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2024 Toddler Gift Guide
There’s no such thing as a perfect gift for a toddler – in most cases they’ll prefer to play with the box it comes in – but that also makes it easy because they love pretty much anything. When it comes to choosing the perfect gift for a toddler my number one rule is to pick something that won’t drive their parents crazy. Tons of tiny pieces are an automatic no because toddlers would much rather dump them all over the floor than pick them up. Any obnoxious lights or noises are ruled out because a toddler will repeat them endlessly and then lose their mind when the batteries die.…
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Thanksgiving Dramatic Play
Thanksgiving can be a bit of a minefield to explore in the classroom. It’s really hard for preschoolers to understand the historical significance of the holiday – they can’t comprehend just how long ago the first Thanksgiving took place. It’s also a challenge to represent the holiday in a way that is culturally competent while also remaining developmentally appropriate. This is why I try to stick with two common themes related to Thanksgiving; Food and Family. Food is ideal for Thanksgiving-themed dramatic play. Here are three different ideas for this holiday: Family table – give children all of the materials that they might need to create beautiful Thanksgiving table scapes.…
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Classroom Materials for Thanksgiving
My favorite part of any holiday or season is making sure that it is reflected in my classroom materials. These are the kinds of things that children are seeing in their homes and in local stores and businesses, so it makes sense that they would also be able to to interact with them in the classroom. Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons. First, it’s so easily forgotten in the rush to get to Christmas, and that makes me want to dig in my heels and make sure that it’s recognized. Second because I love to cook and bake, so it seems just made…
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Teaching Thankfulness in Preschool
Thanksgiving is a two-part holiday – first, you’ve got the historical references, and then there are the social emotional lessons. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to help children practice being thankful, and for very young preschoolers, this may be the first time they’ve ever considered the fact they they are lucky to have certain people and things in their lives. There are a number of ways to help children focus on what they are thankful for this holiday season, here are a few ideas; Host a food drive. This doesn’t have to be just for Thanksgiving, make it last until your winter break. Families need help all winter long! Some…
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After Halloween Plans for the Classroom
This year Halloween is on a Thursday, which means we all have to come back in to school for Friday before we can really crash. The day after Halloween can be ROUGH in the classroom. Honestly, it makes perfect sense – the routine has been totally off, most kids were up way later than usual for trick or treating, and we’ve all had more sugar over the last few days than are bodies are used to processing. It’s completely normal for everyone to be super cranky the next day. Knowing this, there are some things that you can do to make the day go a little more smoothly. In planning…
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Halloween Costume Anxiety
Many children LOVE the opportunity to wear costumes on Halloween. They jump at the opportunity to dress up like someone else and truly enjoy the process of choosing a costume. There are some children who do not share this joy and really struggle with Halloween because of their feeling about costumes. Children may not like the way that a costume feels when they wear it. If this is the case then getting creative and identifying costumes that can be created with the types of clothing that a child already enjoys wearing. Other children struggle with the idea of dressing like someone else. They may not want to be anyone or…
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Creative ways to use pumpkins in preschool
Pumpkin exploration is synonymous with Halloween in preschool. But if you’re ready to try something other than painting pumpkins and sending them home, then check out this list!
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4th of July Printables for Preschool
The 4th of July is one of those holidays that has a way of sneaking up – summer just flies by so fast! Quick activities that you can print and use immediately are a lifesaver. Here are all of the patriotic activities available in my TPT store to make the holiday a little easier.
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Preschool 4th of July Activities
The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday – it’s that mix of sweet summer, patriotism, long days, and knowing that my birthday is right around the corner! Even when I’ve had to work the week of the holiday I’ve made sure to live it up in the classroom, determined to make sure that my students enjoy this day as much as I do. Here are all of the posts that I’ve shared over the years with 4th of July activities for some inspiration for your own celebrations. All Things 4th of July Children’s Books for the 4th of July 4th of July Bingo 4th of July Fruit…
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Making Leprechaun Traps
Designing and building leprechaun traps has become one of our favorite traditions. I think the planning and creating is just as much fun as the anticipation of seeing if they’ll actually catch anything! This is one of those projects that really evokes my favorite memories of the kinds of activities that I loved as a child – the opportunity to use any and all materials to create something that I can see in my mind. That’s definitely a major reason that this stays on my plans year after year. Here are some of the supplies that I make sure to have available when it’s time to build our leprechaun traps:…
