Seeing your students smile is one of the greatest joys of being a teacher. And during times of change and uncertainty, putting smiles on your students’ faces has never been more important. Here are five easy ways to make your students smile even if you can’t be with them in the classroom.  

Plus, promote social-emotional learning with these books about caring and sharing.

Read-aloud magic
When it comes to putting a smile on your students’ faces, story time is like waving a magic wand! Even if you’re teaching remotely, you’ll capture your students’ attention in a way that brightens their day while helping them develop key literacy skills. Whether you pre-record a morning read-aloud with a class favorite like No, David!, Fly Guy  or Pigeon, or go live with one of these new or classic titles, before you know it, you’ll be gazing upon a sea of smiles.

Play dress up
There’s no better way to put a smile on your students’ faces and inspire them to learn about their favorite literary hero than by organizing a virtual book parade. Start by helping each of your students pick a character to transform into, and then encourage them to find items around their home to create a costume. (Be sure to send a note to parents warning them that their closets may get raided!) Before the big day, invite your students to write about their motivation for choosing their character. On parade day, ask students to share what they wrote.

Here are a few great characters for them to choose from:

Harry or Hermione from the Harry Potter series

Camilla Cream from A Bad Case of Stripes

Their favorite Big Red Dog

A crime-biting canine from the Dog Man series

Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, or Mr. Piranha from The Bad Guys

Roan from Star Wars: Jedi Academy

Gerald or Piggie from the Elephant and Piggie series

And don’t forget to join in the fun and dress up as your favorite character, too!

Schedule regular book talks
When your students talk about their favorite things, they can’t help but smile. And talking about books is no different. Engaging your students in regular discussions about read-alouds or books from their favorite series will not only put smiles on their faces, you’ll also help them develop important reading and critical thinking skills. Follow these quick tips to get started! 

You’ve got mail
Your students won’t be able to hold back their smiles when they receive a personalized kindness postcard from their favorite teacher! With these postcards, you’ll make your students feel special and inspire them to test their own letter-writing skills by sending a special note back to you!

Celebrate birthdays
Celebrating your students’ birthdays is a quick and easy way to put a smile on all your students’ faces. Record a video of yourself singing “Happy Birthday” to the lucky birthday student and encourage the rest of your class to join in the fun by creating their own unique birthday message for their classmate.

When you make your students smile, you’re not only delivering a bit of joy to them each day, you’re also providing a sense of security during uncertain times. For more tips and tools to connect with your students inside and outside the classroom, check out these essential teacher resources from Scholastic.

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