For more advice, visit Teaching Special Thinkers. Special ed teacher Gabrielle recommends using colors to differentiate student schedules, data, station materials, and more. Color-code everythingįor maximum organization in your classroom, try color coding. For more, read How-To Guide: Labeling in Early Childhood and the Primary Grades. In addition, labels give visual clues that help with language development and encourage responsibility and independence. Label, label, labelĪccording to teacher Cinthya Quintana, labels in the pre-K classroom make life easier-clean up is quicker, students don’t need to ask where materials are located, and they help save lots of time in the course of the day. Make templatesįor each activity you create, make a cardboard template (use an old cereal box for the cardboard), so you have a sturdy model for the next time around. It takes up less space and keeps your most-used worksheets close at hand. Instead of filing the worksheets and papers you use every year (or copying and recopying them for kids who need extra practice), file them in a master copy binder. This is one of our favorite tips for pre-K teachers. Check out this schedule from Fun-a-Day that includes “sign in” and lots of center time. Your day, and year, will go smoothly if your pre-K students know what to expect. Try some of these button activities to help kids build fine motor skills, work on math, make cute crafts, and much more. They also strengthen academic skills, like this activity that has students placing a clothespin at the appropriate number on each card. Use clothespinsĬlothespins strengthen kids’ pincher grasp, which helps them hold pencils and scissors. Try teaching pre-K students the “ friendly shark trick.“ 15. Holding and using scissors are key ready-for-kindergarten skills that the kinder teachers in your building will thank you for later. (Check out these tips for pre-K pencil grip from OT Mom.) Plus check out our favorite pencil grips. Reteaching fine motor skills is hard! Teach pre-K students proper pencil grip from the get-go, and future teachers will thank you. Plus check out these welcome songs you can use to kick off your morning meetings. Watch how this pre-K teacher leads morning meetings in her classroom. It’s a great way to reinforce calendar and core skills and build community. Each center has a ‘mascot’ and the Hulk and She-Hulk are the mascots for the dramatic play center because they change and are dramatic.” -Ariel E. “I teach pre-K and my classroom theme is superheroes. Give your classroom some additional energy with creative mascots at each center. Kelly J.Ĭheck out these parent communication mistakes, plus tips on how to fix them. Include information about the “schedule of the day, snacks, discipline, how to get in touch, and what to do if they get scared, have a tantrum, or are hurt” in your newsletter. This may be a parent’s first experience with school, so be clear with your expectations. Stay crystal-clear with parent communication (Check out more tips for pre-K separation anxiety at Pre-K Pages.) 10. Kids whose parents stayed a few minutes and offered them words of encouragement did better when their parents left. Check out our top toys and games for preschool. Simple, durable, and open-ended materials that invite kiddos to imagine, explore, create, and stretch their developing language and reasoning skills are the way to go. When choosing toys and games for preschoolers, less is definitely more. Check out our favorite games for the pre-K set. Whether they incorporate cards, dice, boards, spinners-or even an adorable cardboard monster and an oversized spoon-games have a host of benefits for young children. Cover your easelĬover your easel with wrapping paper and clear vinyl to create a surface that is easy to clean and fits into your classroom better than a bare wood frame. Encourage kids to read aloud and practice what they know about reading with a stash of reading buddies (stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys) in the book corner. Pre-kindergartners are learning how to read, and that includes “reading” to their favorite toys. Here are our favorite sensory table ideas! 5. Sensory materials are magically both engaging and calming. Sensory play encourages open-ended thinking, language development, and collaboration, and it builds fine motor skills. Early childhood teachers know that hands-on learning is essential.
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