Fine Motor Sign in Systems

FRIDAY!! DOING THE HAPPY FRIDAY DANCE!!!!!

Welcome or Welcome Back!!
We've reached the 15th installment of my continuing series! Today I'm going to group together six different 'sign-in-systems' that I've observed in my "music-lady" travels -- all here into one spot for your ease in planning for next year. 

Let's get started with a brand new concept that I saw just recently up in NW Ohio, making my Author-visits throughout Bryan on behalf of their public library and Family Advocacy Collaborative. Expectation: sign-in at arrival to school. Materials: White Board + Dry Erase Markers. 

Here's what the process looked like for one preschool child: 

Here are some results from hard working students. Keep in mind that these pictures were taken at the end of May and this has been a daily procedure for the entire school year. Let's hear it for progress!!

There were other students needing more 'real estate' for their names. This classroom is designed to serve children with special needs as well as their typical peers -- so there is an entire spectrum of abilities when it comes to Fine Motor.

Here's what the morning's worth of signatures looked like sharing the board. 
Yes, the names themselves are laminated cardstock with a magnet affixed to the back of the card. That way the name cards can easily be shifted around the board as the children enter the classroom and need more or less space for their assignment. 

I worked extra hard to document the afternoon's sign-in process. I wanted you to see the hard work, concentration, effort, focus and persistence that has developed by having a daily expectation of fine motor work. Work that is meaningful. Work that is appropriate. 

I've been literally ALL OVER DA MAP this month, making visits to schools for a variety of end-of-the-year celebrations. Here's a system I saw last week up in Michigan. Clipboards loaded ahead of time with names ready for the signing-in. These were ready-to-go as I made my way about their building for my evening concert with families. Do you just LUV people who plan ahead and are organized?

Now let's go for a ride on the way-back time machine and take a peek at the earlier 'methods' for signing into the classroom that I have shared here in previous episodes of Fine Motor Friday. Here's the first example I saw this fall. Pre-written names on paper. Child arrives and finds their name in the midst of their friends and traces it with a marker. These are preschool children in Ohio.

Next came this Louisiana preschool classroom where the children's names are recorded in their own spiral bound notebook. Arrive at school and clock in by writing your name. This is a simple way to see progress over time. Each child also has a couple of shapes to trace after they get their name written. Notice that some children are just working on their first name and other have more involved assignments. 

This is a pretty brilliant set-up for a writing center in a VPK (Voluntary PreKindergarten) in FL that I had the opportunity to observe last winter just prior to our singing together. 

Fine Motor "Office" Center, with friends names on index cards

All the children's names are on index cards and bound together on a ring. Child chooses which names of their friends that they want to write out while they are 'playing'  working playing in the office. All of the needed materials are organized in the office center for independent work.

Here's the most recent sign-in system cataloged here in my Fine Motor Friday series. This one's documented from my kindergarten visit to my very own WonderBoy's elementary school earlier this month . LUV LUV LUV LUV this one, too! The photographs of friends are a brilliant touch in making connections to our new friends and their names! This would be pretty brilliant for beginning the year..... getting acquainted. 

To improve 'auto-maticity' in the writing of letters is to increase the ease of expression of ideas in creative writing into the future. Having a 'sign-in' system  makes writing an expectation.  Someone on Pinterest repinning an image from this article called it a 'self-registration system' which I like. Incorporating an opportunity and the materials for practice in writing at an early age is to strengthen literacy skills for a lifetime!! 

Are you giving this gift to your young students? 

Do you have some digital photos to share here with my readers? 

These MI envelopes were being prepared for sending home the end-of-the-year collection of goodies and make such a delightful portfolio-of-sorts with the children's drawings as a permanent gift for end of the year reflection. 

Note to self: I'll have to feature lots of 'FINE ARTS' ideas in a future post to balance this one. 

[**Spoiler alert. I just got this post all together and now today I have seen the ULTIMATE in sign in systems. 

So while I hoped to have everything here in one post, these ton of new pictures will have to wait, but they are fully deserving of their own post.] 

REMEMBER!!!

Have the children see your writing!!!!

-- Debbie --

As always.... you're welcome to use the promo code: GREAT to receive a 10% savings on your purchases at my website. 

The entire collection of Fine Motor leads to Fine Arts series is housed in this click. 

Earlier editions have been devoted to such topics as rainbows and Mother's Day and explain my bias on this topic. ENJOY!!

This post has been added to TBA's International Blog Hop!