Preschool

If you’ve ever spent time with a group of young children, you’ll know how exhausting it can be to get them all to sit still at the same time. It’s near-impossible! And that’s because it is simply not part of the developmental stage of a preschooler to be still for long periods of time. In the following video, one of my favorite early childhood experts, Rae Pica, explains some of…
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“Play-based” is a common descriptor among today’s preschool programs, but what does that really mean? The trend in education for many years has been to push standards on students at younger and younger ages. You’ve heard it said that “Kindergarten is the new first grade” and unfortunately for our kids, it’s true. Similarly, we’ve adapted to the idea that if kindergarten is the new first grade, preschool must be the…
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There are so many options when it comes to choosing the right preschool for your child. Before making your decision, here are some important things to consider: Location I’m not talking about the distance from your home to the school (although that *is* something to consider), rather whether the preschool is held in a home or a commercial location. There are pros and cons to each option that you should…
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Preschool is often viewed as a time to prepare children for kindergarten. I prefer to shift the focus from “preparing for kindergarten” to “mastering preschool”. What does that even mean? Isn’t a child who has mastered preschool prepared for kindergarten? The answer is a resounding YES! If that’s the case, then why does it matter what we call it? It matters because the way that your mind and attitude approaches…
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Welcome to School—We will start our day by walking to the classroom together from the drop-off area and hanging up backpacks and removing shoes. We will come together at the rug to share in some music and movement to kick off our morning meeting—a gathering time where we will welcome each student individually with a fun song, stretch our bodies with a short yoga routine, repeat growth-mindset affirmations, and review…
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Have you ever thought about the difference between art and crafts? Believe it or not, it’s a hot topic in the early childhood world, primarily because one represents teaching children a process and the other represents a specific finished product. It’s a common practice in early childhood centers to present children with all the parts and pieces they need to assemble a piece of “art”, typically one that goes along…
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