Start off each new day by setting a "Goal of the Day" with the entire class. Try to target a behavior that would be detrimental to building a spirit of camaraderie in the classroom. Some common goals may include: treat others how you want to be treated, keep your hands to yourself, or talk quietly inside the classroom. Reward the class with extra play time or a special treat at the end of each day in which they meet their collective goal. This practice encourages positive behavior, and it also puts the entire classroom on the same team to achieve a common goal.
Whenever possible, assign collaborative instead of solo work to build camaraderie and exercise social skills. Kindergarten students work best in groups of two, as groups of three or four tend to cause sensory overload. Give each partner a specific job responsibility so that both members of each team feel essential to completing the task at hand. Collaborative tasks teach children to work interdependently to complete a project.
A kindergarten teacher can promote camaraderie by providing plenty of play time for the students every day. By providing plenty of toys that foster imagination and ingenuity, a teacher sets up the class to engage in active problem-solving. In addition, play times create opportunities for spontaneous, collaborative learning. For example, a pair of children playing make-believe may all of a sudden ask the teacher, "Do dinosaurs really exist?" The teacher can then seize the moment to have children get in a circle and teach one another everything they know about dinosaurs.
Brainstorming allows a kindergarten teacher to focus the entire classroom on solving one problem in a creative manner. During the brainstorming process, children learn how to take turns talking and to respect ideas that may be different than their own. In addition, brainstorming teaches children to take risks by volunteering personal opinions and suggestions. When the teacher praises a student's brave contribution, he is building self-confidence in the individual student, while at the same time fostering a strong feeling of camaraderie and safety among his entire community of learners.