Do you remember the last time you were feeling overwhelmed? Was it during dinner when your toddler didn’t want to eat the food you spent an hour making? Or when your car didn’t start after shoveling your driveway? How about that time when the babysitter canceled last minute and your night out was no more? How did you react? Did you scream? Did you stomp your feet? Did you fall on the floor waving your hands in the air while your kids looked at you puzzled? It is often puzzling when children … [Read more...]
Snowman Bowling
December has arrived and so has winter! It doesn’t snow much where I live, but we have so much fun when we visit the snow. One of the first things we do is build a snowman! It’s wet, slimy, and full of wonder! Let’s bring snowmen home with us in this super fun activity. I call it “Snowman Bowling.” Kids will learn colors and numbers through active play! Are you ready? What you need: 3 (or more) Empty 12 ounce drink bottles (could be little water bottles) 3 Markers, each a different … [Read more...]
Counting Christmas Tree
The holidays are coming and so is Christmas tree hunting! Do you and your family find a live Christmas tree every year? This is one of our family’s favorite Christmas traditions. The local Christmas tree farms here have Santa, hot cocoa and candy canes galore. One year we even had a Christmas tree flocked! Before you head out to gather your tree this year, let’s build a Christmas tree plan with sensory and fine motor practice. Children learn so much when they “plan ahead” and this … [Read more...]
Turkey Handprint Sensory Activity
Thanksgiving is upon us and turkeys are the most popular animal right now! There are a lot of turkey crafts, but sometimes it is hard for little ones to participate. That is why I love activities that include safe activities that are edible for toddlers. High sensory crafts can be messy, but they sure are fun! This special turkey print is all about the process and doesn’t need to be saved when completed (unless of course, you want to take a picture of it and frame it for future Thanksgivings). … [Read more...]
5 Tips for a Successful Circle Time
As teachers, we love to teach our kids and we come up with some awesome games and activities. As we excitedly enter the classroom that morning with our plan, we hope that the kids enjoy the activities as much as we did planning them. As fun as the preschool days are, teaching large groups can be stressful. What if all the kids don’t pay attention? What if little Sally wanders around the room and won’t sit down? Do these questions run through your mind as you get closer to large group … [Read more...]
How to Create a Balanced Preschool Routine
Laughing, learning, and playing is all a part of a preschool day. We become preschool teachers because we love being around young kids. Their natural interest in learning, sweet friendships, and silly sayings keeps us coming back every morning! But what happens when our days aren’t as great as we had planned? Sometimes children don’t show interest in our activities. Sometimes the best of friends have a hard day sharing space. What feeds into the differences in our kids' behaviors every … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Shadow Faces
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure for more details. Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere! I love this “pumpkin” time of year. Not only for the pumpkin lattes but also for the fabulous sensory experiences that pumpkins give our kids. You know, that ooey, gooey mess that either makes use smile or cringe? Not to worry, if you or your children don’t like to touch the “pumpkin guts,” you don’t have to for this activity. It is so important for us to “read” the faces of our … [Read more...]
Appleseed Color & Count
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure for more details. Fall is almost here and soon we'll see apples everywhere! Apples come in many colors and forms (apple cider is my favorite!) As I wander the grocery stores and Apple Hill (a local apple tree farm), I can’t help but be in awe of all the colors! There are so many different colors of apples and each one has a slightly different flavor. One of my favorite things to teach with apples is that, although they are all … [Read more...]
