One passive activity in kindergarten is reading time. The students sit quietly as the teacher reads the class a book. This encourages students to focus and also to start to recognize the actual mechanics of reading. As the teacher reads, she demonstrates the correct way to hold the book and turn the page and also helps to strengthen word recognition and general reading skills among her students.
Related to reading books, telling stories is another passive kindergarten activity that is enjoyable and educational. Kids learn about the structure and conventions of story-telling by hearing stories and following along. This kind of activity not only strengthens story comprehension skills, but also introduces children to the themes and morals commonly included in kids' stories. One way to involve story telling in kindergarten classes is to read books aloud. However, teachers could also play audio recordings for children, present movies or television shows, or take students to a theatrical performance involving puppets or live performers.
Another passive kindergarten activity could involve exposing children to works of art. Different from activities that encourage children to create works themselves -- such as coloring or playing instruments -- this activity involves simply showing children already composed works. Examples include playing music and showing examples of visual art. This encourages each child to develop a sense of creativity and imagination as well as to recognize the form and conventions of each kind of art.
The ultimate passive activity for kindergarten kids, nap time may be crucial in learning comprehension. Nap time helps kids feel rested and healthy and helps put them in a better mood, making them more receptive to learning. In addition, the process of carefully getting out sleeping mats and putting them away helps build responsibility skills, and having nap time at a scheduled period helps students learn about the importance of routine.