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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

As a teacher and as a parent, I have discovered this magic:  When the kids are sad or too loud or when fights break out, taking the kids outside seems to fix everything, especially if running water, sand or soil is involved.  At our school when the children spill out into the yard and garden, a sudden calm descends.  At home, in the evening “arsenic hour,” playing on the grass erases our daughter’s distress.  Though parking kids in front of…

The best part about the concept of loose parts play is that it is so simple. It doesn’t take much to invite and sustain creative, focused play—sometimes just offering a different combination of everyday materials will open up unexpected levels of exploration and fun.Read more: Community Play Things