themes

  • Preschool president's day

    President’s Day with Preschoolers

    President’s day can pose a challenge for preschool teachers because so many of the concepts that we connect with commemorating this day are extremely abstract for young children. They don’t understand history, what it means to live in a certain country, or the job of a president. In many cases, not only are these concepts difficult for children to grasp, they also aren’t relevant to their day to day experiences. There are still some great ways to acknowledge President’s day and help children make connections that increase their understanding – here are my favorite President’s day lessons. I’ve created a couple of vocabulary sets that help children have the words…

  • 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…

  • 32 Winter Themes for Preschool

    If you’ve begun to plan your winter lesson plans, I’m here to help! Here are 32 different winter themes and topics that you can choose from when you’re looking for new ideas! Ice Snow Snowmen Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa Winter Clothing Christmas Lights Pine Trees Jingle Bells Cookies Gift Wrap Bows Sledding Skiing Ice Skating Winter Animals Peppermint Candy Canes Pine cones Cranberries Cinnamon Quilts and blankets Boots New Year Ground Hog Day President’s Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Valentine’s Day Conversation Hearts Hot Chocolate Igloos Here’s a graphic if you prefer!

  • 36 Autumn Themes for Preschool

    I’m a Reggio teacher, but I love to throw some seasonal themes in my lesson plan too so that my students get to experience a variety of topics. The other day a teacher asked me for some new ideas for autumn themes because she was tired of the same old pumpkins and apples, I was able to think of a few! Here are 36 themes that are perfect for exploring in the fall: If you prefer plain old text, here’s the list: Leaves Trees Logs Campfires Mums Sunflowers Acorns Squirrels Owls Farming/Harvest Tractors Scarecrows Corn Pumpkins Gourds Apples Farmers market School safety Fire safety Candy Corn Spiders Monsters Bats Halloween…

  • Summer Ideas for Year-Round Preschool Programs

    I’ve learned more about the preschool world in the last year than I ever thought was possible, and the one thing that never ceases to amaze me is the sheer number of different schedules for preschool programs.  I’ve always taught at year-round programs, which pose their own challenges: The children rarely get a break or vacation from the program The teachers rarely get a break Teachers have to engage the children in more activities because they are there for more days The teacher and children’s day are often longer than a typical school day They also come with some really great perks: once children learn the routine they don’t have…