teaching tips
-
Building Relationships with your Students Families
Communicating with parents and families is always easier when you've built a relationship with those families. This can be really hard if you rarely. See them - whether you have student who ride the bus to and from school every day, or you aren't the teacher in charge when your students are dropped off or picked up, there are a million reasons that you might not get as much time with parents as you would like.You can still build relationships with families that will make them feel like they are involved in the activities and events that take place in the classroom. Here are some ideas: Invite parents to participate.…
-
The Best Way to Communicate with Parents
That’s a pretty intriguing title isn’t it – what is the best way to communicate with parents? Unfortunately, you’re probably not going to like my answer; there isn’t one best way to communicate with parents. What worked for you last year might not work this year and that’s because each group of parents is very different. That doesn't mean that you have to use your precious time covering all of the possible means of communication. When I realized how much time I was spending on parent communication (newsletters, notes home, emails, phone calls, and posted messages in the classroom) I started something that made my job a million times easier…
-
Back to School Products for the Preschool Classroom
It’s the end of July, I know, how did that happen?! I swear summer gets shorter every year! Many of you are preparing to head back to school (and if you haven’t started prepping, you’ve probably started thinking about it) so I thought I would share some of the things that I’ve created that might help you out this year – make sure to read the entire post because there are freebies throughout! Inspire Emergent Curriculum: This standards-based curriculum is perfect for programs that implement the Reggio Philosophy or the Project Approach. Circle Time Mega Pack: Start the year off right by implementing successful, developmentally appropriate circle time from…
-
Great games to play at circle time
I love to play games during circle time because they keep the children’s interest, but I still get to teach specific concepts through the games. It’s a great way to make sure that I am getting time to do large group instruction, but the children think it’s a ton of fun. Here are some of the games that I love to play, these can all be differentiated so that everyone gets to be challenged, but still successful; Letter games – I use letter cards to play a ton of games, I usually start the year with capital letter cards, and as we explore letters and the children become comfortable with…
You May Also Like
Conversations with Preschoolers about Current Events
-
Circle Time Idea Round-Up
Circle Time. You either love it or you hate it. To be honest, it’s not my favorite part of the day, but it is a lot easier to manage (and much more beneficial for the children) if it’s well planned and follows a consistent routine. I’ve developed some great tips and tricks over the years, you can check them out here, but I’ve also learned a lot from some other amazing preschool teachers and bloggers. I’ve rounded up everyone’s favorite circle time strategies for you, the links below will take you to each blog’s circle time posts so that you can learn from them and compile your favorite tips, tricks,…
You May Also Like
Conversations with Preschoolers about Current Events
-
My Favorite Blogs for Teachers
I get to spend some time with some of my favorite bloggers this week, and as I was thinking about hanging out with all of them, I realized that I haven’t shared a list of my favorite preschool and teaching blogs in a really long time. I have a pretty wide range of teaching interests, so I’ve tried to organize my favorite blogs into categories that will help you find the blogs that cover topics you are most interested in; Preschool Blogs Elissa is a former elementary school teacher who is now a Mama, guiding her two little ones through preschool – Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station Jamie Runs an amazing…
-
Banish boredom with a rainy day box
One of the best things that I’ve done for my classroom is to put together a rainy day box. This is a fairly large tub of games, activities, and art supplies that only come out on rainy days. Now, when I say rainy days, I don’t necessarily mean days that are literally rainy (although sometimes I do bring it out when it’s raining – are you confused yet?), this box is for those days that everyone is just grumpy, or days when the activities I have planned just aren’t working out, sometimes I use it on days when I’m feeling crummy – just to lighten the mood in the classroom.…
-
Practicing Professionalism
How many times have you heard “Oh, your job is so fun, you get to play with little kids all day!” Yeah, and can you still manage to keep from rolling your eyes? I’ve found that the more professionally I behave, the more that my job, and the challenges it presents, are taken seriously. I’ve always worked at lab schools (with ECE students from local colleges and universities), and I’ve often had students who don’t take my work seriously because I am young, and in some cases, younger than they are. So over the years I’ve come up with some tried and true methods for being taken seriously, which has…
-
Preschool Stains
It is impossible (seriously IMPOSSIBLE) to go a single day in a preschool classroom without getting a stain on something. It could be the carpet, a child’s clothing, the teacher’s clothing, dress-up clothes, a nap blanket, or a lunchbox. If it’s in a preschool room, it has the potential to get a little messy. This is for two reasons; Small children do not comprehend the word “careful”. No matter how hard they try, they are not completely steady on their feet, and with a lack of balance comes a general unsteadiness that makes carrying things incredibly difficult. This being said, children need to have these experiences. In my classroom, students…
-
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…
