Make Arrival and dismissal smooth and fun.....

with low stress...  

Arrival and dismissal can be very stressful, but if you take a few minutes to plan a few simple activities, then it will all flow with ease.  

What do I do while the students are Arriving?

Lifeway VBS curriculum has ideas about  how to set your schedule and plan your activities so that there are engaging activities going on during arrival time.  

- This is especially helpful on the first day.  

- If the room is engaging, fun and well controlled, then parents will feel better about leaving their student, and students will want to come in because other kids are having fun.   

Note As you plan, remember that at least one teacher will be in the hall checking students in, putting on name tags and handing out security tags.  

• Have a group activity planned (based on curriculum ideas) that students will join in as they come in.  

• Plan icebreaker activity when the majority of the kids are there, or icebreakers that the kids can join in as they enter- Some ideas 

• Have stations (or centers) set up so that as students come in they select a center to go do and work on a craft, a puzzle, a game, ... There are many different ideas listed in the VBS curriculum.  

There are more Activities in the VBS curriculum then can possibly  be done in the time period, so finding enough activities should not be hard.  It just required planning ahead and making it fun. 

Click for more "arrival" or "Icebreaker" ideas 

How Can I keep the students engaged during Pick up time at the end of the day?

Dismissal time. can lead to confusion as parents are picking up, students are gathering their items, and excited to see their parents.

You want the students to be engaged, not just sitting there waiting, but you don't want chaos while parents are arriving to get their children

Again, if you have a plan in place, it will all go smoothly.  Note: As you plan, remember that the same teacher that issued security cards, need to be the one checking security cards and Drivers licenses during pick up.

 
Helpful Tips:

• Clean up: Have children clean up a few minutes prior to dismissal time - helps teach responsibility and makes it easier for you.
• sing a cleaning up song, or other way to make cleaning fun.
• More ideas, 
• and more ideas  
• Engaging Activities- There are many ways to engage your students while waiting for parents to arrive.  active end of day ideas 


• Review Games- Part of the curriculum includes a review time at the end of the game.  There are games and activities that can be used for this part of the day. Other ideas 
• Back up ideas: It is always a good idea to have back up plans in case something does not go as planned.   
• Here are some ideas 
• and some more ideas 
• and even more ideas