As an adult it can be completely nerve-wracking to know what to say when a child asks, "Is Santa real?" If you're like me, you want to keep Christmas magical. My own parents always told me the truth about Santa, so I actually never grew up believing in Santa. I do things differently with my own kids though, and I love to see how my own children look forward to seeing Santa. Their View Post
3 Simple Ways for Children to Put Coats On
Putting on a coat for a child doesn’t seem so hard…unless you have 10 or 20 students, and you all can’t wait to get outside! I’m sharing 3 simple ways for children to put coats on independently. You’ll have your students getting their coats on in a flash. And if you are a parent, your teacher will thank you for allowing your child to learn these skills at home! Or your child will feel confident View Post
Supporting Toddlers in Block Play
Dumping, throwing, and knocking things over. This is the motto of the toddler. In reality this is a quest of curiosity – a hands-on approach to cause and effect. But for adults, it also means a lot of messes and damage control. Supporting toddlers through block play can be complicated! My one-year-old picks up a block and usually throws it right away. I am so thrilled to partner with KORXX View Post
Balancing Activities with Quiet Blocks
I recently discovered something I’ve wanted for years: quiet blocks! Children love blocks, and they are perfect for helping children practice science, math, art, technology, and engineering. I’ve had blocks in all of my classrooms and also for my own children, and the only thing I’ve ever wished about them was that they could be quietly tumble over and lightly fall. If you have ever had a unit View Post
The Memories I Almost Missed Out On
Sometimes as a mother of three little ones, I look at the day and wonder what we did. Spills – check. Meltdowns – definitely. Band-aids – good thing we always stock up at the dollar store. It’s so easy for me to think of all the things that were chaotic, exhausting, and stressful. But if I’m being completely honest, there are always just as many beautiful moments. They just get View Post
Turn Children’s Artwork or Handwriting into Jewelry Keepsake
Turn children's artwork or handwriting into a jewelry keepsake. This has been on my wishlist for ages, and I can't wait to show you my daughter's picture and handwriting that is now transformed into a gorgeous necklace. Every time I throw away a piece of art from my children, I feel awful! But I can’t keep it all. My children love to draw and write -- all three of them -- and we would be buried View Post
The Best Alphabet Bead Activities and Ideas
Here are 25+ inviting alphabet activities with my all-time favorite alphabet beads! You may have seen them floating around Pinterest or on Facebook, and I am glad that I am not the only educator and mom who loves to throw them into activities on a regular basis! My children and I have “ooohed” and “ahhhhed” at so many activities that some of my favorite bloggers have made with them, so I was View Post
5 Tips for Choosing the Best Preschool Curriculum
Need a great preschool curriculum? Here's what I've learned as a veteran preschool teacher! I have invested a lot of time and money into preschool curricula, and the verdict is that I didn’t love hardly any of them. In fact, I hardly liked them. They fell short of my expectations or wishes, and then I was left with a low-quality preschool curriculum and less money. I never thought it would be View Post
Farm Animal Ten Frame Math Cards
Help children learn about counting and numbers with this easy method. I made these farm animal ten frame math cards because I believe that ten frame cards are the answer to helping children understand numbers and counting, instead of just memorization. Imagine this! Your child or student looks at the card with seven ducks. Instantly, the child knows that there are seven ducks, without looking View Post
Best-Loved Circle Time Books
I am always on the hunt for amazing circle time books! There's something about an incredible read-aloud that makes circle time so much more magical! Reading should be fun and exciting and with all of the wonderful books available, there is no reason to settle for less. Along with these great read-alouds, we have a ton more great book suggestions in our full list of the best preschool View Post