Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Preschool is often the first time that young children are leaving their home environment and trying out a classroom setting. This includes the need for peer-to-peer communication. It can be hard for children who have not had many opportunities to practice these types of interactions before. As educators, it is our job to help them navigate these peer relationships. Topics Discussed: Skills childre...

Question of the Day, Daily Question, Preschool Graphing and Survey of the Day has long been a staple in early childhood classrooms… for good reason. With children being quite ego-centric (a nice way of saying, they think it’s all about them), students learn new things more easily when they are at the center of it. So, when we ask each child a question, gather everyone in the classes’ responses and...

As preschool teachers we are constantly looking for ways to incorporate literacy in our classrooms to support our young learners.  One powerful tool that surrounds us every day is environmental print. This type of print refers to print that children see around them in their day to day lives, such as signs, logos, labels and symbols. Environmental print can play an important role in literacy d...

Looking for some cool math games for pre-k? I am a game-loving teacher who brings games into learning whenever I can. And math lends itself well to game play, because most of the time my pre-kers don’t even know they are learning!  What’s even better… my students are practicing turn-taking and how to win and lose gracefully.  Name me a worksheet that can do that!? Topics Discussed: 9 typ...

Have you tried everything when it comes to behavior management? Taught them all of the expectations and practiced the procedures? Sometimes we need to play detective to find out what is really going on behind one (or more) of our student's unwanted behavior. Topics Discussed: Playing behavior detectives and loads of questions to ask yourself Asking for help Recognizing when something is out of you...

Are you a teacher or a manager? I don’t know about you, but I refer to myself as a Preschool Teacher, not a Preschool Manager. So, why when it comes to behaviors in the classroom, we feel that they need to be managed? Why not taught? I didn’t sign up to be managing behaviors, I signed up to teach…. and that shouldn’t just mean academic skills. Topics Discussed: Why teach instead of manage Teaching...

All behaviors are a form of communication. What are the little ones in our classroom trying to tell us? Children aren't trying to ruin our days. They learn how to behave through experiences and modeling. In this episode, I will talk about how we can modify the unwanted behaviors we are seeing in our classrooms. I'll give you a hint... the first step is to find out the WHY behind the behavior. Tune...

Deciding whether or not to implement a classroom rewards system is a decision worth putting some thought into. Scroll through Pinterest and you can find all kinds of reward systems: sticker charts, brag tags, token economies, dojos, punch cards, candy rewards and coupons. The ideas are truly endless. But, are these systems right for your students? Topics Discussed: Classroom Reward Systems Individ...

Behavior charts in schools are a hot topic. Many preschool teachers use them. But, are they harmful to young children? This episode will take you through how my thoughts and feelings on this topic have changed over the years. Learn how I went from using those fancy clip and star behavior charts to relying on relationships, a little detective work, and teaching and why it is a much better system. T...

February is coming near! Want to bring some of that February Fun into your classroom?  I’ve got 8 Valentine Activities that I know your Preschoolers will love (because mine do!). So, if you are ready to do some February Lesson Planning, take a listen to these activities – you might just find a couple you want to try too! Topics Discussed: 8 Easy Valentine Activities Resources Mentioned: Febru...

One of the most important (if not THE more important) area in Early Education is Social Emotional Learning .I am a firm believer that by helping teach children self awareness, social awareness and healthy relationship skills we are helping them become functioning members of society… and who doesn’t want that?! So, when it comes to teaching children to be good friends– it starts in our preschool cl...

One of the first exciting milestones that many preschoolers meet in their pre-k year is learning to write their name.  While this process can be exciting, preschool teachers often face the challenge of keeping track of where each child is on their name writing journey.  Not every child is ready to jump in and write their full name. It's a process and one that we must respect for each chi...

As preschool teachers, we know the amazingness that is outdoor play. The fresh air, the movement, the unstructured play. But, when winter (or the rain) puts a halt to outdoor play, it can leave both children and teachers in a cooped-up, cranky state! So, today I wanted to share with you some Indoor Gross Motor ideas - many shared from fellow teachers in our Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group...

Winter Activities that Preschoolers Love! If you are one of those teachers that love to get ahead and get your winter planning done before break - this one is for you! There are so many amazing winter activities that we can do with preschoolers and I have some to share with you today that are student approved! Hold onto your mittens, because there are enough ideas here for you to fill up your wint...

Tips for Keeping Holiday Stress Down Do the holidays have you feeling overwhelmed every single year? We want our students to have a magical holiday and we put so much pressure on ourselves to create a classroom that is filled with holiday cheer! BUT...what if we re-evaluated the season and re-imagined what a meaningful holiday experience could look like in our classroom? Listen in to find out how...

Why We Change Out Our Drama Center Does just thinking about changing out your drama center make you feel overwhelmed? Changing out centers, especially the drama center, can be hugely beneficial for your students and your sanity! As littles become tired of one theme, we can start noticing some challenging behaviors. Listen in to find out how and why I like to change out the drama center in my class...

Get Ready for December Oh, preschool teachers…December is a comin’!  I love the Holidays, but man… the first part of December (before break) is stressful. I start thinking of all the things I have to do…. √ parent gifts √ themed centers √ holiday parties √ thematic units Then, you also have your family and friends to shop and wrap for. Don’t forget to put up the lights and the tree. There is...

Transforming Preschool Behaviors with Social Emotional Learning As a preschool teacher, you know that managing behaviors in the classroom can be a challenging. From fit-throwing, to hitting, to peer issues - behavior issues can leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. I get it. But, there is a better way that can help you transform your classroom environment and help your little learners thri...

Art Center Storage The art center is one center that can get really messy really fast. It’s a good kind of messy though- one full of creativity and color. But, messy nonetheless. Listen in as I explain the perfect solution to storing all of the artsy stuff our preschoolers love! Topics Discussed: What is the art cart and how does it evolve throughout the year? Why teaching procedures is key when i...

Using Nursery Rhymes in Preschool Do your preschoolers know the traditional nursery rhymes that we used to recite as kids?  I bet you remember J ack and Jill, Hey Diddle Diddle and Little Miss Muffet , don’t you? What was the point of those rhymes anyway? Listen in to find out why and how I use nursery rhymes in the classroom! Topics Discussed: Benefits of nursery rhymes How to use nursery rh...

5 Ways to Encourage Writing Through Play Getting children to go to the Preschool Writing Center isn't the easiest task, is it? The appeal just isn't there. So, what's a preschool teacher to do when getting children to the writing center is such a chore? We could take the writing out of the center... We could also make our writing center more appealing... both great options for encouraging wri...

Master List of Social Emotional Skills to Teach We, as preschool teachers, are the experts of social and emotional behaviors. Just think about how many times you may have intervened in a squabble, comforted a crying child, calmed an angry one or helped a child solve a problem. Probably quite a bit, huh? But, in all honesty, sometimes doing these things over and over again makes you feel insane. Wh...

Is it Time to Start Small Group?   Episode Summary   As the school year starts, our focus is on getting to know our new little students. We are teaching them procedures, rules and practicing routines. We are playing with students to get to know them and helping children learn how to use the materials in classroom centers. At the beginning of the year, these things are the most impor...

Parent Education Boards   Episode Summary Preschoolers learn amazing things through play, but this isn't something that is easy for parents to see. Help educate the parents in your early childhood program with Parent Education Bulletin Boards. I wanted our families to better understand all the amazing growth and learning goodness that really happens inside a preschool classroom --- that's whe...

Tips for Teaching Classroom Procedures   Episode Summary Teaching young children the procedures and routines of the classroom is important for a safe and (less) chaotic environment. The benefits of implementing visual procedure cards are huge. To get the most out of visual procedure cards, first...  * Learn why they are important, then...  * How to implement them You can u...