Using Sentence Scrambles to Teach Sentence Structure and Writing!
Sentence scrambles or scrambled sentences are a fun and engaging activity for young students. There are many benefits to using them to teach both sentence structure and sentence writing. Sentence scrambles are a low-prep activity
Creative Back to School Bulletin Board Ideas with a Purpose
Sometimes it is so hard to be creative when decorating our classrooms. Coming up with new ideas after teaching for a long time can be challenging. This year I decided to make my Back to School bulletin boards with a purpose. I wanted to use creative bulletin boards that taught a lesson. I also wanted […]
Preschool Activities to Teach Important Skills to Get Ready for Kindergarten
There are so many important skills for preschoolers to have to make the transition to Kindergarten smoother. Whether a child goes to daycare, preschool, or stays at home, there are many easy preschool activities that teach important skills to get ready for Kindergarten.
Teaching Important Skills Through Play-Based Learning and Dramatic Play
When I left the elementary classroom to become the director of a daycare and preschool, I was in a different world! One of my first responsibilities was to adopt a new curriculum for the entire daycare. As we adopted the Creative Curriculum, I was introduced to play-based learning and dramatic play.
What Is Project-Based Learning In The Elementary Classroom?
Project based learning is a method of teaching that teaches a concept while students acquire new information and knowledge as they are engaged in inquiry-based lessons. Project-based learning answers a driving question and is thought-provoking, uses higher-order critical thinking, and is open-ended. Students work in groups to answer an open-ended question, this is often called inquiry-based learning. PBL promotes critical thinking, communication, and creativity. It is a long-term student-centered project including feedback, reflection, and revision.
The Importance of Dramatic Play For Preschoolers
My dramatic play area is my favorite part of my classroom! I could spend hours setting it up and I love playing in it with my students. Dramatic play is a type of play where you give a child props or an “mini environment” to act out a role, for an example a doctor’s office. There are so many benefits of this type of play and as you watch them play, you will learn a lot about your students as well! So, what are these benefits ?
The Ultimate Trees Study for Preschool – Fun and Easy Ways to Cultivate Crucial Skills
One of my favorite preschool studies is the Trees Study. You can teach this study any time of the year with great success and fun ideas, but Fall lends itself to a lot of fun activities!
A Simple Idea To Teach Number Sense and Ten Frames To Young Learners
Teaching number sense to young children needs to be intentional and hands on if we are to reach all types of learners. In my Kindergarten class, I start teaching number sense and ten frames in the first few weeks of school which is the beginning of Fall.
5 Simple Ideas for Teaching Numbers in Preschool
Teaching number sense to early learners is one of the most important foundations you can give a preschooler or kindergartener in math. Number sense is more than just recognizing numbers. Number sense includes, knowledge of quantities, number order, sequencing and counting with a one to one correspondence and many others. It is not only important to teach young ones to count but to teach them what those numbers mean. Here are some definitions and ideas to teach these important skills.
Teaching Sight Words- Using Multisensory Sight Word Activities
I absolutely love the Orton Gillingham approach to sight words, my kindergartners do too ! If you are familiar with the program, you know that it includes crossing hemispheres with arm tapping, finger sliding, finger tracing and writing. This approach to “red words”, those that you have to STOP and think about , uses a multi sensory approach to learn these words that cannot always be decoded easily. In the rest of this post, I will give you some effective and fun ways to get the kids moving and memorizing those sight words.