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Teachers and caregivers play a critical role in preparing young children for school and life success. In addition to a warm and nurturing environment, the adults in children’s lives should also focus on the building blocks of reading and writing.Read More: Reading Rockets

It's 8:30 A.M. on the first day of school. The children arrive, tentatively entering the room. Some stay close to their parents, while others wave goodbye and head straight for a learning center. The noise level shifts to a warm "hum" as children discover the joys of their new classroom. "Look there's my cubbie!" "Teacher, can I build with these blocks?" "Wow, I see a shell in this box!" The day has just started and already children are beginning to…

During the preschool years, children use their bodies to play and learn while developing the various motor skills they’ll use throughout their lives to stay physically active and healthy. Your guidance will help them build a strong foundation of physical skills that will help them complete everyday activities and participate in various sports. In Encouraging Physical Activity for Preschoolers, Steve Sanders, EdD, discusses how you can help preschoolers understand the best ways to skip, gallop, run, jump, etc. Here are just…

As their children’s first teachers, parents have an amazing opportunity to nurture their children’s growth and development and to advocate for their education. And many parents want to be involved in their children’s education. I realized early in my teaching career, however, that families often face obstacles to engaging in the school experience. Read more: NAEYC 

Teachers, caregivers, and parents never fail to get a thrill each time they witness a baby taking a first step; few milestones in early childhood are as dramatic, significant, and exciting for all involved as learning to walk. Once a baby becomes fully mobile on two feet, usually sometime after the first birthday, life is never the same. Though wobbly and still preferring to crawl at times, this baby turns into a new kind of being: a toddler!Read more: Early…

Is one section of your classroom driving you crazy because it’s so disorganized, or do you feel like your classroom is just messy in general? If you answered yes to either of these questions (or even if you didn’t), make it your goal to get a little spring cleaning done in your classroom over the next few weeks. Cleaning and organizing your classroom can have a positive effect on the learning environment and on everyone’s moods. Here are a few…

As an educator or soon-to-be educator, there are resources out there for you to tap into in order to keep learning. One of those resources is internet blogs. There are thousands of education blogs out there that can give you new ideas for the classroom in decorating, teaching, and much more. Blogs can help you  understand the world of education a little bit more and maybe they will encourage you to become an early childhood education blogger yourself.Read more: Rasmussen College 

Music helps young children’s development in countless ways including improving brain function, boosting language skills and brightening moods. In honor of NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child and Music Monday, here are three things you can do with your preschool students to get them singing, dancing and learning! Make Music Together As A Class When young children make music in a group setting, they learn how to work together as a team while each contributing to the song in their…

One of the best parts of teaching pre-K is that we’re not always bound by the rigid assessment requirements that teachers in the older grades must adhere to. We’re free to assess our kids when and how we like. Still, when kids are this young and have such tiny attention spans, getting a good read on what they know can be tough. Here are six easy ways to assess pre-reading skills in an early childhood classroom.Additional Reading: We Are Teachers 

It’s no secret—kids can be incredibly fun to work with! This is one of the reasons why teaching preschool is an exceptionally rewarding career. Children’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious and there’s a sense of pride knowing you’ve nurtured the development of a young person.Read more: Rasmussen College