From the category archives:

Reading and Writing Readiness

Coloring inside the lines in preschool

by Deborah J. Stewart July 18, 2010 Physical Development

Do you want children to learn to color inside the lines? Then follow these very important steps…. Start by giving a child a piece of paper and some crayons…. Then invite the child to draw some lines…. And some shapes….. And then invite the child to color inside the shapes! How important are those lines [...]

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Make a ladybug book with your preschoolers

by Deborah J. Stewart April 2, 2010 Bugs

With spring coming there are so many wonderful bugs that can be explored. I love to bring in books about bugs and one of my favorites is Eric Carle’s “The Grouchy Ladybug” book. I also love to have my students create their own ladybug book.  Each child is given a red construction paper circle that [...]

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Bright and colorful home made puzzles and games

by Deborah J. Stewart March 31, 2010 Reading and Writing Readiness

Did you know that you have all the supplies you need to make bright and colorful games and puzzles for your preschoolers right in your own kitchen? Here are some ideas for you to try… Puzzles Don’t throw away the panels of your cereal boxes! Turn them into puzzles. Laminate them before cutting apart for [...]

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Name graphs for young children

by Deborah J. Stewart March 1, 2010 Language Arts

Help preschoolers learn to recognize their names with these graphing activities. The activity you choose to use will depend on the age and readiness of your students. When participating in any type of graphing activity, always make sure your students are involved in the process and once the graph is completed, ask the children questions [...]

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Name sensory for young children

by Deborah J. Stewart February 28, 2010 Name Recognition

Create a name sensory card for each of the children in your class and then try the activities described below! What the teacher will do… Print each child’s name on a sentence strip using upper and lower case letters. Trace each letter of the name with a thick line of glue. Set aside to dry. [...]

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Create a name game for your preschoolers

by Deborah J. Stewart February 27, 2010 Name Recognition

Some names are long and some are short. Play this little concentration game to help your preschoolers recognize their own name and the names of their classmates. To prepared the game… Print each child’s name (upper and lower case) on a two separate sentence strips. Cut one name apart leaving one letter of each child’s [...]

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Create a name puzzle for your preschooler

by Deborah J. Stewart February 26, 2010 Language Arts

Help your preschoolers recognize the letters in their name with this little puzzle activity. Write each child’s name on a sentence strip using upper and lower case letters. Write each child’s name on a sheet of construction paper and add a rectangle with the same number of columns under the child’s name. Create a second [...]

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Take time for a little name printing practice

by Deborah J. Stewart February 25, 2010 Language Arts

These are just a few activities I have used to teach or provide some practice in name writing skills… Laminate a name card for children to view and reference as they print their name throughout the day without having to constantly ask the teacher for help… Provide a variety of name printing activities throughout the [...]

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Books and technology in the preschool classroom

by Deborah J. Stewart January 27, 2010 Reading and Writing Readiness

I recently read a blog article posted by my new friend Matt at “Look at my Happy Rainbow” titled “Pop Up.” Matt shared with his readers how much his Kindergarten age children still enjoy books – even Pop Up books. I was even kind of surprised at this and then he showed a picture of [...]

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All children are writers: we just need to show them how!

by Deborah J. Stewart January 25, 2010 Language Arts

A guest post by Melissa Taylor of Imagination Soup! What’s the first word a child learns to write? His or her name! Start with the name – add a picture and you have the makings of a letter to a friend. We know that kids love getting mail. Writing letters gives kids a gratifying purpose [...]

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Providing preschoolers with structured and unstructured opportunities to write

by Deborah J. Stewart November 5, 2009 Language Arts

Both structured and unstructured writing opportunities can benefit preschoolers but it is important to understand the difference and to know what is age appropriate. Unstructured Writing Opportunties Providing a writing center or writing tools on a table that preschoolers are free to explore are examples of unstructured writing opportunities. As very young preschoolers are developing their [...]

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Give preschoolers opportunties to write and color

by Deborah J. Stewart November 4, 2009 Quick Tips for Preschool Teachers

Here are some ideas to consider when giving your preschool students opportunities to color or write. Offer Choices Provide your preschoolers with a variety of writing tools to choose from. Add crayons, markers, pencils, pens, colored pencils, and chalk of different sizes and shapes. Provide access to different types of paper as well such as [...]

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