social emotional
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Books about Families
I’m always full of great book recommendations, here are my favorites for starting discussions about families (Amazon affiliate links): The Family Book by Todd Parr All Families are Special by Norma Simon A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary Families by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly My Family, Your Family by Lisa Bullard What are your favorite books about families? Share them in the comments!
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Using family photos in the classroom
I have always been a huge advocate of incorporating family photos in the classroom, for a number of reasons; It helps children to see their classroom as a place that they belong. It shows that you value all of your students’ families and helps parents feel welcome. Photos can be a great tool for helping children transition into the classroom, especially if they have a hard time separating from their parents. Children can learn a lot about each other from viewing family photos. It isn’t always easy to get parents to remember to bring in those photos, so I created this easy little paper bag album that you can send…
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Family Vocabulary
One topic that I always make sure to cover near Thanksgiving is family. I like to start by introducing some basic vocabulary so that children have a foundation and are able to use the correct words as they describe their own families. Making sure that children understand basic terms can help you navigate conversations about whether a child’s pet dog can also be his brother. It can also help you explain that one child might call her grandmother Nana, and another might call his grandmother Mimi, but they are both still grandmothers. As you introduce these terms it is also important to be a little flexible with your definitions. You…
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Exploring Families with Preschoolers.
My favorite topic to explore during the month of November is always families. This is the perfect time to help children understand concepts related to relationships because they will probably get to see their families over the holiday season. This is also a wonderful time to explore diversity within family structures and traditions because children will undoubtedly have different family experiences to share with each other. This can be a sensitive subject for parents because they are acutely aware that not all families look the same, but children find this fascinating and can learn a lot about acceptance from each other. It’s always a good idea to send a note…
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Friday Freebie – Thankful Jar
Happy Friday! I hope that you all survived Halloween, and now that it’s over I’m sure you’ve started hearing Christmas carols, but before we think Christmas let’s squeeze some Thanksgiving in there! This Thankful Jar activity from the Camping Teacher is a great way to share a little love with a special member of your staff. Ask your students to share why they are most thankful for this person, write all of their thoughts down and create a perfect little gift. Go download your copy now and have a great weekend!
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Friday Freebie – Fall Certificates
Happy Friday! Now that it’s officially autumn I feel much better about posting all of these great fall products! This freebie is a great way to recognize positive behaviors and encourage children to be helpers. Go download these Autumn Certificates from Teacher’s Big Helper, and have a great weekend!
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Making Valentine’s Day Meaningful to Preschoolers
Valentine’s Day is more than just a day for a party, it’s a holiday that’s perfect for exploring social emotional concepts. Focusing on some of these specific skills, such as relationships with adults and peers, empathy, and emotion recognition and expression, is a perfect way to give meaning to a holiday that otherwise might just be a day for a party. Using holidays to teach specific content is how we make that content relevant and meaningful for preschoolers. I always try to focus on special relationships during the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. We talk about love, and what that means. In a preschooler’s world love usually means having…
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Community art projects
I love to do community art projects! When children work on the same project they learn to value others’ ideas and perspectives, they have to share materials and work space, and they practice communicating with each other. On top of all of these wonderful lessons, community art projects are also better for the classroom logistically. You don’t have to worry about having the same amount of materials for everyone, you can hang one large piece of finished art work instead of 20 little ones, and cubbies don’t fill up with excessive amount of artwork to send home. Plus they require far less drying space! Here are some amazing ideas for…
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Building and celebrating friendships
The major focus of preschool is all things social emotional. Learning how to build friendships, express empathy, and take another’s perspective are lessons that take time and practice. While many of these lessons are organic – happening throughout the day as a natural part of your routines – they can also be planned intentionally. When you’re trying to encourage friendships, it helpful to spend time making sure that children know each other really well. When a child can say “I have a brother, just like you” or “My favorite food is pizza too!” They start to form bonds over these similarities. Here are some fun ideas for helping children get…
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Friday Freebie – Random Acts of Kindness
Happy almost Christmas Friday! Yesterday I shared a list of 10 ideas for community service activities that kids can be a part of before Christmas. Today’s freebie is a great companion. This Random Acts of Kindness set from Kreative in Kinder has 20 additional ideas for showing that you care. Do these with your kiddos, or let them pick their own and surprise you!
