centers
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Patriotic Resource Round Up
Summer might’ve just started, but I’m thinking 4th of July lesson plans already! I’ve added a ton of patriotic materials to my TPT store over the last couple of weeks so it felt like a good time to share all of these so that you can start planning for the holiday. Patriotic 4th of July Alphabet Book for Preschool and Kindergarten – This book is a great way to celebrate the 4th of July while encouraging literacy. Each letter corresponds with an American themed vocabulary word which will help children practice letter sounds. Print one for each child, or a few for a center. You could also have children create…
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St. Patrick’s Day Math and Science
St. Patrick’s day is such a fun holiday to celebrate in the classroom because there are some very different opportunities for exploration than we see with other holidays. Because of this, I’ve included some science activities – which means that this is a math and science center for Preschool St. Patrick’s Day! Let’s take a look at some of these materials. Shamrock Observations – This set is designed to help children focus on small details, which is perfect when it comes to shamrocks and finding that elusive 4-leaf clover. There are images of a variety of different shamrocks, and then zoomed in images of the same shamrocks so that children…
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St. Patrick’s Day Writing Center
I’m so ready to share my St. Patrick’s Day language materials with you! The focus of this center is storytelling, and the items that I have available for the holiday really support that. So let’s dive in! Leprechaun Dress Up – Who wouldn’t want to be a leprechaun?! Chasing rainbows and searching for gold sounds like an amazing adventure, and children can use these materials to act that out. I’ve got tutus, bow ties, feather boas, fun glasses, and headbands. I’ve also included top hats, blazers and vests, and messenger bags in the past. Shamrock Cupcake Letter Match – These cupcakes are just the cutest, and sometimes that’s all it…
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Seasonal Numbers for Math Activities
When I pulled out my valentine materials I remembered how much I love using the large number sets! I also realized that I only have a set for Valentine’s day and St. Patrick’s day – it was definitely time to change that. One of the things that makes these so valuable is that they can be used so many different ways by children learning a variety of different skills. Take a look at the valentine set: Each number has a corresponding number of hearts on it. These can be counted and covered by small objects or clothespins to build one to one correspondence and cardinality. Each number also has a…
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Valentine’s Day Math Center Activities
I’m back with some more Valentine’s day ideas! Math centers can be tricky because we want children to enjoy the activities and WANT to do them, while also being able to use the materials independently. Here’s what’s in my Valentine’s Day math center: It doesn’t get more exciting than chocolate! This game is one that your students will definitely want to play – although you might have to monitor the game pieces or they’ll disappear. To play, children pick a candy and match the number on the bottom to the number on their mat. It can be done individually or you can print two sets and have a partner game.…
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Community Helpers Preschool Activities
I promised yesterday that I would share my favorite activity centers for exploring community helpers, here they are: Community Helper Handprint Wreath – A great visual for all of the places in your community that you would find helpers. Community Helper Occupation Booklet – Explore the tasks of each job and the tools and materials that are associated with it. Community Helper Hats and Badges Freebie – Perfect for your dramatic play area! Community Helper Matching – Great for a language center, encourages children to practice letter and word recognition to match the helper to their title. Community Helper Dances – A little music and movement is always appreciated, and…
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Autumn activities for preschool
Autumn is a great season to explore in the classroom because there are so many natural materials the you can bring into your environment. This also means that it is really important to have other materials in your centers that are related to those natural materials. Here are some of my favorite autumn centers; Autumn vocabulary cards– These are great for reinforcing the new vocabulary words that students are learning. This set includes the words acorn, apple, leaf, corn, leaves, pumpkin, tree, orchard, squirrel, and turkey and are wonderful for a writing center. Acorn matching set – This set includes letter matching, number matching, and color matching, making it easy for children…
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Printables for St. Patrick’s Day
Can you believe that it’s the middle of March already?! I am completely fine with that, bring on spring! But this also means that St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner – Friday to be exact. St. Patrick’s day is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate in the classroom. This is partiall because it means that we’ve turned the corner and spring is almost here – I am all about celebrating everything turning green! I also love this holiday because it’s magical and whimsical and mischievous, and I fully believe that children need the opportunity to enjoy these special days while they are still little. If you haven’t…
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Baby Doll Dramatic Play
When we get to the middle of winter, the last thing that I want to do is pull out the same dramatic play materials that we’ve been using all year. That means I have to get a little more resourceful to make my dramatic play centers interesting. Now you can definitely buy some amazing printables and supplies at the Dollar Tree to add to your dramatic play area, and I’ve done that too, but I’m talking about using what you’ve already got. Baby dolls were always popular in my classroom, and I tried not to keep them out all of the time so that it was special when they were…
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My Favorite Halloween Activity
I can’t let Halloween fly by without sharing my all-time favorite Halloween activity! This Jack-o-Lantern shape set can be used in so many different ways, so it is easy to use with children of varying ages and abilities. Children can use the shapes to make any face they wish, or they can recreate the inspiration cards by recognizing the shapes that have been used, finding them, and placing them in the proper locations on the Jack-o-Lantern. The set also includes matching cards, which children can use to play memory, or to match to the larger Jack-o-Lantern inspiration cards. Finally, there are “find me” cards. Children can work together to find…
