Should we be teaching vocabulary in preschool? Indubitably! Here’s why – and how. Recently, my adult son got an e-reader. He was very excited about a feature it had – when you came across a word you didn’t know, you could just touch the word and – presto! The definition would appear. Wow, was my first […]
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“Pigs in Pajamas” by Maggie Smith One of my schools recently had a Pajama Day, and it was so much fun! The children all looked very cozy and it was a great day to read “Pigs in Pajamas!” Penelope Pig is having a sleepover and all her friends come – in their pajamas, of course! […]
I’m excited to announce that I’m presenting a webinar for early childhood professionals at edWeb.net through my publisher, Gryphon House! The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. It’s titled “If You’re Learning and You Know It: Music Activities to Promote Language, Math and More!” You’ll learn: – the amazing […]
A couple of years ago, I experienced one of my most exciting moments as a teacher. I was playing a game with a group of three-year-olds, when a little boy named Christopher raised his hand and said, “I have an idea!” What made this moment so special for me was that in the eight months […]
“The Five Days Old Song” by Laurie Berkner available on iTunes Okay, so Laurie Berkner is awesome and if you haven’t heard her songs yet, stop reading this immediately and take a listen – it’ll brighten your day and give you a gazillion ideas for fun things to do in your classroom. I’ve used several […]
“Stop That Pickle” by Peter Armour Looking for something a little different to read to your threes, fours, and fives? Something a little wild and crazy and totally hilarious? “Stop That Pickle” by Peter Armour is for you. A variation of the well-worn “Gingerbread Man” theme, this story shows how a very fast and determined […]
On Saturday I presented a workshop, “Music and Movement Activities from Around the World,” at the “Kenyon at Kean” Conference in Union, NJ. What a terrific experience! I presented to two groups, and both groups were filled with energetic, fun, creative child care professionals who came ready to move to music! Working with teachers of […]
“Little Snowflake” by Super Simple Learning available on iTunes This song, by Super Simple Learning, is a lovely, peaceful song. It’s lilting and a bit slow, and the words and tune are repetitive and predictable (of course, these are good things in the world of early childhood). It’s sung by a child, which I usually […]
“Jump!” by Patty Shukla available on iTunes FREE video available on http://freesongsforkids.com/users/patty-shukla We all know about kids and jumping – I’ve often said that we need to be careful when we turn on the “jump” button, because it’s so hard to turn it off! I sometimes wonder – if we never stopped them, how long […]
This article of mine originally appeared in Creativity Portal in November 2010. Children Need to Know We Value Their Ideas By Abby Connors It’s wonderful to stimulate and inspire creative thinking in the classroom, but we also need to show children how much we value their creative efforts. When a child, or anyone, feels that […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 