Preschool Teachers' Lounge

Welcome to the Preschool Teachers Lounge!  Educators are always in need of more preschool teaching ideas. Come hang out with your favorite beverage, read and share ideas and stories!

As teachers, we are always looking for preschool teaching ideas. Even if you have been teaching for years, it is always helpful to have fresh ideas to supplement your existing curriculum.

So where can you look for those teaching ideas? Read on for some fun places to go and do on this website!!

Preschool Teacher Library--MUST Haves

Below are the books I would NOT run a classroom without!

A Survival Guide for the Preschool Teacher by Jean Feldman offers practical guidelines and step-by-step techniques for oganizing and implementing a successful preschool program. Includes strategies and reproducibles for classroom management, curricula planning, learning centers, storytelling, and more.

Creative Resources for the Early Childhood Classroom by J. Herr is a best seller used by early childhood educators across the world. A theme based curriculum, this book is presented in Alpha order and contains 70 different themes ranging from Ants to Zoo Animals.

Managing An Early Childhood Classroom by Wendy Koza is a 'nuts and bolts' resource for creating and managing a developmentally appropriate early childhood classroom.

The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is by far my favorite resource! Everything you need to know about interest learning centers and how to set up and provide developmentally appropriate activities in each center is in here!

Top 6 Preschool Teaching Ideas

1.  Have a Plan

Don't expect to just show up everyday and everything will just fall into place. Make specific daily lesson plans so that you have a goal of what you would like to accomplish each day. That being said, don't be afraid to "go with the flow" too. Take advantage of those teachable moments that may crop up and alter your plans accordingly.

2.  Be Patient

You are dealing with preschoolers you know! They are going to make mistakes, act out, throw tantrums, make ginormous messes, and generally just act their age! Responding in anger will never help the situation. Stay calm and be patient with these precious little souls that are entrusted to your care.

3.  Parent Communication

Parents are your partners in the children's education and communicating with them is key to everyone's satisfaction. Inform them of their child's classroom successes and challenges. Ask for their input - what have they seen at home? What strategies do they use? Working together with children's parents will provide benefits to all involved.

4.  Praise & Love

One of the most important preschool teaching ideas I can give is to shower the children with praise and love. Preschoolers are at an age when they are so vulnerable and are building their self-esteem. One of the biggest things you can do for them is to recognize their accomplishments (no matter how small) and always show your love appropriately.

5.  Keep a Journal!

The life of a teacher is certainly never boring! There are days when you have a teachable moment with a child and you can see that spark of excitement that they learned something new.  It is important to stop and cherish those times. Take time daily to reflect on the significance of what we do. Consider starting a journal to write down those inspirational moments. You can look back on difficult days and remind yourself why you decided to teach in the first place.

6.  Have Fun!

After all, what good is teaching preschool if you can't have fun! :) Let your sense of humor shine through and remember what it was like to be a child. Your students will have more fun and so will you.


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