Preschool Teaching Ideas:
Inspiration & Resources

Parents and teachers alike 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? The first place to start is by downloading my FREE preschool teacher printables e-book. It has templates and charts that are invaluable for teachers. 

If you are interested in becoming a preschool teacher, make sure to read our sections on certification, career options, and tips for getting hired.

Are you looking for teaching advice? We've got you covered!

Top 5 Preschool Teaching Ideas

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These are my top 5 preschool teaching tips:

#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: 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.

Specific Preschool Teaching Ideas

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Head to these pages for specific ideas relating to each topic:

• Behavior management in the classroom
• Preschool classroom set up
• Preschool calendar activities
• Preschool jobs for the classroom
• Preschool newsletter samples (Coming Soon)
• Preschool assessment
• Parent Teacher conference ideas
• Preschool safety
• Preschool weather activities

General Preschool Teaching Ideas

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Of course, if you are looking for general preschool teaching ideas all in one spot, you may want to purchase one of these great resources:



A Survival Guide for the Preschool Teacher by Jean R. Feldman
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 Judy Herr

This best seller is 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. Each theme contains a variation of the following content depending upon that theme: Curriculum, Web, Theme Goals, Concepts for the Children to Learn, Vocabulary, Bulletin Board, Parent Letter, Music, Fingerplay, Science, Math, Dramatic Play, Arts and Crafts, Sensory, Large Muscle (Gross), Small Muscle (Fine), Field Trips, Social Studies, Group Time, Cooking, Transitions, Books, Multimedia, Recordings and Song Titles. The book sections at the end of each theme have been updated with hundreds of new activities. In addition, an accompanying back-of-book CD-ROM contains important assessment tools, lesson plan forms, evaluation forms for documentation boards, and more.

Managing An Early Childhood Classroom by Wendy Koza and Jodene Smith
This resource provides the 'nuts and bolts' of creating and managing a developmentally appropriate early childhood classroom. 

Inspiration for Preschool Teachers

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The life of a teacher and/or parent 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.

Of course, there are some days where all you can do is laugh. Share jokes and other preschool teaching stories with other teachers and parents to make you smile.

Are you having a specific teaching problems and need some help? Check out this teaching advice page to help and be helped!