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Classroom jobs that preschoolers can do independently
I love the idea behind classroom jobs – children are responsible for taking care of the classroom, therefore taking ownership for their room while learning responsibility. In theory it’s wonderful, in practice it tends to be chaos that takes more time than it’s worth. I would start classroom jobs every year, and after a couple of weeks they would slowly fade away. This was usually because the children weren’t able to actually do their jobs on their own, and I didn’t have the time to follow each student around and make sure that they completed their responsibilities. Now I work with teachers, and I have a really hard time recommending…
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Using chores to build responsibility
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How to get your preschoolers to clean up after themselves
Children don’t clean up after themselves, they’re impulsive and as soon as they decide that they are done with one activity they move on to the next. It’s our job to teach them to clean up their materials so that they don’t get lost or broken, so that others can find them when they want them, and so that we don’t have to walk around them all day. There are many different strategies for getting children to clean up after themselves, but the following three tips have worked the best for me; Let them see you cleaning up. Children value the actions of adults, they mimic what we do in…
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Friday Freebie – Freeze Dance
Happy Friday! Are you ready for a freebie?! Today’s Friday freebie is a perfect pairing to my posts from earlier this week; Preschool Movement Videos and Preschool Movement Playlist. This cute freeze dance set from Lindsay Jervis includes posters that you hold up when the music stops. The children have to freeze in the same position as the person on the poster. This would be a perfect game for those days when you can’t get outside and the kiddos just need to wiggle. Go download your copy and enjoy your weekend!
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Preschool movement playlist
In the 10 years that I’ve been working in the ECE field I’ve come into contact with a large amount of children’s music. While every teacher loves different musicians, I find myself recommending the same albums over and over simply because these are the two that my students always want me to play when it’s time to dance. These two albums are Big Fun by Greg and Steve and Do Re Mi Toe Leg Knee by Jim Gill. These are the albums that I share with new preschool teachers and new preschool teachers every chance I get, and if I could mash the two albums together to create the perfect preschool movement…
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Preschool movement videos
I’ve already shared how much I wish March meant that spring and warm weather were here – even though I know it doesn’t. This is exactly what makes this one of the most difficult months for preschool. The children want to need to get outside, but it’s either too cold or too muddy, and you just can’t. It’s the perfect time of year to pull out the secret weapon, movement videos! Here are some of my favorites for those days when you just have to shake all those sillies out; Go Noodle Whether you need some movement, or want to help them calm down, Go Noodle has an quick activity…
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March Currently
It’s March! That makes this girl so happy. I know in my brain that march does not mean nice spring weather – not here in Ohio! But my heart screams “Yay! Bring on the green grass and short sleeves!” Here’s what I’m up to right now: Listening: I am a hardcore news watcher. When I was a kid i couldn’t understand why my parents watched it every single night, then I went to collage and found myself feeling completely out of the loop if I missed it. Now I watch whenever possible, or I read it on my phone. Loving: I’ve always loved iced coffee, but I recently figured out…
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St. Patrick’s Day activities for preschool
It’s almost March, which can only mean one thing; it’s time to start thinking about St. Patrick’s Day! I’m not sure when this holiday became such a big thing, but I’m not complaining because the children love it, and I love the magic that it brings to the classroom. I recently updated many of My St. Patrick’s Day materials, so I wanted to take a quick moment and share them with you to help you with your own plans for the holiday! Leprechaun Counting: Use these cute juggling leprechauns to help students practice counting and number recognition. Each leprechaun has a number on his leg, the children can count out that…
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Friday Freebie – Art Activities
Yay for Friday! Thank goodness, I am so ready for the weekend! I have the best freebie for you today, This Art Lesson Plan book from Pink and Green Mama includes 20 different art activities for little ones. The ages range from preschool to second grade, so you may have to make some adaptations to make sure that the activities are completely appropriate for you preschoolers, but they look like tons of fun. Hopefully this will help you in the lesson planning departments and spark some creativity in the classroom!
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Great big list of things to paint on
If you’re looking for a way to spark your students’ interest in painting, consider giving them something a little unusual to paint on. This is a great way to learn about new materials; children can explore absorption, experiment with using different amounts of water, and see how different brushes work on different backgrounds. Painting on a specific kind of material can also encourage children to explore the texture and detail of the material because the paint will intensify these details. Here is a great big list of things that you can paint on: Aluminum foil Waxed paper Saran wrap Press and Seal wrap Bubble wrap Canvas Velvet Leather Flannel Denim…
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Tips and tricks for keeping things neat while painting
I honestly have no problem with a little bit of a mess, and I think it’s inevitable when you’re painting with preschoolers. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use strategies to make cleaning up easier. Here are some great tricks for prepping your painting space so that clean up is a breeze. Store your paint in disposable containers with lids like baby food containers. If you need to clean up before the kids are finished you can just snap the lids on the paints, and then once they are done you can toss the containers. This is also a great way to make sure that you aren’t wasting paint. Cover tables…
