Kid Yoga videos are giving teachers and parents an incredible tool to help children learn to: manage stress build their concentration increase their confidence and even work on gross motor skills. I must admit I was a bit skeptical to jump on the kid yoga bandwagon. Did it really work? We started doing family yoga, and my kids loved it. During turtle on the rock, I would crouch View Post
5 Great Ways to Explore the Alphabet
If you're ready to explore the alphabet with your preschooler, here’s a great place to start! Letter knowledge—learning and understanding the alphabet—is one of the Big Five Skills that lay a strong foundation for learning to read. Letter knowledge begins with letter recognition. What Is Letter Recognition? Letter recognition—also known as alphabet recognition—is the ability to: View Post
Spring Cupcake Liner Flowers Craft
Spring is here and it's time to enjoy some pretty flowers. This simple cupcake liner flowers craft is great for preschoolers and kindergartners to make. All they need are a few craft supplies and they can make it on their own. These flowers would be perfect as gifts or decorations for around the house. One of our favorite craft supplies is cupcake liners because they come in so View Post
The Best Potty Training Songs for Children
Get the best potty training songs and potty training videos to help get your child excited about using the potty! Want to hear some potty training advice that works for ALL children? Children love songs, and using music to help with potty training will make the experience much more enjoyable! Potty training is not always sunshine and rainbows, but potty training songs can help make it more View Post
A Scandinavian’s Guide to Playing
When I enrolled my oldest daughter in a U.S. preschool some six years ago, I didn’t really know what to expect. I figured she would sing songs, learn how to take turns, and maybe make some new friends. If she’d learn the alphabet in the process, I’d consider it a bonus. Mostly, I just expected my daughter to play. After all, playing is learning. I realize now I was clueless. Preschool in View Post
Butterfly Alphabet Match Sensory Bin
One of our favorite things to learn about in the spring is butterflies. We love to visit the butterfly garden at the zoo, raise our own butterflies, and do a lot of butterfly themed learning activities like this Butterfly Alphabet Match Sensory Bin. This fun sensory play activity will help children practice identifying and matching capital and lowercase letters. Butterfly Alphabet Match View Post
7 Skills Children Need When Learning to Read
Learning to read is as simple as 1,2,3. Literally! Well, no actually not literally. I suppose it is more like counting up to seven, since there are seven areas of phonological awareness. And one of those seven areas is actually counting. Confused? Me too. Ahem - let me try this again. This guest post is from Sarah of How Wee Learn. She is a certified teacher, Reading Specialist, and View Post
A Simple Secret to Finland’s Educational Success
A few years ago I started hearing about Finland's crazy success within the educational system. Finnish students have some of the best test scores in the world. Teachers love working there, and they are well paid. But children don't even begin school until they are seven-years-old. This hardly lined up. I was on a quest to find out more about Finland's educational success. I have been waiting View Post
Earth Day Slime for Sensory Play
Did you try making our Easter Slime? Ever since we made our holiday-themed slime a few weeks ago, my children have been asking to make the sensory play material again. So, we followed the Perfect Slime recipe today and created Earth Day Slime. As a teacher and a mom, I love finding fun ways to celebrate Earth Day and teach my children all about our planet in both the classroom and at View Post
Rain Cloud Suncatcher Craft
Kids can make a fluffy rain cloud suncatcher craft to celebrate April with their own rain shower. It looks great hanging from the ceiling and is the perfect addition to spring time crafting or a weather unit with your students. I love finding craft supplies in the recycle bin because it's nice to teach the kids to reuse items, and it keeps crafting costs to a minimum. Milk cartons always View Post