I Heart You: A sweet Valentine’s game to promote kindness in your classroom
As a kid, I used to love getting those little boxes of conversation heart candy and reading all of the cute messages. Do you remember those? As a teacher, I [...]
Three important elements of building healthy relationships with young children
Being new in this setting, one of the first things I wanted to do was just get to know the children. I have been doing a little extra teaching on [...]
Easy to set-up valentine water play for preschool
Water play is always a win in the preschool classroom and the perfect addition to add to your Valentine's Day to do list. It may sound contradictory to add water [...]
A simple way to celebrate MLK Day!
Coming up soon is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and in case you are looking for a simple way to celebrate this day in your early childhood classroom, this post [...]
Play has the power to transform your children and their families too
A dear friend of my daughter called me super excited because she was going to finally leave her job teaching elementary age children and stay home with her two and [...]
Let go of faulty expectations and dial into how your students learn best
When my daughter was nine years old, she started her first figure skating class. She took to the ice right away and loved it. Before long, we got her a [...]
Do you want more freedom to teach ‘outside of the box’?
I took my dog Benji to the vet the other day. As we sat and waited for the doctor to come into the room, Benji began to sniff the floor [...]
The freedom to choose creates competent kids
I am often asked; “Do you let your students choose which centers they can play in?” The short answer is an absolute “yes.” However, I think the question is interesting [...]
How to help children learn through play
On the second day of school, one of my Pre-K students asked me, “Mrs. Stewart, can I play over there?” He was pointing to the science center where there were [...]
Use music in your classroom to create a magical experience
In the early childhood classroom, the use of music and fingerplays has a way of capturing children’s attention and leading them towards success throughout the day. Let me tell [...]