From the category archives:

Cognitive Development

Counting ladybug dots in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart September 5, 2010 Bugs

The children played a simple lady bug game today… The children matched the number of dots to the number of dots on the lady bug. Everyone had a turn giving it a try… They counted together as they worked together… The pom-poms made nice dots that felt good to the sense of touch… This was [...]

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Setting rules in the preschool classroom

by Deborah J. Stewart August 31, 2010 Cognitive Development

I was recently asked by a colleague to suggest ideas for rules that should be posted in the preschool classroom. I had to pause because I realized that I have never actually had a set of rules written out and posted on my classroom wall. Preschool age children are still developing their sense of right [...]

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Helping young children solve puzzles in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart August 28, 2010 Cognitive Development

I can’t remember who taught me this little technique for teaching preschoolers how to manage a puzzle but it is a technique I have used for many years with much success. When a very young child takes a puzzle and dumps all the pieces out, chances are he or she will have a little trouble [...]

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A brief look at developmental domains in early childhood education

by Deborah J. Stewart July 10, 2010 Cognitive Development

The early childhood years are filled with staggering growth and development. There are four main areas of development that occur all at the same time: Physical development: In the first years of growth young children are physically developing at a rapid pace. There is both large motor (crawling, walking, running) and fine motor development (eye-hand [...]

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Large group activities in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart July 7, 2010 Cognitive Development

Having all the children work together as a large group can prove to be a very positive experience. Together we communicate and create! Together we cooperate and collaborate!

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Centers in the preschool classroom

by Deborah J. Stewart April 30, 2010 Cognitive Development

When children enter this classroom, they will discover plenty of things to do and the freedom to explore because each center in this classroom was designed just for them.  At this table the children are creating paintings with the dot painters. At the block center, a couple of boys have decided to pull out the [...]

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T is for triangle colors and patterns

by Deborah J. Stewart April 27, 2010 Cognitive Development

The two year olds in this class are exploring triangles. Each child reaches into a bag and selects different colors of triangles they would like to glue to their paper. While the children work with the glue, the teacher converses with the child. “What color would you like to glue next?” “I see you are [...]

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Morning greeting and calendar and weather time in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart April 20, 2010 Classroom Management

I always start my day in preschool off with a morning greeting time which includes exploring the calendar, weather, seasons, and a brief review of basic concepts. Let me show you some of the ideas that can be included in a simple morning greeting time. Sing the Hello Song! I love to sing the Hello [...]

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Can your preschooler say “a, a, a”?

by Deborah J. Stewart March 24, 2010 Cognitive Development

The mailbox brought me a little package several months ago and inside was the Amazing Alphabet Action CD and Book written by Esther Kehl.  Along with the book was a little note from Vanessa Kerr who asked me take a listen and see what I thought. Vanessa indicated in her little note that her child [...]

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Using puppets in the preschool classroom

by Deborah J. Stewart February 8, 2010 Cognitive Development

Puppets are a wonderful tool to use in the preschool classroom for all ages.  It doesn’t really matter what kind of puppet you use – in fact you can just talk with your hand and kids find it funny and they pay attention. Have you ever watched a live puppet show? There is just something [...]

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Using straws to create AB patterns

by Deborah J. Stewart November 15, 2009 Cognitive Development

Straws are cheap, accessible, and come in all sizes and colors. This is what makes straws such a great resource for creating patterns in the preschool classroom. When first introducing patterns, start with a simple AB pattern. Notice that there are only two colors in this pattern. There is no difference in size – just [...]

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Recognizing what children are learning through their play

by Deborah J. Stewart October 23, 2009 Cognitive Development

Discovering what children learn through their play is not always as easy as one might think. Perhaps it is because teachers or parents get distracted by the mess or noise. Perhaps it is because one can get in the mindset that learning is supposed to be a ‘sit down and focus’ time. To discover what [...]

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Play is a Child’s Work

by Deborah J. Stewart May 30, 2009 Cognitive Development

In preschool, play is more than just kids having fun. Play is also a child’s work. Through play, young children develop many important skills. It is important as an early childhood educator to recognize the role play has in educating young children. Play is an opportunity for young children to develop socially and emotionally. Play [...]

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