“Be Here. Be You. Belong. This classroom belongs to us all.” ~Brene Brown

Providing a safe and supportive learning environment allows students to focus their energy on learning.  A sense of belonging fosters greater engagement and in turn academic success. Taking the time to create and maintain a positive classroom culture will have year-long benefits for your students - and you! How do you do it? We’re glad you asked! This week’s Share Out features some of our favorite activities from the Team Builder Category to grow community and connection in your classroom. We chose activities that develop many different social skills like empathy, sharing, and appreciation to deepen connections to one’s self and others. Pick one that features a topic that would benefit your students and give it a try as a morning warm-up exercise, a mid-day break, or as a closing activity for the week! Mindful Monday: Emotion Charades,  a playful way to practice identifying emotions, build social awareness and strengthen communication. Together Tuesday: Issues Step-In, an exercise to encourage sharing how challenges affect each of us  Wellness Wednesday: One Step Forward and One Step Back, an active partner game that builds communication skills.  Thoughtful Thursday: Touch Someone Who, an easy way for students to share their appreciation for one another.  Fun Friday: Quick Caricature, a silly drawing exercise that facilitates eye contact and empathy.   Download the Kikori App today to learn more about these awesome activities! Read More: https://www.edutopia.org/article/10-powerful-community-building-ideas https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-community-classroom/