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Making Kindergarten Prep Fun
When parents ask me for ideas to help them prepare their children for Kindergarten, I’m sure they are expecting me to tell them to practice letters and numbers, and help their children learn how to tie their shoes. There are ways to practice Kindergarten readiness skills that can be fun for the entire family, so often I suggest activities like; Going to the Zoo: Practice staying close to family members while waiting your turn to see your favorite animals, and introduce new vocabulary as you learn what animals eat, and where they are from. Visiting the Science Museum: Explore hands on science concepts while interacting with other children. Attending a…
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Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
There are so many different Kindergarten Readiness Checklist out there (seriously, I just did a Google search and it returned 517,000 results) and some are certainly more developmentally appropriate than others. My all-time favorite list, the one that I consistently shared with my preschool parents is the checklist that was developed by my state’s Department of Education. I love this list because it focuses on health, safety, and social emotional skills. I’m including the images below, but you can also view the list here. Parents are always surprised by the things that aren’t on the list; it doesn’t say anything about knowing their letters, numbers, or shapes. It also doesn’t…
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Skills to practice before kindergarten
The most popular question that I used to get asked as a preschool teacher was “How can I make sure that my child is ready for kindergarten?” Of course there is not one thing that parents can work on with their preschooler, but they usually ask me this question when they don’t actually have time for a long conversation. So I created this workbook to share with parents. It includes simple activities that are easy for families to do and don’t require a ton of materials. This set includes 10 weeks worth of daily activities, one activity for each week day, which can be completed during the weeks between the…
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Friday Freebie – Branches of the Armed Forces
Happy Friday! I know that many of you are looking forward to the holiday weekend, so here’s a freebie that you can stick away for next year. These Branches of the Armed Services Posters from the Not So Wimpy Teacher are a great way to introduce some new vocabulary words while celebrating our servicemen and women! Download your set and have a wonderful weekend!
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Memorial Day Pinwheels
I have fond memories of summer days playing with pinwheels when I was a child and I love that they are so easy for preschoolers to make and explore. These are a perfect project for Memorial Day because they can be taken to a parade or celebration and they are easy to color coordinate. Start by collecting the following supplies: Scrapbook paper or colored copy paper (avoid construction paper and card stock because they are too heavy to turn in the wind) Sturdy plastic straws Metal brads Next, determine what size you want your finished pinwheel to be. If you are using 12″x12″ or 8″x8″ scrapbook paper, which is already…
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Connecting your class with service members
Memorial Day is the perfect time to think about engaging your students in a service project that is directed toward helping service members and their families. Something that is easy for preschoolers to do is to draw pictures or create thank you cards for servicemen and women who are currently deployed. After your class has created their cards, letters, or drawings you can connect with the following organizations to make sure that our service members receive them: A Million Thanks Operation Gratitude For the Troops Forgotten Soldiers Outreach This project can also be a wonderful family engagement opportunity. Set up a station for parents and family members to write letters…
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Children’s Books for Memorial Day
Memorial Day is one of those holidays that can be really difficult to explain to young children. We all look forward to the unofficial start of summer, but we also want to recognize the true intent of the day, which is to honor our servicemen and women who have made sacrifices for our freedom. Books are my favorite way to introduce this particular day, here are a few that I have used: (all links are affiliates) Memorial Day (Let’s Celebrate) by Clara Cella Memorial Day Surprise by Theresa Martin Golding F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and Barbara Duke Rolling Thunder by Kate Messner Do you have a…
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Friday Freebie – Graduation Song
Happy Friday! Can you believe we’re halfway through May?! This spring has flown by! Today’s freebie is perfect for those of you who are still planning your graduation ceremony. This adorable Graduation song from Miss Campos is sung to the tune of “Let It Go” (you know, from Frozen) so your children will have no problem getting into it. It was written for Kindergarten graduation so you may have to make some minor changes to the lyrics, but it includes a power point with the words so the children can see them as you practice and sing along. If you’ve already had your graduation ceremony this year.you’ll definitely want to…
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DIY Graduation Tassels
Tassels are easy to make and a wonderful keepsake for any type of graduation ceremony. Check out this tutorial from Style Inked, her step by step instructions make it so easy that you’re preschoolers could probably make their own!
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Tips for a Smooth Graduation Ceremony
No Preschool Graduation ceremony will every run completely smoothly – your performers are preschoolers, they’re bound to do something unpredictable, and sometimes these unpredictable moments are the most endearing parts of the entire ceremony. There are still some things that you can do to help your students prepare and ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. Here are a few tips that have worked for me in the past; Keep it short – the shorter your ceremony is, the less opportunity for something to go wrong. You want it to be meaningful without being boring, while your audience is probably happy to sit and listen, your students will only…
