Should We Teach the Kindergarten First 100 Sight Words?

Discover the latest Science of Reading research on teaching the kindergarten first 100 sight words. Enhance your sight word instruction and download my free sight word lists and tools to boost your students' reading fluency and confidence.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle10 July 2023sight words, kindergarten, early literacy, reading, reading strategies, science of readingComment

9 Hands-on Maths Number Activities for Kindergarten

Looking for some hands-on maths number activities for kindergarten? In this blog post, we will look at the Australian math curriculum, and I’ll give you 9 engaging activities on numbers for kindergarten kids that will help you teach the Number and Algebra strand of the ACARA mathematics curriculum.

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle3 July 2023math provocations, maths, hands-on learning, hands-on math activities, hands-on number activities, number activities, kindergartenComment

Decodable Sentences with CVC Words for Kindergarten

Decodable sentences with CVC words play a vital role in laying the foundation for early reading and writing development. Discover just how important CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) words are and download a comprehensive list of CVC words along with 20 matching sentences for your classroom. You will also find nine effective reading activities that will boost your student's decoding and reading comprehension skills in this blog post.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle26 June 2023cvc, cvc words, decodable sentences, kindergarten, literacy Comment

Science of Reading Decoding Strategies with CVC Words

Discover the best reading decoding strategies you need to be using in your classroom according to the Science of Reading research and learn the best practices for teaching CVC words in your classroom.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle26 June 2023cvc, cvc words, science of reading, science of reading decoding strategies, reading strategies, kindergarten, literacy, reading, decodingComment

Best Open-ended Questions for Preschool Kids

Want to unlock the power of open-ended questions for preschoolers? Enhance communication skills and oral language development with thought-provoking prompts and discover the best open-ended questions for preschool kids in this blog post.

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle12 June 2023open ended questions, preschool Comment

The Positioning Schema

Discover everything you need to know about the positioning schema in this comprehensive blog post. Learn how to recognise this play schema in your early childhood classroom and get some practical ideas on how you can support it.

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle22 May 2023positioning play schema, positioning schema, child development, play based learning, play schemaComment

The 5 Best Resources for Hands On Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms

Hands-on learning is learning by doing. It is not only fun and engaging, but it’s the most effective way early childhood students learn. Check out the top 5 resources you need to make your classroom hands on learning activities super educational and entertaining!

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle15 May 2023hands-on, hands-on learning, early childhood, play based learning, play based classroomComment

11 Amazing Yoga Benefits for Children

Yoga has many benefits for children. It can help children develop their physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as promote self-awareness, concentration, and relaxation. Classroom yoga will benefit your children. Check out this blog post to discover 11 amazing yoga benefits for children.

Investigations, Explicit Teaching, Social and EmotionalJanelle McArdle18 April 2023kids yoga, yoga benefits for children, classroom yoga, mindful kids, mindful classroom, behaviour management, early childhood, early years, social and emotionalComment

The Trajectory Schema

The trajectory schema is all about movement. If you have children in your classroom throwing things, fascinated with moving objects or force and motion, you have children developing their trajectory schema. Discover exactly what this play schema is and get heaps of playful hands-on activities you can use to support them.

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle6 January 2023play schema, trajectory schema, play based classroom, investigations, early childhood, play based learning, developmental play, child developmentComment

How to Write Open Ended Math Questions

If you are wondering how to write open-ended math questions so you can improve your math instruction, this blog post is for you. Discover everything you need to know before you even start writing and then follow my 3 easy steps on how to write the best open-ended math problems.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle31 October 2022maths, open ended, open-ended math questions, open ended questions, kindergarten, grade 1, first grade, early years math, teaching math, math problems, problem solving, teachingComment

Why Use Open-Ended Questions in Math?

If you want your students to think deeply about mathematics, you need to be using open-ended math questions to teach math in the early childhood classroom. Find out why open-ended math problems are vital for an effective math curriculum and how you can use these game-changers to take your maths to the next level.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle5 September 2022maths, math activities, open ended, open-ended math questions, early years math, early childhood math, math problems, teaching mathComment

Teaching Geometry in Kindergarten

Discover why it is so important to teach kindergarten and preschool children geometry and find out all about the Australian Curriculum Geometry strand so you can be confident teaching this complex maths subject.

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle25 August 2022maths, kindergarten, preschool, shapes, geometry, play based, play based learning, hands-on, hands-on learning, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, early childhood math, early years, math activities, math provocationsComment

A Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education

If you would like to create an engaging and effective learning environment and confidently plan learning experiences that perfectly match the cognitive development of each child in your class, this blog post on play schemas is for you. Understanding play schemas and being able to pinpoint the ones your students are developing is critical to the success of your early childhood classroom.

How to Write a Statement of Intent for Your Play Based Learning Classroom

If you are familiar with the Walker Learning Approach, then you are no doubt also familiar with writing a Statement of Intent. This fortnightly planning document is vital to the success of your play-based learning program. Check out this blog post to see how we write ours.

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle27 June 2022play based learning, planning, curriculum planning, investigations, investigative play, statement of intent, walker learning, kindergarten, play based classroom, developmental play, play based, Reggio teacher, teacher planningComment

How to Write a Play Based Learning Term Overview

If you think curriculum planning and mapping out your term is hard work and you find it a dreaded task that seems to take you forever, you are going to love this blog post on how to write a play-based learning term overview. I’ll show you my quick and easy process.

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle13 June 2022play based learning, play based classroom, planning, play based, developmental play, kindergarten, teaching, teacher planning, term planning, term menu, term overview, walker learning Comment

Teaching the F-2 ACARA Math Learning Intentions Through Play

The best way to teach math is through play. This blog post explains the F-2 ACARA Math Curriculum and how you can create opportunities for your early childhood students to enjoy their math learning by using hands-on play based strategies and materials.

How to Write Learning Intentions for Kindergarten and Preschool

Are you wondering how to write effective and age-appropriate learning intentions for your preschool or kindergarten classroom? In this blog post you will discover some practical strategies to help you write curriculum aligned learning intentions your kindergarten and preschool children can relate to and use.

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle16 May 2022learning intentions, kindergarten, preschool, prep, foundation stage, play based learning, planning, teaching, integrated curriculum, investigations, early childhood, early years, curriculum planning, Australian curriculumComment

Do You Need Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in an Early Years Classroom?

Do you really need to display your learning intentions in a kindergarten or preschool classroom? In this blog post you will discover exactly what learning intentions are and learn some practical teacher tips and ideas for you to have success using or displaying classroom learning intentions in the early years learning environment.

Explicit Teaching, Classroom Environment, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle4 April 2022learning intentions, kindergarten, preschool, prep, WALT goals, foundation stage, ACARA, Australian curriculum, learning objectives, curriculum planning, early years, early childhoodComment

Life in a Play Based Classroom

I’m Janelle and I’m here to help you implement an engaging, play based curriculum

that STILL has your children meeting academic standards and benchmarks!