Are you looking for ways to incorporate more nature into your classroom? Bringing the outdoors into your classroom can provide a calmer and more soothing environment for young children. Who doesn’t want more calm and less chaos in their classroom, am I right? In today’s episode of elevating early childhood I’m going to share easy and inexpensive ways to build a more natural math center in your preschool or pre-k classroom ..read more

Teachers, let’s be honest, the end of the school year is almost as stressful as the beginning of the year, am I right? If you’re not rehearsing for the end of the year “program,” you’re assessing your students, doing report cards, planning Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events, field trips, and much more! The very last thing teachers need at the end of the school year is more “stuff to do” piled on their already overflowing plates. In today’s episode of elevating early childhood, I’m going to share 5 easy hacks preschool and even kinder teachers can use to lighten the load during this busy time ..read more

What does it really mean to be “kindergarten ready?” Should we be teaching kids to read before they enter kindergarten? Are you worried that your preschool or Pre-K kids won’t have all the skills they need to excel in today’s kindergarten classrooms? In this episode I'm going to break it all down for you so your kids will be well-prepared for kindergarten - and beyond ..read more

Do puzzles cause headaches in your classroom? Are your kids uninterested in puzzles? Or maybe they’re frustrated because they can’t put them together? If you think puzzles are too much of a hassle, or they’re too old school for today’s kids – think again! In today’s episode I’ll be sharing my best tips and tricks for teaching smarter, not harder when it comes to puzzles in the classroom, AND how to set your kids up for success with puzzles by following the developmental sequence that nobody taught you in college ..read more

Teachers, have you ever been told by an administrator that centers are “just playing?” Maybe you’re even one of the unlucky ones who have been told by an administrator that you can’t have centers in your classroom because they’re “just for fun” and not enough academic learning is taking place. Or even worse, maybe even thought about throwing in the towel on centers because they’re just too darn hard to manage! Today I’m going to help dispel the 6 myths that preschool teachers should never fall for when it comes to learning centers ..read more

Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough center materials in your classroom? Are you wondering if what you have is enough? And how do you know? You see, setting-up and stocking your classroom centers can be very tricky.  Every good teacher knows that centers are essential for a high-quality early childhood experience.  The issue is that no one ever gives you an actual roadmap to follow when it comes to setting-up or stocking your centers. And that can leave teachers like you and me struggling to figure it out on our own. But today's your lucky day! I'm going to share my Ultim ..read more

Do transitions in your classroom have you at the end of your rope? Does it feel like you’re trying to herd kittens during arrival, dismissal, or cleanup time? Then I have two things to tell you: You’re not alone. I can help! You see, transitions are something that all early childhood teachers struggle with. Yes, even the most experienced ones. The issue is that even though everyone says transitions are important, no one ever gives you an actual roadmap to follow. And that can leave teachers like you and me feeling a bit… all over the place. Lucky for you, because I’ve been through this more ..read more

Do your students struggle to write the letters of the alphabet? If so, I’ve got some good news for you: You’re not alone!  In fact, most preschool teachers have to deal with this issue every single year (if not several times a year). And because I have dealt with it too, I’ve ended up coming up with a few solutions to this pesky problem. Improving your preschool students' handwriting can be a difficult task (even daunting for some of us), but it’s not impossible. Don’t believe me? Then listen to this episode where I share my top three steps to improve your preschoolers’ handwriting, try t ..read more

Friends, I have a question for you: Are the students in your classroom too loud? If so, then welcome to the club no one wants to join (yes, I have jokes). I can relate to students who have trouble keeping their outside voices where they belong, outside.  And principals who complain about noisy classrooms. No matter what has brought you here, you and I both know there is no magic fix for this little (but very loud) problem.  Yes, we all wish we had a magic wand sometimes. Alas, no one has discovered that yet. So, we’ll have to go with the next best thing… What’s that? Tune in to this ..read more

Friends, I have a question for you: Could your students use a little extra help paying attention during circle time? Are they constantly interrupting you? Or maybe they're struggling to learn important academic skills?  All right, that was more than one question, but you get the gist! Children have short attention spans, and that can mean constant interruptions in the early childhood classroom. But what if I told you that there's one thing that you could do in the classroom to help with all of that and more? And the good news is you don’t need any extra tools for it! That one thing, my fr ..read more