Newsletter

Hey Reader! “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder…” Did you just finish the song in your mind? (or maybe even out loud?) “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the …..” Again..did you finish the song? Most likely, you did. Music is a powerful tool in the classroom for so many reasons! We’ve shared a lot of fun tips for using music in your classroom over these last couple of weeks, but I wanted to share one more thing… I had a podcast conversation recently with Patty Shukla about how she has…

Hey Reader! How does music affect infants and toddler development – maybe even before they’re able to talk? Let’s examine a few things today. Several of today’s ideas came from THIS article from zerotothree.com which includes LOTS of info on development and music including a fantastic chart with musical ideas for various development domains by age group! Young children begin to learn self-regulation as a loving caregiver gently holds a baby close and rocks or sways to the beat of a gentle…

Hey Reader! What if I told you that there is a really easy and fun way to foster connection, collaboration, and emotional regulation in your classroom and you don’t even have to buy anything? It’s MUSIC! Keep reading to see how music actually help you do all of these things! (Hint: You don’t actually have to be good at singing. Preschoolers don’t really care if you can carry a tune!) Building Connection: Music provides a shared experience that crosses language and cultural barriers, making it…

Hey Reader! A few children in your classroom are chasing each other on the playground as super heroes trying to “capture the bad guys”! There is lots of discussion during centers about policemen putting the bad guy in jail. Or maybe you’ve even overheard conversations about super heroes or policemen killing the bad guys? Before we all gasp and call parents…let’s examine what’s happening here: Remember that young children, both boys and girls, starting around age 3 make sense of their world…

Hey Reader! In a recent podcast conversation with Dr. Beverly Alford of Curating Play, we talked about NOISE in our classrooms. When children are engaged in lively, active, age-appropriate play…there’s probably going to be some noise involved. Would you agree with that? How do you feel about noise in your classroom? I think we have various levels of noise tolerance based on our own life experience. For example, I raised three very active, rambunctious boys so what I consider “too loud” is…

Hey Reader! Taylor, a three-year-old, just learned a new word! “Fart!” 🫣🙄Every time he says it, all the others start giggling and laughing. Before you know it, all you hear all day is “fart-fart-fart-fart” and lots of giggling and laughing. Preschool children are learning more words every day and when they start potty-training, there is a whole new set of vocabulary that might make its way into the classroom. What do you do? First, let’s talk about why children like to use potty words (or…

Hey Reader! We’re talking about optimal learning states in our brains today! McKinley is starting to get out of control – you see her fists are tight, her body is rigid, her breathing is fast and shallow…at any moment, the scream will come out or she’ll bolt out the door! (She’s functioning in the red zone) Caleb is retreating from the group – you see his body physically shrinking, his head is lowered and he’s looking at the ground and unable to make eye contact, he might even be trying to…

Hey Reader! In a national parent survey conducted by zerotothree.org, 43% of parents that were surveyed thought children should be good at sharing by around age 2. In reality, the skills of sharing and taking turns begin developing around ages 3-6 when children begin to assert power over their environments (you can read about Erikson’s Theory HERE). This is the time where they really begin to start making friends and playing cooperatively rather than just next to each other (parallel play)….

Hey Reader!
The term “risky play” has gained some attention over the last few years in the world of early childhood development. Our natural instinct is to protect our little ones from potential harm, but research suggests that allowing controlled, purposeful risk-taking can be a crucial component of healthy development. “If we want children to be prepared for risk, we need to allow them to come into contact with risk.” says Prof Rolf Schwarz of Karlsruhe University of Education, who advises…

Hey Reader!
Infants and toddlers communicate through their behaviors, and being attuned to these cues is vital. Pay attention to their expressions, respond to their babbling, and engage in interactive play. Sometimes, we refer to this “back-and-forth” conversation as “serve and return” – think of it like tennis, volleyball or ping pong (or maybe even pickleball)! One person starts the conversation (serves) and the other person responds (return).
Here is a great example of this with a father…