preschool
-
Friday Freebie – First Day of Preschool
Happy Friday! I’ve been trying to suck the life out of my last few days of summer. I’m back to work on the 14th and it has gone by way to fast! For those of you who are thinking about going back too, I hope that this freebie will be timely and helpful. This set includes activities and photo props to welcome your little ones on their first day. To read more about it, check out this post and then take a minute to download your copy. Have a wonderful weekend!
-
A little reflection
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, I know I’m taking some much needed time to relax (and do lots of shopping)! The end of the year is the perfect time to think about what went well this year, and goals that we have going forward. If you’re thinking about the rest of the year in your classroom and what it might look like I want to share some inspiration that might be helpful. Here are the top five posts from Preschool Ponderings this year: 1. Make your lesson plans work for you – This post has quickly become one of my most popular of all time because it includes…
-
Preschool Gift Guide 2016
I know that we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but since the official start of the holiday shopping season is next Friday that means it’s time for my annual gift guides. The following items would be perfect for the preschoolers in your life – these would also be great gifts for any preschool classroom! All links are Amazon affiliates. If this Green Toys Salad Set doesn’t inspire healthy eating then I don’t know what will. I love Green Toys because they are made of recycled materials, and their food sets are so much fun, make sure to check out the Pizza Set too! A play kitchen is an amazing holiday…
-
Tips for the first day of Preschool
Whether you’ve already started the school year, or you’re still gearing up to it here are some tips for helping your first few days go a little more smoothly; Stick to your regular schedule: Following your regular schedule right from the start will help the children get used to it more quickly. It will also help them begin to feel a little more comfortable because they will always know what is coming next. For help planning your daily schedule take a look at these posts on the topic. Make time for each child: Build those relationships now. Take time out of your day to talk to each child on-on-one. This…
-
Helping your child get ready for preschool
As a preschool teacher I spend a ton of time making sure that children are prepared to start kindergarten, but I don’t always think about helping children prepare for preschool. Maybe that’s because there’s so much that I can do to help once they start, but I don’t often get to work with families before they start attending. If you know any children who will be starting preschool this fall, whether they’re your own children, new students that will be in your class, or even just friends’ children, here are a few things that parents can do to help little ones prepare for those first few days: Talk about it…
-
Preschool Gift Guide 2015
The holiday shopping season is officially in full swing, and I’ve already begun to get requests for what to buy the littlest members of the family, so I figured it must be time, time for my annual holiday gift guides! Today is all about the preschoolers, here are some of my favorite finds and gifts to give all those 3, 4, and 5 year olds on my list; (Amazon links are affiliates) Melissa & Doug Hi-Rise Dollhouse and Furniture Set I love this doll house for a few reasons. First, it’s durable, Melissa and Doug always deliver in the quality department. Second, it’s open, children can play from nearly any angle,…
-
Holiday Gift Guide: Preschoolers
If there is one thing that I’ve become really good at, it’s recommending great gifts for little ones. This is the perfect time of year put my expertise to good use, and share my knowledge with you! This guide is a list of things that any preschooler on your list (and their parents) will love. You’ll notice that there are a few brands I’m in love with, these are brands that I know are high quality because I’ve used them in classrooms, and I’ve seen them live through the crazy things that little ones like to do to them. All of the links are Amazon affiliate links, but many of…
-
Must haves for the preschool classroom
I’ve taught toddlers and preschoolers for 6 years, at three different schools, in 4 different classrooms. Through each of these moves I’ve come up with a list of items that are must haves for the classroom. Whether you teach preschool, elementary school, or even home school, the vast majority of items on this list will be helpful for your classroom. Some of the items on my list may be things that you use every day, but I’m sure that there are a few items that will surprise you, or make you think. If you know a teacher, any of these items are always appreciated, send some in with your child…
-
We all need to play
This amazing quote has been on my radar since I found it on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago (have you noticed my obsession with Pinterest yet?!). I finally tracked down the original source, it is from U46 Early Learners Curriculum Blog. I teach preschool, so these words are not news to me, I experience them every day. The understanding that young children need to move, try new things, be loud, explore new places, and use their entire bodies to learn things all play a role in my lesson plans. I would, however, love to print this out and send it home to parents at different times throughout the year.…
-
A new alphabet activity
I’m not sure if you have ever used these, but I am in love with alphabet pasta! It is cheap, and super versatile. With our toddlers we would use it to explore textures, introducing it raw the first day so that they could feel the rough, bumpy, tiny little letters, and then cooking it for the second day to see how they reacted to the slimy, and sometimes sticky texture – it was mesmerizing. Now that we have older children we have spent a lot of time focusing on letter recognition, and this was an obvious choice for a number of different activities. We did a letter hunt (can you…


























