Liven Up Story Time: Read with Rhythm

Some kids love story time, others have a hard time staying focused. Not only is this distracting, but it can make story time a negative experience for everyone involved.
To get and hold the attention of a variety of different learners, try adding rhythm to your story time. I don’t mean sing story-songs (though if you’re [...]

Home Visits Boost Learning Outcomes

Home visits are a great way to make a connection with families and ease a child’s transition into preschool, but did you know that regular home visits throughout the year can boost child learning outcomes?
A recent study by the New Hampshire Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC) compared learning outcomes of children whose families were [...]

Letter Days

My daughter’s preschool started a new concept for their summer program and it’s been a great hit with all the kids. They are celebrating the alphabet with “Letter Days”. The idea is a simple one:

Each day a new letter is celebrated
Children are encouraged to bring in an item for “sharing time” that begins with that [...]

No Writer’s Block Here!

Over the past month or two I’ve watched my almost 5 year old daughter’s excitement about writing blossom. Earlier during this school year she really began to make the connection between letters and the sounds they make. It began with the letters in her name. She loved to write each letter as she made each [...]

Tips for Building Early Literacy Skills

These days there is a lot of pressure on parents and teachers to have children reading before they enter kindergarten. While some children may be successful at accomplishing this, there are developmental stages to literacy, and not all children are ready for reading this early.
However, there is a lot you can do to lay the [...]