Pre-K and preschool are the formative developmental years. And we are absolutely WASTING them. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Our current system — one that doesn’t challenge kids to expand their minds, that lacks any type of excitement or edge, that falls short on every imaginable metric — is a total failure. It is waste of time. Kids may be better off trick-or-treating than memorizing and reciting the standard Pre-K curriculum like a bunch of docile robots. Seriously. What the hell are these curriculum writers thinking? They want us to spend all of our time uploading memorizable content into … Read More
Letter A Crafts for Preschoolers – The Complete List of the Top Letter “A” Activities
Attention Teachers: Are you making these common mistakes when teaching letters? Like anything in Pre-K, kids need interaction. They need movement. And with so much memorization in preschool, it’s easy to fall into habits of repetition, worksheets, and tracing. But this is BORING! And we all know that it isn’t how kids learn best. When teaching the alphabet, we need to make this activity artistic, creative, and memorable. And do you know the best way to do that? Letter crafts. Crafts give kids a chance to physically relate each letter back to its sound and shape. Then, you can display … Read More
Before You Start the School Year, Don’t Forget This Simple Rule
It’s tough. Your first week of school is a doozy. So many new faces, experiences, and feelings. Not to mention that never-ending to-do list. You know. The one that somehow keeps getting longer and longer as you check new items off. Where do you even begin? Do you start the year with fun and excitement by sending kids to centers? Do you start the year with a strict set of rules and then ease up when straight lines and quiet carpet time becomes the norm? Do you jump right into content? Do you spend time making cute crafts for parents? … Read More
Everything Your Child Needs to Know Before the First Day of Preschool
Every parent wants to know. “What does my child need to learn before he or she starts school?” It’s a great question. A lot of teachers may tell parents to start practicing ABCs and how to count. Some parents will. Some won’t. The bottom line? These aren’t the things your child needs to learn before school starts. Would it be nice? Sure. Would we be very thankful (and impressed)? Absolutely. But those topics are a teacher’s job to teach. So if it’s not ABCs and numbers, what should parents teach their kids? I’m going to lean on Teaching Strategies GOLD for the … Read More
5 Amazing Tips to Blow Parents Away on Back-to-School Night
First impressions matter. And Back-to-School Night is your chance to make a great one. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this. The nerves are still there. And the same questions ring through your head: “What will this year be like?” “How much can we learn?” “Will the parents like me?” I’ve been there. First impressions are hard. And they can even be a little bit scary. You’re not alone. Luckily for you, teaching Pre-K, you deal with first impressions every day. First impressions of school. First impressions of each lesson. First impressions of the alphabet, numbers, etc. And … Read More