Merry Christmas

Hey Reader! Splish, Splash! It’s the perfect time of year to add in a little water play to your plans for the day/week/month! Whether you’re at home with young children or still in the classroom this summer, let’s explore a couple of fun ways to add water play to your day – and, as always, let’s explore what children are actually learning from these FUN, open-ended activities. **Obviously, NEVER allow young children to participate in water play without supervision. Young children can drown in…

Hey Reader! In a recent conversation with Prerna Richards, she said “Joy is the emotion of learning.” I had to think about that for a moment, but she’s right! When our brain is signaling JOY, we are able to learn because we are not stuck in our survival brains. Our episode is filled with lots of great ideas for increasing joy and decreasing stress in the classroom. If you haven’t had a chance, you can listen HERE! I’m going to focus on just one of those things today and give you a few ideas…

Hey Reader! Working with young children is not a “get rich quick (or at all)” career move! For many of us, we’ve heard (or even used) the word “just” as we describe what we do – “I’m just a preschool teacher.” “You just work with little kids.” At ECCN, we KNOW that our reward is not financial, but we KNOW that our reward is eternal. While our neighbors may not fully understand and value what we do, we know God counts caring for children as one of His highest priorities! (See Mark 10:13-16)…

Hey Reader! Last week, I challenged you to create an open-ended art center with various materials and allow your students to explore. How did it go? This week, I want to give you a few tips on how YOU fit into children’s art. As we allow children to explore the various materials and mediums, you may see that children start to progress from just experimenting with everything (mix it all up to make brown every time!) to really trying to create intentionally in order to represent something. So…

Hey Reader! Young children learn best by moving and grooving! Early childhood educators recognize this quickly. When we try to make them sit still…well, it’s usually frustrating for us AND for them. Children’s physical development generally progresses from head to toe and from the center of the body outward. Think about it: • Babies learn how to hold up their heads well before they can sit up and walk. • They learn to walk well before they can hold a pencil properly. To support these…

Hey Reader! I remember my Sunday School teacher telling the story of Noah building the ark with a flannel board! As she told the story, we were allowed to add the boat, the animals, and Noah’s family. I remember moving the animals from the ark back out onto land at the end and then adding in the rainbow as a symbol of God’s faithfulness! Flannel boards aren’t just “old school.” They’re one of the simplest, most powerful tools you can use in early childhood classrooms. What’s a flannel board?…