curriculum in the Preschool. They get a 30 minute building class dedicated to play with Legos, Kapla Blocks, Magna-Tiles, and K'NEX. I wish I had added it to the rotation earlier. I love when my students create a story from the pictures they've created. It really is magical.

Do you have time for free choice? What do your students get to choose from? Have you ever thought of incorporating building into free choice?