A delightful preschool experience
How do you use the wall space in your classroom? Is it for displays? Soley to hang artwork? Cluttered with posters? It doesn’t have to be that way. Think of your wall space as an additional learning space and create an interactive preschool bulletin board like this “A Tisket – A Tasket” rhyming board. Preschool…
Concerns about a child’s development are an inevitable part of teaching. As teachers care for their students and only want the best for them, this is natural. Sharing those concerns with parents, however, can be an intimidating, yet vital, conversation to have. First things First: Acclimate At the beginning of the year, it is so…
This process art project really rolls with the hot new trend of painted rocks! They’re turning up everywhere, as marketing, as a way to get a message across, or just as a way to pep up a dull spot in a garden. Students can join in the trendy fun with these amazing painted “pet rocks.”…
Children who begin kindergarten with a solid foundation and knowledge base will have a much easier time adjusting. They don’t have to know everything, but knowing these 10 Important Things will help them make an easy transition. Starting kindergarten is such an exciting and important time! Parents naturally want their children to have a terrific first…
Preschoolers love reading fairy tales! There’s something so exciting to a 4-year-old about having a “bad guy” in the story and they just can’t seem to get enough of it. We love to do an entire fairy tale unit where we study 1 fairy tale each week. I introduce it during circle time, and then…
Children’s names are usually the first written words that they learn. From a very early age, they may be able to recognize their first letter and will often announce, “Look! There’s my E!” We can support children’s literacy development by using their interest in this most important word as a springboard for other letter learning. Most…
Bring the outdoors inside with light table flowers! Sometimes, the rain that is so necessary for flowers can make it impossible to play outdoors. These cheery light table flowers will lift the gloom off of any rainy day, and provide some essential learning skills as well! Light Table Flowers Skill: Fine Motor Practice Grasping and…
Whenever we set up a new Dramatic Play Theme in our Home Living center, it’s important that we have 1 “Centerpiece” prop… something that really makes the area enticing and special for the students. When Super-Gemma and I were setting up this Taco Stand Mexican Restaurant, she had the brilliant idea to create a Soda…
Fruit loops are a great learning manipulative! Students who are otherwise unlikely to work at a math center will jump at the chance to sit and play with cereal. I like to buy the big generic bag at the dollar store for this center. For this activity, I paired it with a foam block and…
The dramatic play center is the perfect place for young children to “play to learn”. Our basic home living center is a kitchen, with play food, dishes, babies, dress-up clothes, and a phone. For a week or two each month we transform it into something extra special. This Sandwich Shop is a great one to…