Articles

The holidays are upon us, which means it’s time for some holiday crafting in the classroom. If you’re looking for a fun and simple craft to do with your students, try making these DIY gift bags!Read More Here

I’m a director at a Jewish preschool housed inside a synagogue, so I spend a lot of time considering how to teach young children the deeper meaning of holidays.   In my experience, starting with values is an easy way for adults to remind themselves what holidays are all about, and shape children’s identities as compassionate people of character.Read More Here

While your preschool students may not be ready to write full sentences, it’s never too early to teach them important pre-writing skills. Hand-eye coordination is one of those skills and plays an important role in writing. Through repetition and practice of specific movements, you can prepare your student to be excellent writers. Here are some more tips to build your student’s pre-writing skills.  Encourage Drawing and Scribbling: Writing development starts with scribbling and drawing. Allow children to feel free to…

With winter right around the corner, it’s a good idea to start planning indoor recess activities for when it’s too cold, rainy, or snowy to take your students outside to play. We’ve come up with a list of seven indoor recess ideas to help you offer students the best play experiences possible when they’re stuck indoors.Read More Here

One day, years ago, when I was the director of a preschool, I walked in from the playground with a group of three-year-old children. As we entered the room, a child exclaimed, “Look, there’s a leaf on the floor!” As we bent down to inspect it, I said, “I wonder how that leaf got indoors.” The children scrunched up their faces, thought hard and then provided a variety of responses. Here are a few.Read More Here 

Germs in schools often cause major problems, especially during this time of the year. With the flu starting to spread and cold season just starting, it’s important you take time to emphasize the importance of preventing illness in children. Here are five ways to stop the spread of germs at your center or school.Read More Here

I have observed, as have many others, that something special seems to happen to children in the presence of animals. They are calmer, more curious, and more joyful. Can children’s natural love for—and curiosity about—animals be dovetailed into meaningful encounters with animals in the classroom? Are encounters with animals really that important? Do they have any real impact on children’s development? Can early childhood educators provide children with meaningful connections with animals, even if they can’t have animals in the…

Early childhood educators have the power to start early and start strong by helping all children learn to respect themselves and others. When children and teachers speak different languages, they need special strategies to build that life-changing sense of community.Read More Here

Learning how to build relationships with others begins at an early age when infants establish bonds with their parents and caregivers.

Reading the same book each day for a week provides children the chance to become truly familiar with a story because of the multiple readings and extended learning opportunities.