Blog - My Play Based Classroom
Hi there!
I'm Janelle - a play-based early years teacher passionate about creating learning experiences that ignite curiosity, creativity, and academic growth.
On this blog, I share practical tips on meeting curriculum benchmarks through a balance of explicit teaching and play, setting up the ideal learning environment and fostering social-emotional development.
Let’s make play-based teaching work in your your preschool, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms!
Why Play-Based Learning Isn’t Working and How to Fix It
Struggling with behaviour, transitions or chaos during play? Learn why play-based learning isn’t working and how to fix it with simple, structured strategies.
Creating a Conducive Learning Environment in the Early Years
Discover how to create a conducive learning environment that sparks curiosity, collaboration, and deep play in early years classrooms.
F to 2 Australian Curriculum English V9.0 Explained
Discover how to teach F–2 Australian Curriculum English with confidence. Clear guidance, practical examples, and resources to support student learning.
Planning for the First Week of Grade One
Make the first week of grade one a success! Discover practical tips, engaging activities, and flexible plans to build your classroom community, establish consistent routines, and feel confident knowing your first week of school planning is done.
Jumbled Up Sentences - An Easy Way to Help Beginning Writers
Discover how jumbled up sentences can enhance literacy instruction in kindergarten or grade one classrooms. This evidence-based activity boosts sentence structure and enriches writing skills in a fun and productive way!
The Orientation Schema
In this blog post, you will learn all about the orientation schema and why it needs to be supported in your classroom. You’ll also discover several hands-on playful activities that will help you to support this interesting play schema.
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.
The Transforming Schema
The transforming schema is all about change and how things transform in substance or appearance. If you have children in your classroom mixing sand with water or drawing and painting on their bodies, you might have children developing their transformation schema. This blog post will explain exactly what this play schema is and give you a heap of playful hands-on activities to support it.
Easter Writing Prompts
Grab yourself some fun Easter writing prompts and a heap of Easter writing activities and ideas in this blog post. You will be able to keep your students engaged and writing all the way up until the Easter break.
Classroom Mindful Monday
Mindful Monday is a great way to start the school week. Discover how to run a classroom Mindful Monday routine with your students and build focus, resilience, and positive self-talk each week. If you are looking for a way to bring some mindfulness into your classroom, you are going to love this Mindful Monday activity.
Counting the Days of School
If you are not already counting the days of school, I encourage you to do it!!. This fun math activity is popular in kindergarten and grade 1 because it is such an engaging way to teach and consolidate early number concepts. Your students will love this predictable daily counting practice and you will be surprised at how many early numeracy skills and concepts can be taught when you count and celebrate 100 days of school.
Teaching Rhyming Words
If you are wondering why you need to be teaching rhyming words in Preschool or Kindergarten and how to effectively teach the skill of rhyming to your students, this blog post is for you.
Reggio Math Provocations
Discover what Reggio math provocations are and how to plan and set up inviting Reggio inspired math provocations in your kindergarten or preschool classroom. You will have your children engaged with hands-on learning in no time.
Environment as the Third Teacher
Are you interested in transforming your learning environment into the third teacher? Read this blog post for tips and ideas on how you can get the third teacher working for you.
Easter Math Activities For Play Based Learning
Looking for engaging Easter math activities for your kindergarten or preschool classroom? These hands-on, play-based learning invitations will keep students focused and learning while exploring counting, sorting, estimation, measurement, and more. Plus, grab the Easter Maths Investigations Pack for an easy, print-and-go setup!