Here are some simple and fun President's Day activities for your preschool or pre-k kids. Presidents' Day, By Anne Rockwell, is a good book that explains
Construction themed activities and centers inspiration is HERE! Get out your planner, and let’s plan a ton of fun and engaging construction-themed activities your little learners (Preschool, Pre-k, and kindergarten)...
Apple Preschool Sight Words Strips is a FREE, low prep activity that is perfect for helping prek kids practice pre-primer dolch words.
This snowflake craft for kids is a great winter project combining hands-on math learning and fine motor activities. Learn how to make the beaded snowflake ornament. Kids can work on counting,
Kids will be WOWED with this hands-on, fall science experiment where they will explore Why do Leaves Change Color for kids! Fun Leaf Activity!
I am so excited about my new Read and Write like a Rock Star program!
SO MANY printable books your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kids can make throughout the year. Students practice literacy, math, social studies, and fine motor skills with these free printable emergent readers. Click on the Fun-A-Day.com link to get access to all the mini books.
Beautiful Oops Inspired Activities
Here in Northern Michigan winter can last for months (and I mean months and months). We often have snow from late November through mid-April. Although I love winter, I’m more than ready for the warmer weather by the end of March. Well, up in the north, putting on your boots, mittens, hats, coats, and snow […]
Kids will have fun learning about the European country GERMANY with these free printable coloring pages that teach and are fun.
Two Points: This is MY method, and not necessarily right for you, your teaching or care philosophy, your set-up, or your students. Curriculum participation by my students is VOLUNTARY. I invite them to participate, but if they choose not to, then that is fine. I usually offer them a choice of a few of the activities and let them decide where we start and where we go. An engaged child learns, a dis-engaged child rebels. The 3-year rotating curriculum is theme based. Some times we stick to the plan, but usually I observe what they are interested in learning about, what they are asking questions about, and suggest up to three different themes they can choose from for us to study. I make my own 3-year rotating curriculum for many reasons: Packaged curriculum is often only one year. Since I teach for 3 years, this would be redundant. Most packaged curriculum focuses on skills my students master early. My 2s count to 20, know 11 colors, know most of their phonics, uppercase and lowercase letters, 10 shapes and some of their numbers and I still have 3 years of curriculum to teach them. They often are worksheet intensive. My students usually are cognitively advanced from their fine motor skills. I have 4 year olds that still can't write well. If I had relied on worksheets for the last 2 years, there is no way they would have the skill sets they have. Worksheets are also not considered Developmentally Appropriate Practice [DAP] for children under the age of 8. We use them here for writing practice starting at age 4. [Yes, worksheet-intensive public schools are not using DAP for kindy through 3rd grade!] They can be expensive. If you are purchasing worksheets, why would you spend even $1 a week/$52 a year when you can purchase a 400 page Scholastic preschool workbook from Sam's Club for $8 that covers probably more material, is most likely aligned with the public school expectations, and is colorful. Colored copies are NOT affordable to make from packaged curriculum. Most [ALL!] preschool learning should be interactive. Pinterest is a better source for ideas. My students change every time I do a theme. I have to be able to tweak it to the interests and capabilities of those currently in my care. Plus, I'll find more interesting activities on Pinterest, have an idea for a new game, etc. It's a constant evolution to keep my curriculum relevant to our current group, situation and resources. However, curriculum planning and creation is very time consuming. Even with older curriculum I spend several hours going over it prior to teaching - updating, creating new materials, purchasing and setting new classroom decorations. While I have had my 3 year curriculum, this year I found myself wanting a more specific schedule to focus on specific skill sets for this particular group of children. Most of these skills can be incorporated into our themed curriculum, or they take 5 minute sessions to pop into our day. I have two groups, the younger preschoolers are 2-3 years old and the older ones are 4-5 years old, all at the same developmental and skill set level within their group. This makes it easier, as I can tailor everything to just 2 groups. If I were to have additional levels of children, then it would be tailored to each level. Children here are taught at their developmental level, not age. Asychronastic development is normal, so I may be teaching a child at various levels depending upon the subject matter. For the younger preschoolers, I came up with this structure. For the older pre-k students, I came up with this one. For instance, both of them have Measurement & Comparison on Friday for Reasoning. However, for the younger students, this would be a more/less, longer/shorter, big/little, etc. activity, while the older students would be measuring with rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, measuring cups, unit blocks, foot steps or themed units, and graphing the measurements to compare. Same skill set, differentiated at vastly different levels. Even this needs conditional tweaking. All the pre-k's know how to spell their last names now, so that is no longer a relevant skill activity for music and will be changed out. In another post I'll get into the curriculum components and the importance of each. For instance, how counting on Friday teaches 1-to-1 correspondence and creating method processes for counting groups of objects. CLICK PICTURES TO VIEW LARGER I use this MS Word template, available for FREE on TPT, for curriculum planning. Often, the daily skill sets above are either already incorporated, or can easily be incorporated, into the theme planning. For an example of a completed curriculum unit, check out our Owls Theme. Each monthly theme is broken down into 4 sub-themes. For instance: SPACE Astronauts & Rockets The Universe Our Solar System Aliens & Robots We also have a musical component, often classical, and an art component, often a master, and Spanish vocabulary component that we incorporate. This planning form may not include all games, file folder games, manipulatives, room-set up, etc. that I utilize. For those of you trained in curriculum creation, I do NOT do a full curriculum development for each activity. With having these children usually from infant to school-age, I keep an internal evaluation of progression and plan out only weekly learning objectives. Since I am creating the activities for my personal use, I do not need to create written procedures and evaluations. My curriculum is stored currently in file folders in a large office bookcase unit. I would like to get it into boxes so that I could have EVERY theme-related item, including dress-up, room set-up, manipulatives, etc. together for an easy pull. File boxes will most likely be the easiest, but they do take up a lot of space. In each file some of the things I probably have: Completed planning sheets All the books I own for that theme Flannel board Sentence and word walls File folder games Samples of previous crafts DVDs CDs Coloring pages Mini-book(s) Build-a-[theme item] game Curriculum creation is one of my great joys. I love the research and compilation, the creativity and excitement of bringing something fun and educational to my students. Learning is rarely linear. Children take developmental leaps, sometimes in odd directions. As a teacher, it is important that I keep each one challenged without pushing or inhibiting their growth, and that takes constant evaluation and a good eye for when those leaps happen so that we can move on to a higher level of instruction. When we do an activity, I constantly question if they WANT to do another round, another activity, and I usually cut them off while they are still engaged. I want them wanting more, and they will usually ask if they can continue. One of the most important desires and abilities I can instill in them is that of self-directed learning. So as they choose to go off with their rulers after we've spent several minutes doing a measuring activity, conferring between themselves as to procedures and what to measure next, I step back and let them. They know I am here as a resource, rather than an intrusive director. It is my job to ensure that when I invite my students to learn, they glow with excitement and anticipation of a fun, interactive, playful time. The results, so far, have been astounding. A few of my complete curriculum units are available through my TPT store. Apples Dental Ice Cream Penguins Rainbows St. Patrick's Day Valentine's Follow Connie -'s board Classroom on Pinterest. Tags: preschool, child care, pre-k, curriculum, development, teaching, education, homeschooling, homeschool, home, school, preschool curriculum development, planning
Keep reading for pet activities and centers for a fun theme in your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten room.
One of my favorite stories to read during the winter months is The Mitten, by Jan Brett. It is perfect for teaching sequencing,...
These 10 absolute must-try cranberry science experiments are so much fun! Celebrate the winter season with these fun cranberry-themed activities!
So many fun science projects and experiments with food! Learn and explore right in your kitchen.
I am so excited about my new Read and Write like a Rock Star program!
Celebrate this winter with these holidays around the world sensory and art ideas for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students.
ALL ABOUT FALL Fall is almost here! Those long hot days in August at the beginning of the school year are just about the hardest days of the entire year for me. I am just so tired. But as soon as the mornings are cool and the days start to get shorter, I get a huge burst of energy. Fall
Make this free Johnny Appleseed Hat with your students and talk about his life and the great things he did for others.
Dress For The Seasons Paper Dolls Six printable paper dolls with clothing and props for all 4 Seasons, Summer, Winter, Fall, and Spring! Pick your doll and dress them for the correct season. There …
Fun snowman game to practice listening skills in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. Includes printable and extension activities.
I am so excited about my new Read and Write like a Rock Star program!
Learn about the effect ice and salt have on temperature with this easy science experiment for kids! Uses siimple household supplies!
Outrageously FUN exploding snowman is a fun winter science experiment for kids of all ages. Simple winter activities for preschoolers!
Are you on the lookout for engaging and exciting Halloween activities to captivate your Pre-K through 2nd graders? Your search ends here! Dive into a world of Halloween-themed fun with our spectacular Halloween Activity Printables collection. From captivating Count It worksheets to intriguing Q-tip Do-a-Dot Jack O'Lantern paint templates, we have a variety of activities
A full lesson plan for preschool or home school elementary about light and shadows. Includes crafts, song, and recommended books as well as experiments.
I am so excited about my new Read and Write like a Rock Star program!
ALL ABOUT FALL Fall is almost here! Those long hot days in August at the beginning of the school year are just about the hardest days of the entire year for me. I am just so tired. But as soon as the mornings are cool and the days start to get shorter, I get a huge burst of energy. Fall
FREE dental health activity for preschoolers to practice the alphabet while "cleaning" letters from a set of teeth. Fun preschool activity for Dental Health Month!
Set up this Christmas Lights Science display in your science center and let kids explore and discover how to turn on the Christmas lights. This is a
Travel to Sweden from Home with your family. Enjoy making Dala Horses out of clay, make the yummiest Swedish meatballs, watch Pippi Longstocking, plus other
Geoboard or pegboard task cards for making shapes and patterns by attaching rubber bands. Geoboard is a great math manipulative that helps children develop finger strength, gain a basic understanding of shapes and their properties. There are nine A4 task cards with winter themed patterns included in the download. Each card also comes with an "I can" label for tracing. These cards feature a 5x5 peg geoboard.
We love Japan in our home! My children have learned a lot, but still they crave more. All About Japan is a wonderful book with a wealth of information.
Activities Inspired by Ish by Peter Reynolds
Are you looking for fun, themed The Mitten activities for preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade? Your students will love these!
DECEMBER NO PREP MATH AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES
This mitten ten frame activity is great way to work on ten frames, twenty frames and number recognition with Pre-K and Kindergarten students!
Teach kids about temperature as they perform easy science experiments with hot and cold water and the our free printable.
A Christmas math game kids can play using jingle bells! Children learn counting, pattern recognition, and work their fine motor skills in such a fun way!
Hello there! I am writing a blog post about activities you can do to teach your students about life long and today. I always try to make Social Studies a
Improve your kids Eye Hand Coordination by learning the signs that indicate your kiddo is struggling, and games you can start playing today!
Free Printable Christmas Sight Word Activities Printables and Games. Need a fun way to get kids reading their sight words? This fun Christmas themed printable will get ALL your students involved and learning! Even my ESL students LOVED this activity.
Use this free printable Syllable Sort literacy center activity to help pre-k and kindergarten students learn to segment words into syllables.
For the most part in my class we use community supplies. Of course I get those sad faces and every once in a while an upset parent but once I explain my reasoning everything is usually all good! Why is the basket empty on the first day? The basket is empty because how the concept is taught the first few days of school can determine successful utilization of classroom supplies. Some say community supplies does not teach students to take care of their own things, but I disagree. My students are responsible for keeping their group supplies organized, in good shape, and well kept. I teach my students WITH A LOT OF DETAIL about how to take care of and use each supply. I teach each supply one at a time! I created the posters below and keep them up in the classroom. My students chant these little rhymes all year long! I use the following rhymes: Tip Up Before You Cup! Let the Ink Sink! Hear the Click Before You Stick! A Big Space is a Waste! Scissors Down Safe and Sound! When You’re Through Close the Glue! A Dot Does A Lot! A Line is Fine! Put On the Top When You Stop! Here is what my supply baskets look like. Each item has a particle place and the students work hard to keep them clean. Click on the picture to see what I do during my first week of school!
These adorable FREE activities to go along with The Mitten will be emailed to you within minutes! We love using this story throughout the month of January, and even more activities are included in my unit shown below.
Handwriting practice for kids can be fun with these 21 handwriting activities that are great to add to your plans!
DECEMBER NO PREP MATH AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES
This free Penguin Ten Frame printable is perfect for working on number recognition, counting, and ten frames!
DECEMBER NO PREP MATH AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES
