Tips for Using Kindergarten Write the Room Centers

Kindergarten write the room centers

Are you looking for a center activity that will get your students up and moving around? Would you like to get your kindergarteners excited to practice writing? Kindergarten Write the Room centers are a great option! Keep reading for some tips to help you get this center up and running in your classroom.

A paint-themed alphabet write the room activity

What is Write the Room?

Write the Room is a fun activity that’s been around for a long time. Students go on a “hunt” for cards that are placed around the room. When they find each card, they match it to a space on a recording sheet and write the word.

A child writing on a paper placed on a clipboard

That’s it!

 

I know it sounds simple, but there are a lot of benefits to using these centers:

 

  • Engaging Skill Review: Students are able to review literacy and math skills in a way that keeps them motivated to keep practicing!
  • Adding Movement: We know that pairing movement with learning is great for brain development!
  • Fine Motor Practice: Write the Room is a fun way for students to strengthen their pincer grasp and improve letter and number formation.
  • Build Independence: This center is one that is easy for students to complete with minimal adult assistance. This will help them become more independent and confident learners!

How to Set Up Kindergarten Write the Room Centers

A common question that I get asked when it comes to using Write the Room in kindergarten is how to get it started. Fortunately, it’s a pretty easy center to get up and running…even in kindergarten!

1. Prep Supplies

One of the perks of Write the Room is that it requires very few supplies, which means less prep time for you! All you need to set up a Write the Room center in kindergarten is:

 

  • Clipboards
  • Writing Utensils
  • Write the Room Cards
  • Recording Sheets

 

You can choose to laminate the Write the Room cards for durability and reuse. Laminating also makes it easier to hang up the cards for the activity.

Ten frame write the room activity

2. Hang the Write the Room Cards

The next step is to hang up the cards around the room. There are many different ways that you can do this!

You can use sticky tack to place them on the walls, whiteboard, door, and windows. With this method, you have more flexibility in where you place the cards. This makes it truly a hunt for your students each time.

If you’d prefer to have the center be a little bit more routine, you could attach clothespins to the wall and switch out the cards that way. Over time, you could still move the clothespins around to up the novelty factor. Along those same lines, Velcro dots are also perfect for Write the Room cards!

A math write the room card hangs on the wall.

As you’re deciding where to hang the cards, just keep in mind that students will be walking around those areas of the classroom. Will there be students sitting nearby, trying to work on their own center activity? Will the Write the Room students be walking close to your small group instruction?

3. Introduce the Center

It really doesn’t take long for students to get the hang of Write the Room. The very first week that you use this activity in your classroom, you can go over the procedures like using the clipboard and walking carefully with writing utensils. If you don’t want students to turn this center into social hour, you can have a rule that only one person at a time can be working at each card.

A write the room card for initial sound practice

In addition to modeling the center for your students, you can also use illustrated “I Can” cards to help them remember the steps for the activity. This can really help students be more independent as they write the room. Since the objective of this activity is the same each time, I’ve found that it only takes a short time to get this center up and running.

4. Have a Plan for Early Finishers

Kindergarten students have a very wide range of fine motor development, which means that each student will complete this Write the Room center at a different pace. It’s helpful to have a plan for early finishers, so they can stay engaged while they wait for the next rotation. This can be tricky for students who are just learning to write! 

Tips for Using Kindergarten Write the Room Centers 1

The easiest way to keep early finishers on task is to have them write or draw on the back of their recording sheets. You can leave this open-ended or encourage them to write or draw something specific. To keep them from wandering around, you can have them go back and sit down in the area where they picked up their clipboard and recording sheet. 

Once this becomes a routine, students will be able to more easily stay on task if they finish the Write the Room center early.

5. Switch Out the Themes

Another benefit of using Write the Room for centers is that you can easily swap out the cards each week. Not only can you change the skills that students are working on, but you can also incorporate specific themes that match the season or where you are in the curriculum.

A shape-themed write the room activity

You can also use Write the Room for both literacy and math practice! Students can practice skills like shape identification, counting, and number words for math centers. They can practice skills like  letter formation, CVC words, sight words, and more for literacy centers.

Kindergarten Write the Room Printables

If you’d like to use Write the Room in your classroom, you’ll definitely want to check out this bundle! This set of over 100 Kindergarten Math and Literacy Write the Room Activities will last you the entire school year. Each monthly set of Write the Room cards matches the season and follows the typical skill progression of the kindergarten curriculum.

Supplies for an alphabet write the room activity

Each month also includes editable sight word cards. That way, you can add the sight words or phonics patterns that you’re working on in class. If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this bundle of Kindergarten Write the Room printables, just head over to my TPT store.

Kindergarten write the room centers

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Deedee Wills

My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!

Hi, I'm DeedeE.

My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
 

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