PBL For Pre-K Through Second Grade

Very young students can benefit from project-based learning, as these detailed steps for a project conducted by preschool students demonstrate.

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Is It Tattling or Telling?

This article explains how to teach your kids when to report a broken rule.

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Feelings: Complete Series

This complete series of 5 episodes in a single video offers fun videos to help young children with their big feelings.

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Emotions List

 

“When asked about their feelings, most people will usually say they feel: bad, sad, mad, good, or fine. But underneath ‘good, bad, sad, mad, or fine’ are many words that better describe how we feel. Taking the time to slow down and identify what we are really experiencing can help us feel better and can improve our communication and relationships with others.” While this resource is geared towards teens and adults, it could be modified to use with older school-age children.

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Pathological Demand Avoidance in Kids

 

In this resource, the Child Mind Institute shares information about Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), what it looks like in children and tips of approach different PDA behaviors.

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8 Ways to Improve Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education

This article offers 8 tips for engaging families in early childhood education.

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A Day in The Life of a Child with Executive Function Challenges

 

Executive functions are an important set of mental skills. To see how trouble with these skills affects kids in school and outside of it too, take a look at a typical day in this sixth grader’s life.

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How To Invest in Your Child’s “Emotional Bank Account”

 Many children with ADHD, battered by daily criticisms and admonitions, have low self-esteem as early as second grade. As that child’s parent or teacher, make a powerful difference with these reframing strategies.

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Tip Sheet on Trauma: How Children Respond

This tip sheet from the Center for Inclusive Child Care defines trauma, and explains some of the common developmental responses to trauma in children from birth to age 6. 

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8 Brain Breaks to Spark Joy and Help Young Students Concentrate

Theater games make fun brain breaks that also foster valuable executive function skills.

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Active Games for April Fool’s Day—or Any Day You Want Some Extra Silly Fun

 

In this article, Active for Life shares a “list of ideas to get your silly on on April Fool’s Day or any day you want to enjoy the element of surprise, delight, and laughter!”

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6 Ways to Develop Movement Skills at the Park

Next time you take a trip to the park, try some of the great skill building activities with the children in this resource that include balance games, throwing stones and more!

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Why Gardening is a Great Activity for Kids

 

Check out this article to learn more about the skills children develop while gardening, along with the many other reasons gardening is a great activity for children’s physical and mental health.

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Backyard Safari Activity Download

 

Project Learning Tree shares a free pdf for their Backyard Safari activity for grades K-5, complete with a material list, objectives, forest facts, activity description, student charting pages, assessments, variations for 3^rd-5^th graders, and enrichment ideas.

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Building Your Coping Toolbox

Check out these ideas to help create a coping toolbox with “skills, techniques, items, and other suggestions” that you can use when feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed. While these ideas are geared towards teens and adults, this could be modified to also use with older school-age children.

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A Guide to the Individualized Education Program

This guide explains the Individualized Education Program process, which is one of the most critical elements to ensure effective teaching, learning, and better results for all children with disabilities.

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Inclusive Early Education

High-quality inclusion in early education supports children’s development, relationships with peers, and a sense of belonging.

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Improv Is a Great Way to Keep Physically Literate Kids Moving

 

While we may typically think of sports when considering the possibilities a physically literate person can explore, there is a wide range of other options that also become available when we know how to move. And one of those out-of-the-box options is improv.

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Dealing with Tough Situations Worksheet

 

This journal style worksheet is a great tool to help process tough situations and make decisions about what steps to take to move forward. While this worksheet is geared towards teens and adults, it could be modified to use with older school-age children.

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Dealing with Change Worksheet

 

“Change, both good and bad, is an inevitable part of life. By taking time to think through the change you’re facing, you can work to make both the change and the emotions around the change more manageable.” This journal style worksheet is a great tool “to process an existing or upcoming change” and help process the situation.  While this worksheet is geared towards teens and adults, it could be modified to use with older school-age children.

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Managing Frustration and Anger Worksheet

This journal style worksheet is a great tool to help “identify the emotions and thoughts behind” the frustration and anger in a given situation, along with determining what steps to take to feel better. While this worksheet is geared towards teens and adults, it could be modified to use with older school-age children.

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8 Tips for Making the Most of Dramatic Play

 

This resource shares some universal strategies for making the most of dramatic play in your early childhood program.

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Why Do Kids Have Trouble with Transitions?

 

Being asked to switch gears is a common trigger for problem behavior like whining and tantrums.  This article offers some insight into the issue.

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Anatomy Of An IEP

 

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a blueprint for a child’s special education experience at school. The plan describes what services and supports the child gets.  Here are some of the important parts of an IEP.

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Social Anxiety: Accommodations For 5 Early Childhood Classroom Routines

 

Here are some suggested accommodations for 5 routines and activities that may cause heightened stress for young children.

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Active For Life: Early Years Educators Toolkit

The early years are the right time to begin developing physical literacy. Early years educators can follow the links to find resources for developing physical literacy.

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How to Build a Robust Anti-Bias Children’s Book Collection

This resource shares the 6 building blocks to an anti-biased book collection, along with tips on how to choose age-appropriate books and introspective questions to audit your current children’s book collection.

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Employee Assistance Program

 

These free resources are offered to you and include behavioral health and well-being support. This service connects you to the most appropriate care based on your needs and preferences.

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What Accommodations Can My Child’s IEP For Speech Include?

This article offers a list of common accommodations that parents can request for their child during an IEP meeting.

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Occupational Therapy Month-What Is OT?

 

April is Occupational Therapy Month, but many people ask, “What is occupational therapy, anyway?” This article explains more about occupational therapy.

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7 Things Teachers Can Do to Create a Safe, Calming Classroom

 

Help support students by establishing a safe, calming classroom environment, these tips will help your students identify and regulate emotions, calm their minds and bodies, reduce anxious feelings, and focus their attention.

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Physical Activities for Babies and Toddlers

 

It’s important that babies and toddlers get an early start in developing their motor skills. By doing the activities listed in this article, you can be confident that your children are developing the foundations of physical literacy.

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Understanding Executive Function Challenges in Your Child

 

There’s no formal diagnosis for when kids struggle with executive function. But tests can show which skills your child has trouble with. That can lead to extra help at school. It also lets you know how you can best support your child.

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Las Etapas Del Juego

 

A medida que los niños crecen y se desarrollan, los tipos de juego en los que participan también crecen y se desarrollan. Es importante tener en cuenta que aunque ciertos tipos de juego tienden a estar asociados con ciertas edades, estos tipos de juego no están restringidos a estos grupos de edad.

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7 Wonderful Things ECEs Can Do for Our Children

 

Early childhood educators (ECEs) are incredibly valuable in supporting and guiding the educational, social, behavioral, and emotional development of children in their early years. Through their work, they provide a strong foundation for kids’ future learning and functioning.

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Why Active Play

 

This resource video shares the importance that active play has on healthy cognitive, emotional, social and physical development in children. This page also has links to activity videos and educational posters in a variety of languages, including English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Farsi.

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How You Can Use Physical Activity to Help Your Child with ADHD

This resource explains the importance of finding effective strategies to help children with ADHD deal with challenges in school and group settings, sharing some methods that could be helpful. Some of the suggestions include physical activities like regulating emotions through sports, heavy work, delivering messages and more.

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Books Inspired by Superkids

 

 This book series is written to help kids who respond to the world differently than others.

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6 Truths About Child Behavior Problems That Unlock Better Behavior

 

Standard parenting models tell us to reward behaviors you want to encourage and punish behaviors you don’t. Here, learn the basics of collaborative and proactive solutions for getting to the root of your child’s challenging behaviors.

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3 Kid-Friendly Meditations Your Children Will Love

 

Try out these three practices to introduce kids to meditation and mindfulness.

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About Down Syndrome

 

This resource offers more information about Down Syndrome ranging from commonality to diagnosis.

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The Stages of Play

 

 As children grow and develop, the types of play in which they engage also grow and develop. It is important to keep in mind that although certain types of play tend to be associated with certain ages, these types of play are not restricted to these age groups.

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Creating Equitable Early Learning Environments for Young Boys of Color

This resource for early childhood educators can be used to improving race equity within their classrooms and programs and disrupting the exclusionary disciplinary practices that disproportionately impact our youngest Boys of Color. 

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20 Examples of Inclusion in The Classroom

How do you know if your child’s inclusion classroom is truly an inclusive environment? Let’s break it down so you know what to look for. 

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Executive Function Is the Key to Success in School

Executive function consists of working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control or emotional self-regulation.  Executive function is critical to success in school.

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Physical Literacy Checklists

 

Here are four checklists to help you target the basic movement skills that your child should be developing at different ages, including suggestions on how to get moving.

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Multilingual Spring Activities Scavenger Hunt

 

This free printable is a nature-inspired scavenger hunt for the spring season that has translations in English, Arabic, Farsi, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

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Women's History Month Art Projects for Preschoolers & Elementary School Children

Check out these Women’s History Month Art projects for preschoolers and elementary school children, including a Watercolor Abstract Art activity inspired by Alma Woodsey Thomas.

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The Power of Forests: Celebrating International Day of Forests

Whether you are looking to learn more about International Forest Day, Arbor Day, trees, biomes, sustainability, habitats, or forestry in general, this resource is for you!  In addition to explaining how many common items come from forests, this website also shares links to free activity ideas and a free 48-page Forestry Literacy framework broken into sections for children ranging from Kindergarten through 12^th grade.

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7 Active Games that Develop Early Reading Skills

Check out these 7 active learning games that also help develop early reading skills! From chalk jumps to letter walks, these games will help children build their physical and literacy skills. 

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