Elevating Early Childhood

Are you still struggling to get your little ones to sit still and pay attention? Or maybe you're wondering how you're ever going to teach them anything at this pace? Well then, I’ve got the solution for you! Today, I’ll be sharing with you the best preschool activities for a fall theme to keep your students interested in the classroom. You see, it’s not always easy to get young children to pay att...

If you’re a preschool teacher, chances are you probably have an art center in your classroom. After all, art is a quintessential part of the preschool curriculum. It’s a great way to help children develop their imagination and creativity and work on their fine motor skills. And in order to do that, an art center is a must . However, not all preschool art centers are equal. Some are better than oth...

Every pre-k teacher knows it, making art is a big part of preschool. It’s a great way for the children to be creative, enrich their imagination, and develop their fine motor skills in a fun and enjoyable manner. However, making sure your students are creating the right kind of art is important. Because yes , the kind of art your kids are making does matter. Process art and product art are two type...

Hello everyone and welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood. Now, a quick warning before you start listening, this episode’s got a bit of a bite to it (pun intended)! This, friends, is because today, we’re discussing children who bite. Most younger preschool classrooms have at least one bitey kid, and it can be pretty difficult for teachers to deal with those types of situa...

If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of educational centers you’re supposed to have in your preschool classroom, then you’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves facing a dilemma when setting up centers in our classroom: Should we have a separate area for each center? Or can some be combined? Naturally, both options have their pros and cons, and because of that, it can be difficult to decide...

The beginning of the year is tricky, there is so much to take care of, things to set up, new students to meet, parents to get to know, etc... All of this stuff can be pretty stressful, but I’m here to make it just a little bit easier on you. Friends, today, we’re talking about how to set your kids up for success when it comes to learning the alphabet. It’s no secret that teaching the alphabet at t...

There are some things that will make or break you as a teacher, and transitions are right there at the top of the list for early childhood teachers. Every single day is full of transitions in preschool, so having a surefire list of tips that’ll help you make them as easy as possible is crucial . Lucky for you, I’m about to share those tips with you. So, if you’re struggling with transitioning from...

The new school year is here, and this means that, like every year, it’s now time for those back-to-school checklists! You see, the life of a preschool teacher is not easy (no matter what some people might tell you). We have quite a few things to take care of and keep in mind, and this is especially true during the beginning of the year, when everything is still a bit chaotic. Lucky for you, the ch...

Do you ever wonder why your students can’t sit through story time without fiddling around or losing interest? If you’re struggling with getting your kids to pay attention during a read-aloud, I’ve got a secret to share with you: You’re not alone. Every preschool teacher has been through this.  And I mean it.  All of us have wished for a magical wand that’d make story time easier at least once in o...

Want to add more diverse picture books to your classroom this year?  Discover Black Boy, Black Boy , a beautifully illustrated children's book with an uplifting message for all young children. This is the perfect picture book if you’re looking for inspirational stories that will resonate with all the students in your preschool classroom. Not convinced yet? How about you listen to my interview with...

It’s no secret that early childhood teachers everywhere have seen changes in their students’ behavior since the pandemic began. And because of that, teaching young children is now more challenging than it ever was.  Kids are bouncing off the walls and full of energy… sometimes, a little bit too much energy if I’m being honest. However, this doesn’t have to be a perpetual issue in your classroom. I...

As I’ve discussed in the last episode of Elevating Early Childhood, learning how to write your name as a preschooler takes a lot of work and dedication from both the teachers and the students. Continuing on with the theme, today, I’ll be discussing whether you should be teaching your pre-k students to write their names in capital letters or lowercase letters. This episode is also for those of you...

Writing your name as a preschooler is no easy feat. It takes work, dedication, and the right writing activities from you, their preschool teacher.  This is why, today, I’ll be sharing some super fun ( and super easy) name writing activities you can do with your preschool students. But before we start, let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? Writing is one of those developmental milestone...

Hello everyone, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood! It’s been a while, so I hope you’re as excited as I am about catching up. In this week’s episode, I’ll be talking about something every early childhood classroom -in my opinion- should have: A writing center. Writing centers are a great way to teach young children how to use their imagination. Plus, they're also...

Every single year, I get so many questions about the first days of school. And so, I thought, why not have an episode about it? After all, that first day of school is a pretty big deal, not just for the students, but also for professional educators like you. That is why I’ve created a free printable lesson plan to go along with the episode! I’ll also explain how to use it, so make sure you watch t...

What is the Science of Reading? And what should preschool teachers know about it? In this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I answer these two questions and more.  But I won't be doing this alone!  Yes friends, this is an interview episode! And in it, I will be discussing this hot topic with the lovely Allison McDonald. Allison is the creator and founder of the early childhood website N...

The one thing teachers don't have a lot of besides money is time. There's never enough time in the day to finish everything that needs to be done! That's why in this episode, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite classroom must-haves; items that have saved me time or made my teacher life easier. Some of these things I've used for a very long time and I couldn't live without in my classroom, while others...

Time young children spend in learning centers is precious for their development. And yet, it’s one of those strictly school-related activities, which is why we must do our very best to set them up for success. Creating a successful learning center requires lots of strategic planning and effort. There are many questions you need to answer first, including… How many centers should you create?  How l...

Have you ever entered your email address to download a freebie...and then been disappointed by what you got? I know I have plenty of times!  When you’re trying to find new ideas for your classroom, freebies can be very helpful. But it can also go in another direction—one where you catch yourself thinking... “Huh? That’s it? I could’ve Googled that!” So when I create freebies and bundles, I’m parti...

One of the biggest challenges teachers face with teaching the alphabet is getting the letters to stick. You spend weeks teaching, following your curriculum, doing everything by the book. Everything seems to be going great. The kiddos are getting it! And then... Poof! They forget all of it! As if you’ve never even mentioned it before! Has this ever happened to you? Because it’s happened to me plent...

Do parent-teacher conferences stress you out? Don’t worry, you’re not alone!  Every teacher goes through the worry and the anxiety that come with them, even those of us who have been teaching for decades. It’s normal to stress about parent-teacher conferences. After all, they require a lot of work and patience. From the extra prep work involved to the anxiety that comes with having to talk to pare...

Teaching dual language learners in the preschool classroom is not always easy. I taught this population exclusively for 20 years and I have met obstacles along the way — like every other teacher who’s done it before me—. However, there ARE ways to make it easier on yourself and your students. And to discuss that, I have invited this week’s guest, the brilliant Maria Mercedes Champion. Maria Merced...

When I was in school, I didn't like science class very much. I found it boring and I never enjoyed it. However, just because that was my experience, it doesn’t mean the same should happen with my preschool students. See, young children are full of curiosity and love experimenting with the environment around them.  To them, the world is full of wonders and they want to discover and learn about all...

Hello everyone, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood! If you remember, a few episodes ago, I discussed calendar time and whether or not you needed it in your preschool classroom. And well... it seems many of you had even MORE questions, so I’ve decided to answer them for you. In today's episode I'll be responding to our listener and viewer comments and questions on...

Hello everyone, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood. Today's podcast is another one of my thrilling interviews, and I can't wait for you to meet this week's guest! But before I introduce them, let me ask you a quick question: Do you use picture books in your preschool classroom? Now, I already know your answer, "Well of course, Vanessa! Everyone uses picture books...