• Tweet

• Tweet

A reader had a dilemma because there was a boy in her care who plays with dolls and prefers to play with the girls. She wondered if she should make him play with the boys and cars or just let him be. We asked our OwnADaycare fans on Facebook what they would do, or if they considered this to be an issue at all.  Answers varied. Leave us a comment and let us know how you feel.

Let the child play with whatever toys he would like. At this age it’s all about exploration, imagination, and having fun and he probably gravitates towards the “girl’s toys” more because he doesn’t have a chance to at home.

• I say let him be. I never choose the daycare toys for the kids. Part of my plan is to teach them the independence they need to make their own choices. I simply offer them lots of choices.
• I would just let him be. He might not have any toys like that at home so it is something different for him to play with. Allot of little boys that have no girl toys at home tend to play with that sort of thing at daycare! Nothing wrong with a little boy wanting to play with “girls” toys!
• Sounds like he’s going to make a great dad. So what if he plays with dolls, are men not allowed to play with babies?
• We have no girl or boy toys, there are just toys here. No worries, let him play. We never seem to worry when girl’s play with cars do we? Why are we so worried about our boys?
• If the parents have a problem with it maybe they need to reevaluate themselves or find other childcare. You can’t start distinguishing “boy” and “girl” things. They need to decide on their own what THEY like to play with,
• Maybe it would be a good idea to encourage him to explore other areas, not to get him to choose more “boy appropriate” activities but for variety. I personally don’t think toys in a daycare setting should be identified as gender specific but it is good for every child to have a variety of interests. Obviously if he has no interest I wouldn’t push it but I would definitely encourage him to explore ALL areas just for variety.
• If the parents don’t have a problem with it I don’t see why it would be an issue.
• All my boys here play with dolls occasionally. And the girls play with the cars and trains. If you exclude the dolls you will have one unhappy boy to deal with.
• I have mostly boys and they dress up in the princess clothes, push strollers and wear heels and my girls play with blocks and trucks.
• Let him be, he is only 5 years old. Don’t make it a big deal. Kids will gravitate towards what they feel comfortable with. My 5 almost 6 year old son when he was 13 months old loved to try on girl shoes because he had a female friend he played with who was 6 months older. Now he is into boy shoes and knows the difference to some degree. They go through phases. He will outgrow it. It’s a cute stage though.
• Let HIM BE!!!! He could be a future teacher, caregiver, Mr. Mom, fashion designer, etc.
• I have issues with toys being labeled at boy toys or girl toys. I encourage all of my kids to play with a variety of toys. If a boy or girl was only playing with dolls and not incorporating other toys into the play, then I’d encourage more play with other things, like blocks and puzzles and math materials and art. But I’m guessing he does play with some other things from time to time. I think every boy that I’ve ever had has played with dolls and worn beautiful gowns. I even have a picture of my son having a fit because another boy was wearing his favorite dress. They also like fingernail polish and bows in their hair.
• I’d say close the dolls for day. If that child then becomes hysterical open it back up, but bring in another toy for him to play with. Or maybe bring in some paper and pencils so he can draw the dolls. You never want to stop a kid from playing with what he chooses to play with because  you feel it’s not appropriate, but u also don’t want him to stick to one activity in your daycare. Kids need variety in their little lives just like we do.
• Personally, if it were my kid I would not make a deal about it, but I would encourage equal play with the other toys. I get what some have said about how toys should not be gender specific, but I also know that reality says that they typically are, not always, but usually they are. My personal beliefs aside, children are very innocent and he may move on to something different on his own. I myself played with my brothers cars and he played Barbies with me, and neither one of us became homosexual. But I can understand the fear of the provider or parent in a world where sexual orientation and just sex in general is pointed out all over our culture. I know my conservative views are not always popular with the culture, but since the question was posed, this was my answer.

Related posts:

• Should You Potty Train Girls and Boys Together? Tweet Tweet One concern among child care providers is potty...
• Daycare and Preschool Math Activities with Cars Tweet Tweet Children in daycare are naturally fascinated by toys...
• Outdoor Equipment for Family Daycare Centers Tweet Tweet Deciding upon play equipment for daycare can be...

• Tweet

• Tweet

Image Courtesy of Silly Eagle Books

Enjoy this simple preschool lesson plan about the color pink. The activities below will introduce children to the color pink through fun facts, activities, books, songs, and a game. This lesson plan works well in conjunction with a daycare center unit theme about colors.

Pink Science Activity
In this simple science activity, children will pose the question “What happens when you mix the color white with the color red?”
Materials: Red paint, white paint, paper plate
Instructions: Put a paper plate in front of each child and add white paint to the paper plates. Next, add a little bit of red paint to each paper plate.  Encourage the children to use their index finger to mix in the red paint. Observe. Ask the children about the new color they see.

Pink Craft
Each student should bring in one pink item from home. As well, have some pink items on hand such as fabric scraps, yarn, buttons, tissue paper, cotton balls, confetti, glitter, wallpaper, wrapping paper. Have each child present their pink item and then glue the items to create a collage. The children can add pink embellishments of their choosing.

Pink Music and Movement
Sing the song “Pink”* by to the tune of “Jingle Bells”
“Cotton candy, fat pink pigs
girls with socks and bows
P-I-N-K P-I-N-K
That is how it goes
Bubble gum, valentines
these are all pink too
Pink icing and pink balloons
We can spell can you? YES!”

Pink Picnic or Pink Snack
Encourage each child to bring in a pink snack and have a pink snack party or picnic. Some food choices include: Pink grapefruit, strawberry soup, cupcakes or cookies with pink frosting, vanilla pudding mixed with a little bit of red food coloring, pink fruit leather, pink jello, pink grapefruit juice, and pink lemonade.

Preschool Books about the Color Pink
Here are some great books about the color pink to share with children:
Pink: Seeing Pink All Around Us (A+ Books: Colors) by Michael Dahl (Jan 2006)
Pink As a Piglet (Community of Color) by Molly Dingles (Jul 2004)
Pink (Colors Set 2) by Patricia M. Stockland and Julia Woolf (Jan 1, 2011)
Pink Takes a Bow (Know Your Colors) by Christianne C. Jones and Todd Ouren (Aug 2007)
Pink Foods (Colors We Eat) by Isabel Thomas (Sep 15, 2005)
Double Pink by Kate Feiffer and Bruce Ingman (Oct 25, 2005)
Pink! by Lynne Rickards (Jan 1, 2009)
Polly’s Pink Pajamas by Vivian French and Sue Heap (Apr 13, 2010)
Pinkalicious by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann (May 23, 2006)
Pink and Blue (Get Ready-Get Set-Read!) by Gina Erickson M.A., Kelli C. Foster Ph.D. and Gifford Russell (Aug 10, 1994)

*”Pink” taken from PreschoolEducation.com

Related posts:

• The Color Orange Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Enjoy this simple preschool lesson plan about the...
• Frogs Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Present this simple� preschool lesson plan that is...
• Fine Motor Preschool Activity: Paint with a Cotton Swab Tweet Tweet When developing curriculum, daycare providers must include age-appropriate...

• Tweet

• Tweet

Implementing activities in daycare centers that support clear learning objectives, preschool teachers can create brilliant lesson plans that help young children learn the letter N.

Learning Objectives

• The students will identify the letter N.
• The students make and recognize the N sound.
• The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case Ns.
• The students will identify objects that begin with the letter N.
• The students will learn the Letter N Song.
• The students will make nectarine pops.
• The students will listen to books that feature items what start with the letter N.

Handwriting and Alphabet Recognition

Introduce the children to the letter N along with simple objects that begin with the letter N. Create a colorful letter N poster board that presents both the upper and lower case N. Include pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter N. For example: Nose, nail, napkin, nickel, nectarine, neck, nest, necktie, nut, nook, note, newspaper, night, and nightgown.

Write both the upper and lowercase N on a whiteboard or chalkboard. Demonstrate the N sound and ask the children to make (repeat) the N sound. Next, ask the children to think of words (names, objects, or places) that begin with the letter N.

Allow the children to practice tracing the letter N in both upper and lower case using a letter N worksheet. A good example of such a worksheet is available on the First-School website. Children can also practice writing and tracing the letter N on blank sheets of paper using pencils, colored pencils, or crayon.

Letter N Circle Time

Teach the children the “Letter N Song”*

(Sung to the tune of “John, Jacob, Jingleheimer Schmidt”)

“Nanny N has a new necklace
That nine neighbors gave to her
For words that start with N
The people say amen!
Words like Nanny N loves her new necklace
N N N N N N N “

Letter N Cooking and Snack Activity

Help the children make Nectarine Pops
Ingredients: 1 pint (2 cups) strawberries, hulled, 4 nectarines (halved, pitted, and cut into chunks, and 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions: In a blender, puree strawberries, nectarines, and sugar until smooth. Use a rubber spatula, press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass measuring cup. Throw the solids away.  Pour the mixture into eight 3-ounce pop molds. Insert wooden Popsicle sticks, then freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Letter N Story Time
Natasha and the Letter N (Alphabet Friends) by Cynthia Fitterer Klingel and Robert B. Noyed (Aug 2003)
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend and John Manders (Feb 13, 2007)
The Best Nest (Beginner Books(R)) by P. D. Eastman (Jul 12, 1968)
My Nose, Your Nose by Melanie Walsh (Sep 30, 2002)
Nail Soup by Eric Maddern and Paul Hess (May 26, 2009)
The Invisible Letter N by Daniel Errico (Jun 15, 2011)  

Alphabet recognition activities will greatly enhance preschoolers’ language learning. The key is to have fun with your daycare job with lesson planning and make each moment of learning fun and creative.

*”Letter N Song” taken from DLTK-Teach.

Related posts:

• Letter B Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Implementing activities in� daycare centers that support clear...
• Letter T Lesson Plan for Preschoolers Tweet Tweet Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children...
• Letter H Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Implementing activities in daycare centers that support clear...

• Tweet

• Tweet

Motor skills are actions that control how muscles move the body. Gross motor skills are those that control the large muscles of the body which are used to walk, run, crawl, sit, jump, and other large muscle activities. Preschool teachers and daycare providers can enhance gross motor skill development through effective lesson plans that include gross motor activities.

Activities for preschool children should include those that develop physical gross motor skills. The Valentine’s Day activity will promote major muscle coordination and it’s just plain fun for preschool aged kids. According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, gross motor skills are the abilities required in order to control the large muscles of the body. Some important physical gross motor concepts and skills that preschool age children learn to master are balance, spatial orientation (which means that the child is aware of the position of his or her body in space as well as in relation to other people and objects), laterality (which means that the child is aware of the left and right sides of the body), and the coordination of major muscles.

Daycare centers can encourage gross motor skill development through effective lesson plans and play. A fine example of an activity that promotes the development of gross motor skills is A Valentine’s Day Relay Race.

This lesson plan includes not only the preparation instructions, procedure, and materials list for this activity, but also the age appropriate learning objectives and a sample of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning.

Valentine’s Day Relay Race Materials List

• Large activity area
• Plastic spoons
• Candy Valentine hearts
• Parent or other volunteers

Relay Race Preparation

1. Ask the parent or other volunteer to help keep the kids on the relay route, and keep spoons available for moving the candy hearts.
2. Put the children into two or three teams. Place half of the team members at one end of the room, and half at the other end.
3. Appoint a team captain for each team and then give each captain a large spoon and put a few candy hearts on the spoon.

Activity Procedures

Explain to the children that when you say “go,” the child should move as fast as possible to his waiting team member, and pour the hearts into the other team member’s spoon and goes to the end of the line. The other child runs back and transfers the hearts and repeat. The first team to successful transfer all the hearts wins.

Gross Motor Learning Objectives

Objective 1: To enhance basic locomotor skills such as walking and running.
Verbal Cue A:  Can you walk quickly and pass the hearts to Lisa?
Verbal Cue B: Run back toward your other teammates.

Objective 2: To help children gain confidence in physical movement and coordination through balancing.
Verbal Cue A:  Can you balance the hearts on the spoon?
Verbal Cue B: I like the way you are keeping the spoon level and flat.

Objective 3: To develop spatial relationships (body and space perception) using the prepositions forward, backward, and straight ahead in verbal cues.
Verbal Cue A:  Can you walk forward and give Jimmy spoon?
Verbal Cue B: Can you walk backward without spilling the hearts?

This a simple and fun skill building activity that can be used for a Valentine’s Day or friendship preschool theme.

Related posts:

• Daycare or Preschool Physical Activity: What Time Is It, Mister Fox? Tweet Tweet Motor skills are actions that control how muscles...
• Coffee Can Ice Cream Preschool Activity Tweet Tweet Motor skills are actions that control how muscles...
• Easter Bunny Hop: Physical Motor Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Motor skills are actions that control how muscles...

• Tweet

• Tweet

If you’re starting to teach your daycare kids colors, this is a super easy lesson plan for you.   Try this cognitive activity in your child daycare center which teaches colors as well as classification skills.

Cognitive Development in Preschoolers
Cognitive development focuses on developing functions of the brain such as thinking, learning, awareness, judgment, and processing information. According to developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, children go through several stages of cognitive development and learning activities for toddlers and children should correspond to the appropriate developmental.

This color sorting activity is a cognitive activity for preschoolers that helps them learn and practice the skills of classification, counting and sharing. This lesson plan includes preparation instructions, procedures, and materials list for this activity. The lesson plan also includes age-appropriate learning objectives and examples of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning in child care centers.

Activity Materials
For each child you will need:
3 different colors of construction paper in different shades and textures
Glue

Activity Preparation
Cover the activity table in butcher paper.
Lay out construction paper and glue sticks for each child

Activity Procedure

1. Invite the children over to the activity table. Explain to them that they will be sorting colors and making collages.
2.  Encourage the children to rip the construction paper.  Mix them up into a pile
3.  Set out construction paper of the same colors in front of each child.
4. Write on each paper the color name.
5. Encourage the children to matching the ripped paper to correct sheet of construction paper (i.e. Blue scraps with blue construction paper).
6. Show each child how to use the glue stick to glue on the scraps and make a collage of each color.

Learning Objectives
Objective 1: To develop an understanding of classification by encourage children to sort scraps of paper by color
Verbal Cue A: Can you sort the pieces of paper into piles by color?
Verbal Cue B: Let’s put all of the red pieces of paper here and all of the green pieces of paper here.

Objective 2: To introduce the number concept of 1-10
Verbal Cue A: Let’s count the number of colors we have here.
Verbal Cue B: How many collages did we make?

Objective 3: To promote the sharing of art materials to foster social interaction and cooperation
Verbal Cue A: “Let’s take turns using the glue.”
Verbal Cue B: “Can you let Jamie use the glue stick?”

With this color sorting activity, children will learn important cognitive skills such as sorting and classification, spend time becoming familiar with the colors and textures, and have great fun.

Related posts:

• Halloween Black Cat Sorting Activity for Preschoolers Tweet Tweet Halloween is approaching! As many child daycare centers...
• Shamrock Sorting St. Patrick’s Day Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Shamrock sorting is a fun family daycare activity...
• Spring Creative Arts Activity: Eggshell Tulip Craft Tweet Tweet Children’s creativity blossoms through rich experience in the...

• Tweet

• Tweet

One concern among child care providers is potty training both a boy and girl in your daycare at the same time. We asked the OwnADaycare on Facebook members, how they feel about boys and girls in the bathroom at the same time. Our members who are also daycare owners responded to provide their opinions. Here are their thoughts. Is this an issue or a nonissue? Leave us a comment and let us know!

• How old are they? If they are 3 or under, I wouldn’t make a big deal of it unless they are starting to be curious. Anything older than three, then yes they should be apart for privacy and curiosity reasons
• I don’t worry about it till they do or about 4. Or unless the parents have an issue. There is only one me, and I am outnumbered. Once they have an issue, I am very careful to respect that.
• I don’t think it’s an issue at all. We change all of our kiddos into bathing suits in the same room. It’s not a big deal to the kids until an adult makes it a big deal.
• Under the age of 4 (unless curious) that it shouldn’t be a big deal unless the parents express a concern! When children see other children using the potty they are more willing and easier to train!
• Only my 5 year old girl potties in private, the rest all take turns and are in there at the same time. I don’t worry about the girl/boy issues. I think my 2.5 year old learned to potty by watching the others, at the time, were only girls in my dc that were potty trained.
• When my daughter was in daycare, they potty trained 4 or 5 kids at the same time. They lined up and went in one at a time but they were all right there. I didn’t even think about it. They were kids and they loved that they all did it together. I don’t think it’s a big deal until they get a bit older.
• We have an open door bathroom rule here once they are 5 they can shut the door for privacy, but until then they all go together and I want the door open to supervise so there isn’t any potty parties going on in there and I don’t want any of them locking the door either, works best to just have the door open and they all go whenever they want to, gender doesn’t matter when they are that young.
• Sometimes it’s a “monkey see monkey do” thing, I got two kids potty trained in a week because of them learning together. Some will say yay others will say nay. Do it YOUR way.
• I potty trained two girls and a boy all at the same time. It was great, they liked the star system, when they went they got a star on a chart, the one who the most stars had got a prize at the end of the week. There is nothing like competition, and one of the girls was 18months and she did great.
• I used to take all the potty training children on line at the same time and they would wait their turn to sit on the potty. Most of the time the children waiting would peak in to see what was happening in the potty and that’s fine. I actually had a little girl wanted to stand while using the potty because the boys did. At such a young age I think it’s fine. If you feel there are concerns, then teach the children how to wait on line. Put footprints by the bathroom door so they learn to stand there.
• Check your state requirements just to make sure.

Related posts:

• Potty Training Tips for Daycare Providers and Parents Tweet Tweet How do you know when a child is...
• Guest Blogger: Louise Roberts on Potty Training Tweet Tweet I always encourage trying however realizing that unless...
• Potty Training Tips for Daycare Providers Part 1 Tweet Tweet In the daycare setting, daycare providers are sometimes...

• Tweet

• Tweet

Implementing activities that support clear learning objectives, preschool teachers and daycare providers can create fun lesson plans that help young children learn the letter U.

Learning Objectives

The students will identify the letter U.
The students make and recognize the short U sound.
The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case Us.
The students will identify objects that begin with the letter U.
The students will learn the “Umbrellas Go Up and Down” finger play.
The students will listen to books that feature the short U sound.

Letter U Handwriting and Phonetics
In order to introduce the letter U, create a poster board which shows both the upper and lower case letter U. Glue a variety of pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter U. Discuss the poster board with the children, pointing out the items that begin with the letter U. Demonstrate the short U sound and ask the children to make (repeat) the short U sound. Ask the children to think of objects, names, and places that begin with the letter U.

On a white board or chalk board, draw both an upper and lower case U. Children can practice tracing the letter U in both upper and lower case using letter U worksheets. A letter U worksheet appropriate for preschoolers can be found on the KidZone website. In addition, teachers can direct children to practice making upper and lowercase Us using pencils or crayons on blank sheets of paper.

Cognitive Learning: Letter U Object Sorting

Object sorting is great cognitive learning activity which will help children identify objects that begin with the letter U. For this cognitive learning activity, place objects or pictures of objects which begin with the short U sound in a box, bag or other container. Along with these items, place objects beginning with U or containing the short U sound with other letters of the alphabet. As each object is revealed, children will sort those objects that begin with the letter U or have the short U sound from those that do not. Examples of objects that begin with or contain the short u sound: umbrella, umpire, bug, drum, unhappy, run, duck, under, underline, sun, and  bun.

Letter U  Finger Play

Teach the children the fingerplay “Umbrellas Go Up and Down”*.
Umbrellas Go Up and Down
Umbrellas go up,
Umbrellas go down, (Point up and down.)
When rain clouds are dark
All over the town.
One raindrop and two, (hold up one finger at a time)
Two raindrops and three,
My up and down umbrella
Is up over me.  (fingertips touching over head.)
Four raindrops and five, (hold up one finger at a time)
Six raindrops and seven,
Raindrops are tumbling (raise arms and let fingers fall slowly)
Down from the heaven.
Drip, drip, drip, drip!
I am dry as can be,
My up and down umbrella
Is up over me (fingertips touching over head.)

*Taken from Preschooleducation.com

Preschool Books about the Letter U

Umberto’s Summer Day: The Sound of Short U (Phonics Friends) by Cecilia Minden and Joanne Meier (Aug 2005)
Just Bugs: Learning the Short U Sound (Powerphonics) by Jeff Jones (Jan 2001)
Buddy’s Summer Day: The Sound of Short U (Sounds of Phonics) by Cecilia Minden, Joanne Meier and Bob Ostrom (Aug 2010)
My Short U Words (Targeted Phonics: My First Consonants and Vowels) by Sharon Coan (Jun 1, 2011)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (Jun 30, 1987)
The Umbrella by Jan Brett (Sep 9, 2004)
Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs, and Other Ughs (Sharing Nature With Children Book) by Anthony D. Fredericks and Jennifer Dirubbio (Sep 1, 2001)

Alphabet recognition activities will greatly enhance preschoolers’ language learning. The key is to have fun with your daycare job with lesson planning and make each moment of learning fun and creative.

Related posts:

• Letter I and the Short Letter I Sound Lesson Plan for Preschoolers Tweet Tweet Implementing activities that support clear learning objectives, preschool...
• Letter H Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Implementing activities in daycare centers that support clear...
• Letter A and the Long A Sound Lesson Plan for Preschoolers Tweet Tweet Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children...

• Tweet

• Tweet

Teach Children the Letter E

Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children learn to recognize and write the letter E through fun activities that support clear learning objectives. Implementing activities that support clear learning objectives, preschool teachers can create brilliant lesson plans that help young children learn the letter E and the long E sound.

Learning Objectives
The students will identify the letter E.
The students make and recognize the long E sound.
The students will correctly trace and write upper and lower case Es.
The students will identify objects that begin with or include the long E sound.
The students will play a flashlight alphabet game.
The students will listen to books about things that start with or include the long E sound.
The students will learn the “Bees, Bees, Bees” song.

Handwriting and Phonetics Activities
Create a letter E poster board which shows both the upper and lower case E. Glue pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter E. Alternatively, you can draw or paint objects that begin with E. Introduce the children to the letter E along with simple objects that begin with the letter E.

Demonstrate the E sound and ask the children to make (repeat) the E sound. Ask students what items they can think of (objects, names, etc.) that begin with the letter E. Let children practice tracing the letter E in both upper and lower case using letter E worksheets. A good example of such a worksheet that focuses on the long E sound is available on the KidsLearningStation.com website. Additionally, children can practice tracing upper and lower case Es on blank sheets of paper using pencils or crayons.

Cognitive Learning: Object Sorting
For this cognitive learning activity, place toy or real objects which begin with a long E sound or contain the long E sound in a box or other container. Examples include:  eel, tree, Easter, bee, eleven, key, and sheep. Along with these items, place objects beginning with various other letters. As you pull each object out, students will sort (recognize) those that begin or contain the long E sound from those that do not.

Story Time: Letter E Books
Eve’s Green Garden: The Sound of Long E (Sounds of Phonics) by Cecilia Minden and Bob Ostrom (Aug 2010)

Meet Me on the Farm: Learning the Long E Sound (Phonics for the Real World) by Shelby Braidich (Jan 2009)

Bob Books Set 5- Long Vowels by Bobby Lynn Maslen and John R. Maslen (May 1, 2006)

The Hiding Eel (Stone Arch Readers) by Cari Meister and Steve Harpster (Aug 1, 2011)

Think of an Eel: Read and Wonder by Karen Wallace and Mike Bostock (Apr 1, 2001)

Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids by Gail Gibbons (Apr 1, 2002)

Let’s Have a Tree Party! by David Martin and John Manders (Mar 13, 2012)

Life on a Sheep Farm (Life on a Farm) by Judy Wolfman and David Lorenz Winston (Oct 2003)

Flashlight Letters Game
Get a flashlight and turn off the lights in the room or close the blinds so the room is dark.  Using the flashlight, make giant letter Es on a wall.  Encourage each child to practice making upper and lower case E’s with the flashlight.

Preschool Long E Song
Bees, Bees, Bees*

Bees, Bees, Bees, Bees
Buzzing in bushes and buzzing in trees
Buzzing around, wherever they please
There’s nothing so sweet
As sweet as a honey bee.

Bees, Bees, Bees, Bees
Buzzing in bushes and buzzing in trees
Buzzing around, wherever they please
There’s nothing so sweet
As sweet as a honey bee.

*Taken from PreschoolEducation.com
Alphabet recognition activities will greatly enhance preschoolers’ language learning. The key is to have fun with your daycare job through lesson planning and make each moment of learning fun and creative.

Related posts:

• Letter A and the Long A Sound Lesson Plan for Preschoolers Tweet Tweet Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children...
• Letter H Preschool Lesson Plan Tweet Tweet Implementing activities in daycare centers that support clear...
• Letter I and the Short Letter I Sound Lesson Plan for Preschoolers Tweet Tweet Implementing activities that support clear learning objectives, preschool...

• Tweet

• Tweet

If there are children in your daycare that love fantasy and fairy tales, here is a great resource for you. Here is a reading list of fairy tale compilation books. These are books that contain a selection of classic and contemporary fairy tales gathered in one book.  Compilation books save money because you don’t have to buy each story for your child care center separately. You will also find listed links to free fairy tale themed worksheets, coloring pages, and handwriting practice sheets.

Reading List

Fairy Tale Picture Books Age 3-8

The Golden Book of Fairy Tales (Golden Classics) by Adrienne Segur and Marie Ponsot (Oct 1, 1999)
The Random House Book of Fairy Tales by Amy Ehrlich and Diane Goode (Aug 12, 1985)
Illustrated Fairy Tales (Usborne Illustrated Stories) by Sarah Courtauld, Rosie Dickins and Nancy Leschnikoff (Jun 2007)
A Treasury of Children’s Literature by Armand Eisen (Oct 26, 1992)
A First Book of Fairy Tales by Mary Hoffman, Anne Millard and Julie Downing (Sep 1, 2001)
The Classic Treasury of Princess Fairy Tales by Margaret Clark (Oct 2, 2007)
The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies (A Golden Classic) by Jane Werner and Garth Williams (Sep 9, 2008)
Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta (Oct 15, 2007)
Fairy Tales and Fables by Eve Morel (Feb 5, 2008)
Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins (Aug 11, 2009)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (Oct 1, 1992)
The 20th-Century Children’s Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud by Janet Schulman (Sep 14, 1998)
Fairy Tales by E. E. Cummings and Meilo So (Nov 17, 2004)
Disney Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales by Disney Book Group (Aug 5, 2008)
The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker (Oct 14, 2002)
Little Red Riding Hood (Flip-Up Fairy Tales) by Jessica Stockham (Jun 1, 2007)
Three Billy Goats Gruff (Flip-Up Fairy Tales) by Alison Edgson (Jun 1, 2007)
Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide and Lane Smith (Sep 22, 2009)
My First Fairy Tales by Tomie dePaola (Sep 3, 2009)
Harold’s Fairy Tale (Further Adventures of with the Purple Crayon) by Crockett Johnson (Jan 20, 1994)
Fairly Fairy Tales by Esmé Raji Codell and Elisa Chavarri (Jan 4, 2011)
Fairy Tales (Combined Volume) (Usborne Book of…) by Heather Amery (Jan 2005)

Fairy Tale Books for Children 9-12

There are many fairy tale worksheets you can print out and use for your lesson plans and activities. Worksheets should include coloring pages, handwriting worksheets, and printable craft patterns. The following websites provide free printables with fairy tale theme:

ABCTeach: Fairy Tale themed printables and coloring pages
First-School: Fairy Tale coloring Pages
Enchanted Learning: Printable fairy tale mini books to print and color
Education.com: Free Fairy tale worksheets, printables and coloring pages.

Related posts:

• Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Preschool Reading and Resource List: Free Dr. Seuss Worksheets Tweet Tweet March 2 is Dr. Seuss’s birthday, a great...
• New Year’s Preschool Resource List Free New Year’s Worksheets and Coloring Pages Tweet Tweet The New Year is a great time for...
• Earth Day Preschool Reading and Resource List: Free Earth Day Worksheets Tweet Tweet Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, was created...

• Tweet

• Tweet

Preparing for kindergarten is an important topic for many parents, early childhood educators, and daycare providers.  In part 2 of our interview, we asked Kirstin Parsons from Get Set for School (a new curriculum focused on helping preschool children prepare for kindergarten), to describe the value of kindergarten readiness programs.

OwnADaycare: Are kindergarten readiness programs necessary or advisable?

Kirstin Parsons: Children are naturally curious, active, and eager to try new things, and they have their own learning styles and pace. To tap their unique learning abilities and the diverse learning style of each child, preschoolers should be engaged with a readiness curriculum that encourages “playful learning” and involves music, touch and movement.  By incorporating components such as music, drawing, playing, and building, learning is more natural and automatic.   Activities such as writing on blackboards, building letters with wood pieces, and mixing music with movement are integral components of multisensory learning.  Whether you choose to do this at home or enroll your child in a preschool program is up to you, as programs such as Get Set for School offer components for parents to use at home and teachers to use at school.

A strong kindergarten readiness approach should develop the following skills:

• Letter, shape, and color recognition
• Use of small writing tools while developing grip broken crayons, little chalk bits, golf-size pencils
• Body awareness
• Socialization
• Participation/cooperation
• Language development

Following are some examples of way to achieve education through playful learning:

• Singing – for imitation, rhythm and body awareness
• Playing – for social skills, like taking turns and following instructions
• Coloring – for proper crayon/pencil grip and symbol comprehension
• Building – for sequencing, including counting and letter/number formation

OwnADaycare: In your opinion, can a child who has never attended preschool or a daycare center be as successful in kindergarten as a child who has attended preschool?

Kirstin Parsons: School success depends on a child learning the fundamentals of learning, including social skills, handwriting readiness, and language proficiency, among others.

OwnADaycare: Do you have any additional comments or tips?

Kirstin Parsons: Here are some activities from the Get Set for School curriculum that parents can do to help encourage good school skills for preschoolers.

1. Read – Show your children the importance of communicating through words.
2. Draw – Children who draw often, write better. For young drawers, give them broken pieces of chalk or crayons to use. They will have no choice but to hold these small pieces correctly!
3. Cook -  Make cookie letters to familiarize children with letters and to teach the importance of following directions.
4. Sing – When you sing the alphabet song, show your children the letters as you sing. Sing songs that use their fingers, like the “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, and “The Crayon Song” on the Get Set for School Sing-Along CD.
5. Move – Teach spatial words, like “under, over, top, middle, and bottom” by using visual representations.  Put one hand under another; go to the top of the slide at the playground, etc.
6. Go “Top Left” – Get children in the habit of going from top to bottom and left to right. This will help with reading and writing
7. Give them little bites – Encourage children, even ones as young as 9 months, to pick up small objects, like tiny pieces of food, with their fingers.  It will help to develop writing muscles and good coordination
8. Live and Learn – Explain the concept of waiting in line when you are at the supermarket, re-iterate body parts as a child dresses or undresses; use bath time to count toys in the tub, draw letters on the wall of the tub in shaving cream and learn how to pour water from a pitcher.

Related posts:

• Kindergarten Readiness Tips for Parents and Daycare Providers Tweet Tweet Preparing for kindergarten is an important topic for...
• Are Kindergarten Standards too High? By Guest Blogger Amy Pybus Tweet Tweet I know a lot of people whose kids...
• Rhyming Games for Daycare and Preschool Tweet Tweet Children can learn to rhyme before entering kindergarten....