Today starts the kick-off to another Week of the Young Child! While I, and I know others at Teachstone, feel strongly that young children, their educators, and their families deserve to be celebrated every day, we’re excited to have an opportunity to intentionally highlight the impact you have on young children, celebrate the rapidly developing brains of young children, and recognize that each day, even beyond this week, offers ample opportunities for meaningful interactions.
As a former early childhood educator, and now a mom to a rambunctious 2.5 year old, I find myself pausing and finding even more to celebrate this week. Through the eyes of my daughter, I get to experience the world again as an innocent, joyful, and curious young child.
And, if it’s been awhile since you’ve paused to smell the flowers, to laugh at a silly sound your shoe made, or had an epiphany that your outfit matches someone else's, I hope this week affords you the opportunity to experience that joy, that wonder, and that excitement.
Week of the Young Child offers a time we all can be intentional in setting up a fun and playful activity to engage with the children in our care. And, we know that play = learning! Continue on reading below for some ideas to help you celebrate each day, and for even more activity ideas, visit NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child webpage.
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Exploring music offers a magnitude of learning opportunities. From language development, to critical thinking skills, to fine motor skills, the potential for fun, and for learning, is endless. |
For infants and toddlers, consider planning for or trying the following.
For preschool and older children, consider planning for or trying the following.
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From language modeling and development, to math, to literacy, and even science, being intentional around the questions asked and the structure of meals can extend a favorite time of day, to a learning time of day! |
For infants and toddlers, consider planning for or trying the following.
For preschool and older children, consider planning for or trying the following.
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Intentional activities in which children can think critically, collaborate, and work together can drive their social and emotional learning and development. |
For infants and toddlers, consider planning for or trying the following.
For preschool and older children, consider planning for or trying the following.
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Inside each individual is a creative spark waiting to be lit. Celebrate and promote creativity, which also offers a plethora of learning opportunities, by expanding beyond your standard or go-to art activities. |
For infants and toddlers, consider planning for or trying the following.
For preschool and older children, consider planning for or trying the following.
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Families are children’s first teachers. And, they play an important role in the child’s development and learning. Today is a day to celebrate them, recognize their impact, and continue to support them in the important work they do. |
For your families, consider planning for or trying the following:
Again, this week gives us an opportunity to not only have fun but to pause and say thank you. Thank you for the dedication you have to supporting young children.
Thank you for the impact you make on the future generations. And thank you, for seeing us as your partner in this important work.
We hope this week brings you joy, laughter, and lots of warm interactions. We cannot wait to see how you’re celebrating. Share your fun, your activities, your reflections and your ideas with us in this community post, or tweet us @teachstone.
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Setting up a classroom for a new school year can be exciting! It’s hard not to get excited at the prospect of a fresh start. But that doesn’t mean you always know what’s best to do. How do you set up the classroom to facilitate a successful year?
In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Alisha Saunders-Wilson, a Teachstone CLASS® Specialist who has experience coaching other teachers in many things, including setting up classrooms. Listen in as she and Kate discuss Classroom Organization, Behavior Management, what materials to put out and when to rotate them, and what to do when materials are sparse.
As you know, CLASS® is a tool that captures teacher-student interactions. When it comes to the dimension Concept Development, the focus is on the method the teacher uses to provide instruction in the classroom. While the interactions are what get measured with CLASS, as a teacher you can plan for Concept Development to be more intentionally woven throughout your lessons.
Let’s look closer at how to do this.
In this episode of Impacting the Classroom, our host Marnetta Larrimer talks to Dr. Daryl Greenfield of the University of Miami and Teachstone's own Veronica Fernandez. They discuss research on the importance of science in early education and how opportunities to explore the wonder of science with children are everywhere--even if you are not a scientist yourself.
Our guests had so much to share that we didn't have time to fit it all in one episode! You can read the extended version of the podcast in the transcript below.
Dr. Greenfield passed on a number of resources for educators, administrators, and parents interested in learning more about science education in the early years. You can check them out here:
When I started teaching four years ago, I was one of a handful of new teachers in a small school that experienced high teacher turnover. We new teachers had to figure it out as we went along but were lucky to have a handful of veteran teachers for support. I remember more experienced educators telling me that most teachers don’t really feel like they have it together until year three, and that year four is really when the magic happens.