-
Children’s books about hygiene
There is literally a children’s book for everything, but it’s a bit difficult that find books that talk about hygiene and do it well. The point of reading a book about a specific topic is to encourage discussion and make the children think about the topic, many of the hygiene books are just a little too direct for my comfort, and they don’t lead the conversation in the direction that I want it to go. With that said, I thought I should share the books that I do like so that you don’t have to read the duds! All links are affiliates. The Girl Who Wouldn’t Brush Her Hair Sugar…
-
Talking about hygiene
I am a huge fan of any opportunity to have conversations with my kiddos. These conversations help me learn so much – they give me a better understanding of what the children know, and which areas I need to explain better. They also give me one on one time with my kiddos, and a chance to learn a little about their lives. I created these little tags to help get my kiddos talking about hygiene habits, and to see what’s going on in their lives. I’m going to use them for a bulletin board, after I sit down with each child I’ll write their answers on the tag, then their…
-
Fighting germs in preschool
Ugh! It’s that time of year again, you’re probably wiping every surface in the classroom with Clorox in an attempt to get rid of all of those germs. It feels like a losing battle, they’re everywhere! I certainly don’t have a miracle solution, but I do have something that can help turn the children into your teammates in this particular war. I noticed a couple of years ago that at this point in the year, all of those hand washing rules I stressed so much at the beginning of the school year start to get a little relaxed, and since this is exactly the time of year when I need…
-
Friday Freebie – Valentine Teacher Gift
Happy Friday! I hope that you all survived your Valentine celebrations! Today’s freebie is perfect if your still looking for an easy, last minute gift for a favorite teacher: You can download these adorable tags from eighteen25 and simply put them with a bag of candy – perfect teacher gift! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and spend tons of time sharing the love with your favorite people!
-
Valentine Movement Games
Party days are chaos. Instead of fighting it, just embrace it, and incorporate some of these fun Valentine-themed movement games: Musical hearts Color a heart XO Hop Conversation heart jump Giant alphabet heart matching game Use these games to channel the sugar rush into something educational that will help burn off some steam!
-
Candy-free valentines
I’m not sure when it became the norm to give valentines with little gifts attached – when I was little the box of cards from the dollar store was more than enough, but I’m guessing this new trend is here to stay. So I’m here to help you with some last minute valentines that are perfectly appropriate for preschoolers and sugar-free! All of these fun ideas can be found on Oriental Trading, because while kids love candy, they also cannot seem to resist things from Oriental Trading (and the price tag makes that something that I can handle)! If you see one that you love, you can download it here!…
-
Healthy Valentine’s Day Treats
Cupcakes and cookies are wonderful things ( I love them more than I should) but nine times out of ten, young children will choose healthier snacks if given the option. Doesn’t this bow of raspberries look so tempting?! This would be an incredibly easy Valentine’s day treat, and I guarantee that by the end of a preschool party, there might still be cupcakes on the tray, but all of these raspberries would be gone. Children have surprising appetites, and many of them choose healthier options more willingly than adults do! Here are some other healthy treat ideas that children, parents and teachers will thank you for bringing to the party:…
-
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…
-
Friday Freebie – Friendship Valentines
Happy Friday! This has been one of those weeks where I’ve had something crazy every night, and I am so ready for the weekend – I’ve got some sleeping in to do! Today’s freebie is perfectly timed. It goes with my posts this week, which have been all about friendship, collaboration, and building your classroom community. It would also be a perfect addition to your writing center for Valentine’s day. These cute little notes are fun for kiddos to color, and they each have a fun little message. Children can decorate them and share them with their friends all week long! You can download them from A Burst of First so…
-
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…
