Elevating Early Childhood

Check out my latest circle time area makeover, 2023 edition! Have you ever wondered what you should have in your circle time area? Or maybe you're wondering what's really necessary, and what's not. In this episode of Elevating Early Childhood I'll be unveiling my new circle time board for 2023-2024. You'll learn the must-haves, as well as the "don't bothers" so you can set yourself, and your students up for success all year long.

Welcome to another episode of "Elevating Early Childhood!" In this episode, we unravel the secrets to creating a successful preschool writing center from Day 1. 🍎✏️ 🔍 What You'll Learn: Why planning and setup are essential before the school year starts. The importance of organization: center signs, 'I Can' cards, and labels. Which supplies are a MUST at the beginning and why. Demonstrating and instilling proper procedures and routines. Pro tips on combining art and writing centers effectively. 🎨 Common pitfalls to avoid for a seamless experience. Plus, special insight for those working in smaller classroom spaces! 🖍️ Remember, nurturing young writers is a beautiful journey filled with discovery, creativity, and a little bit of messiness! Embrace the process and watch your little learners thrive. If you found this video helpful, don't forget to subscribe for more content on elevating early childhood education.

Today we're diving deep into setting up the perfect Circle Time Area for your little learners. Discover how to create a space that inspires, educates, and brings everyone together!

Does setting up your centers stress you out? Are you looking for ways to make your sensory table center more fun and engaging for your students? In this episode of Elevating Early Childhood we'll be looking at the best sensory bin tools to enhance sensory play and fine motor skills. We'll also discuss sensory bin fillers and there's even a free printable included to make setting up, planning for, and managing your sensory table a breeze!

Do you have questions about setting up the dramatic play center in your classroom? Are you looking for ways to make your dramatic play center more engaging and deepen the play and learning? Or maybe you just LOVE peeking into other teacher’s classrooms. If any of these describe you, then you’re in the right place. This episode of elevating early childhood is part of a series I’m doing called Learning Center Tours where I draw back the curtains on each center, so stick around until the very end so you won’t miss a thing!

In this impactful episode of Elevating Early Childhood with Vanessa Levin, we dive into the heart of the early childhood classroom with a focus on blocks – the cornerstone of creativity and cognitive development. Discover the intricacies of setting up your block center for unparalleled success in this center tour. Answering burning questions from my e-mail inbox, I'll will guide you through the crucial components of an effective block center set-up. Join me for this in-depth tour, showcasing real-life examples and the best tips and tricks to avoid catastrophe, before it strikes! I'll provide detailed insights on what to put on the shelves in your block center for the first day(s) of school, and expert troubleshooting tips to set yourself and your kids up for success in the block center. Tune in and empower your teaching journey with my comprehensive guide to creating a thriving block center. This episode is an absolute must for any educator looking to refine their approach and set up their block center for success. Let's leverage the power of blocks and shape our future one block at a time!

Teachers, do you want the upcoming school year to be your best year ever? What if I told you that you can start laying the foundation for a successful school year BEFORE your kids ever walk through your classroom door? Yes, you heard me right! You can get a jump start on things during the summer that are going to ease your "schoolmares." In this episode of EEC I’ll be sharing my secret weapon to combat your schoolmares head-on, right now, before the first day of school.

Teachers, are you overwhelmed by all the “non-teaching” responsibilities you have at school? I’m talking about the things not related to when the students are in the classroom, like labeling the tubs in your centers, communicating with parents, planning events like meet the teacher etc. I could go on because the list is endless, but you know what I’m talking about. All these things can add up quickly and lead to feeling completely overwhelmed. In this episode I'll be sharing ways to make all the "non-teaching" related tasks you have just a little bit easier and less overwhelming.

Teachers, have you ever felt like a failure? Of course you have, and so have I! Every teacher out there feels like a failure some, or even all of the time. And that feeling of failure, it can really drag you down if you let it, am I right? That’s exactly why #teacher quittok exists. But before you throw in the towel and turn in your resignation, I encourage you to watch/listen to this episode until the very end because I’m going to share my #1 method to help you STOP feeling like a failure, and start experiencing that sweet success you deserve.

Listen, it's no secret that teaching preschoolers isn't easy peasy. It's full of ups and downs with lots of bumps along the way, which leaves you exhausted from trying to find a balance between work and life. You just wish somebody would tell you what to teach and when to teach it, so you can find time to do the endless mounds of laundry or cook the occasional meal for your family. If any of this sounds familiar to you, I want you to know that you're not alone. In this episode of Elevating Early Childhood I'm sharing my top 3 tips for knowing what to teach and when to teach it in your pre-K classroom.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by all the behaviors in your preschool classroom? That’s a trick question because every teacher feels like that sometimes. And those behaviors, do they seem like they’re getting worse each year? If any of this sounds familiar, then you’re in the right place because this week’s episode of Elevating Early Childhood has the answers you’ve been looking for. But those answers might surprise you, so be sure to stick around until the very end so you don’t miss a thing.

Let me ask you a question, how is teaching Pre-K different from, let’s say, 4th grade? Or even first, second, or third grade? It’s an entirely different animal, isn’t it? So, if you’ve you been moved down to Pre-K from a higher grade, OR you’re brand new to teaching Pre-K, Then this episode of elevating early childhood is for you! And if you’re an administrator, instructional coach, or a classroom teacher who works with teachers new to Pre-K – you’ll find this episode useful too!

Are you looking for ways to incorporate more nature into your classroom? Bringing the outdoors into your classroom can provide a calmer and more soothing environment for young children. Who doesn’t want more calm and less chaos in their classroom, am I right? In today’s episode of elevating early childhood I’m going to share easy and inexpensive ways to build a more natural math center in your preschool or pre-k classroom.

Teachers, let’s be honest, the end of the school year is almost as stressful as the beginning of the year, am I right? If you’re not rehearsing for the end of the year “program,” you’re assessing your students, doing report cards, planning Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events, field trips, and much more! The very last thing teachers need at the end of the school year is more “stuff to do” piled on their already overflowing plates. In today’s episode of elevating early childhood, I’m going to share 5 easy hacks preschool and even kinder teachers can use to lighten the load during this busy time.

What does it really mean to be “kindergarten ready?” Should we be teaching kids to read before they enter kindergarten? Are you worried that your preschool or Pre-K kids won’t have all the skills they need to excel in today’s kindergarten classrooms? In this episode I'm going to break it all down for you so your kids will be well-prepared for kindergarten - and beyond.

Do puzzles cause headaches in your classroom? Are your kids uninterested in puzzles? Or maybe they’re frustrated because they can’t put them together? If you think puzzles are too much of a hassle, or they’re too old school for today’s kids – think again! In today’s episode I’ll be sharing my best tips and tricks for teaching smarter, not harder when it comes to puzzles in the classroom, AND how to set your kids up for success with puzzles by following the developmental sequence that nobody taught you in college.

Teachers, have you ever been told by an administrator that centers are “just playing?” Maybe you’re even one of the unlucky ones who have been told by an administrator that you can’t have centers in your classroom because they’re “just for fun” and not enough academic learning is taking place. Or even worse, maybe even thought about throwing in the towel on centers because they’re just too darn hard to manage! Today I’m going to help dispel the 6 myths that preschool teachers should never fall for when it comes to learning centers.

Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough center materials in your classroom?Are you wondering if what you have is enough? And how do you know?You see, setting-up and stocking your classroom centers can be very tricky. Every good teacher knows that centers are essential for a high-quality early childhood experience. The issue is that no one ever gives you an actual roadmap to follow when it comes to setting-up or stocking your centers.And that can leave teachers like you and me struggling to figure it out on our own.But today's your lucky day! I'm going to share my Ultimate Center Essentials Guide with you that will lay it all out for you in a very easy-to-follow format. So if centers are getting you down, this episode is for you!

Do transitions in your classroom have you at the end of your rope? Does it feel like you’re trying to herd kittens during arrival, dismissal, or cleanup time?Then I have two things to tell you:You’re not alone.I can help!You see, transitions are something that all early childhood teachers struggle with. Yes, even the most experienced ones.The issue is that even though everyone says transitions are important, no one ever gives you an actual roadmap to follow.And that can leave teachers like you and me feeling a bit… all over the place.Lucky for you, because I’ve been through this more than enough times, I’ve come up with a foolproof formula to easy transitions in the preschool classroom; specifically, cleanup transitions.So if getting your preschool students to clean up seems like an impossible task, this episode is for you!Well then, what are you waiting for?Tune in now. Key Takeaways:Are cleanup transitions a nightmare for you? (00:00)The four building blocks of cleanup time (03:05)An easy step-by-step process you can follow (06:07)Some troubleshooting tips (21:13) Additional Resources:- Got a burning question for Vanessa? Get your answer on the Elevating Early Childhood podcast here.- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.- Watch my previous transition video here.- Get my Visual Routine Bundle here.- Get my Back to School Bundle here. Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.--Onward & Upward!--Disclaimer:Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Do your students struggle to write the letters of the alphabet?If so, I’ve got some good news for you: You’re not alone! In fact, most preschool teachers have to deal with this issue every single year (if not several times a year).And because I have dealt with it too, I’ve ended up coming up with a few solutions to this pesky problem.Improving your preschool students' handwriting can be a difficult task (even daunting for some of us), but it’s not impossible.Don’t believe me?Then listen to this episode where I share my top three steps to improve your preschoolers’ handwriting, try those tips, and let me know how it goes. I promise, they work!All right, are you ready to learn more?Let’s dive in. Key Takeaways:How to help your preschool students improve their handwriting (00:00)Understand the importance of fine motor skills (03:56)Set developmentally appropriate expectations (06:13)Use the right tools at the right time (10:30)Let’s discuss some conflicts (24:27) Additional Resources:- Got a burning question for Vanessa? Get your answer on the Elevating Early Childhood podcast here.- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.- Watch my episode about playdough tools here.- Discover more handwriting tips here.- Check out my favorite fine motor tools here.- Get our Farm Fine Motor Printables here.- Get your pre-writing cards here.- Grab your FREE Fine Motor Parent Handout here.- Get your FREE printable playdough recipe here. Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.--Onward & Upward!--Disclaimer:Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.