Asking young children to find, copy and extend patterns is a common math activity in preschools and kindergartens the world over. We encourage it because we want children to be able to see the relationships between objects which helps them problem solve later on. But according to recent research* our most common patterning activities aren’t […]
End of Year Treasure Keepers
At the end of the school year we like children to have a keepsake to remind them of the year and their friends. One way of doing this is for the children to write little notes or draw pictures to give to each other. Even having small paper scraps with their friends’ names on them […]
Pre-Writing Skills: Essential for Early Learners
PLEASE NOTE: You can listen to this article in podcast format over here! Most research on early writing has focused on lower primary-aged children which means studies on younger children (from 2-5 years) are a little thin. One of the causes of this was the long-held philosophy that very young children would learn what they […]
Are Birthday Cakes a Risky Business?
To have or not to have, that is the question. Birthday cakes in early care centres can be a surprisingly emotional topic, both in arguing for them and against them. For this month’s research-based post I am highlighting some points from recent research that looked at the place of birthday cakes in 4 early care […]
Collaborating with Parents on Goal Setting for Children
Early childhood education is preferably a collaboration between families and schools whether they’re Kindergartens, Pre-Kindergartens, Preschools, Day Care, Sunday Schools or other organisations. Goal setting for children can be a helpful way to ensure attention is paid to areas of need or interest for each specific child. For some free goal setting sheets for children […]
Can Young Children Help Create a Sustainable World?
We teach little ones to be kind to animals and to not throw rubbish, but can children REALLY help save our world? I’m talking here about our ability to create a long and sustainable future for both the planet and ourselves. Since this blog is focused on early learners it will be no surprise that […]
10 Activities and You Tube Songs to Explore Emotions
Helping little ones understand their own feelings and the emotions of others takes time and consistency. Effort spent in this area helps children learn tactics to control their own behaviours which is a great help to their social development. I have listed here over 10 activities and 10 You Tube songs you might like to […]
10 Ways to Combat Bullying in the Early Years
Boys will be boys. It’s just a squabble. They have to learn to deal with it themselves. How much truth do these axioms hold? Are they just an excuse not to intercede? Of course it’s true that children DO have to learn to deal with conflict and we SHOULDN’T always jump in. However, with […]
Talking about Feelings with Five Little Ducks
Learning to recognise and understand feelings is an important skill to develop in early childhood as anyone living or working with little ones will know! We want to encourage children to: Recognise and label their own emotions Learn how to manage their feelings productively Understand that other children and adults have feelings too Activities that can […]