A few years ago, a number of my kindergarten students told me they were ‘building Bethlehem’. They were inspired by all of the Nativity Stories I had read to them. First, the setting It started as a few students wanting to convert the dramatic play area into Bethlehem. We looked through the stories Read More…
Search Results for: back to school
The most important letters to young students – and a fun, free activity!
The letters that are most important to young learners, and a fun activity to do them #letters #teaching #alphabet #kindergarten #earlylearning
Management tips for teaching virtual kindergarten!
Teaching a virtual kindergarten class? Here are some management tips that worked for us, and a Google Meet freebie! 1. Our initial communication with parents When we first received our class list (one day before we started teaching virtual kindergarten!), we sent an email introducing ourselves, including a real photo and the Bitmoji we would Read More…
My favorite Nativity Stories
Nativity Stories are a wonderful way to help children learn the biblical origin of Christmas. Here are some great stories about the birth of Baby Jesus – and a read-aloud for kids to enjoy (and buy busy parents and teachers a few moments of pre-Christmas preparation!)
Social emotional lessons in my go-to book for teaching Concepts of Print.
It was just recently that I discovered the social emotional lessons in my go to book for teaching Concepts of Print. A few years ago, I was thrilled to discover that The Monster at the End of This Book had been brought to life, still as a storybook, through animation. Here is just a taste Read More…
Children’s books for explaining emotions (and link to freebie)!
Children’s books for explaining emotions! Talking about feelings is more comfortable when stories start the conversation. These children’s books explain emotions gently and provide a natural transition into discussions about self-acceptance, empathy, kindness, love and friendship. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. Lots of Feelings is a great book to introduce Read More…
Seasonal Playlists for your classroom listening center!
Want to keep your listening center relevant and engaging all year? Here is a free and growing collection of seasonal read-alouds, songs, poems and videos!
Storybook lessons – Teach with books!
Do you teach with children’s books? Storybook lessons are fun and engaging! If you subscribe to this website, you already have this one: (One of these days I’ll write a post about what inspired it, and why my students think it’s hilarious). Check out the links below (and check back for updates!) Digital Storybook Lessons Read More…
8 ways to help students with social and emotional regulation (and still have time to teach!) Part 2
This post is the second of two posts about helping students with social and emotional regulation. The first post was about communicating feelings, social / emotional language, going cross-curricular and linking feelings and behaviors. This one covers kindness expectations, positive reinforcement, dedicated space, tools and strategies.
Children’s Thanksgiving stories that model an attitude of gratitude!
Happy Thanksgiving! Tis the season of gratitude. If there is one thing I have learned from being a human being, it’s that personality traits / emotions like gratitude can be nurtured by exposure to models. Here are three Children’s Thanksgiving stories that model an attitude of gratitude!
