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!
7 Benefits of Hands On Learning in Early Childhood Education
Discover the benefits of hands-on learning in early childhood education and learn how to effectively incorporate hands-on activities and resources into your teaching practice.
9 Tactile Learning Activities for the Kindergarten Classroom
Understand precisely what tactile learning is and discover how you can use this learning style in kindergarten to boost student engagement and effectively teach your curriculum learning intentions.
Hands-on Weather Activities and Provocations
Discover my tried and tested hands-on weather activities and provocations for play based learning in kindergarten or first grade.
Fun Activities and Games with Sight Words for Kindergarten
Discover engaging sight word games and activities for your kindergarten students and build reading fluency. Make learning high-frequency words fun with these tried and tested ideas. Get your free sight word resource and create a playful and effective learning environment for your students.
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.
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!
The Enclosing Schema
The enclosing schema is a natural part of a child's development and can easily be nurtured through play-based learning. In this blog post we explore this play schema and how you can support it in your early childhood classroom.
The Enveloping Schema
Do you have students interested in wrapping, covering, or hiding objects or themselves? If you do - then you have students with the enveloping play schema. In this blog post, we'll explore the enveloping play schema in-depth and you’ll discover heaps of activities to support it in your classroom.
The Rotation Schema
Are your students spinning, twirling, and turning objects or even themselves? They are exploring the rotation schema. This blog post explores the rotation play schema in detail and gives you 46 engaging activities you can use to support the rotation play schema in your classroom.
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.
Teaching Geometry in Kindergarten
Discover engaging, play-based strategies for teaching geometry in kindergarten. Align lessons with the Australian Curriculum using hands-on activities that build foundational math skills.
9 Fun Hands-on Measurement Activities for Kindergarten
Kindergarten measurement made easy! Explore 9 fun hands-on activities using real tools, everyday objects, and playful provocations that help students build key math skills, vocabulary, and confidence.
Teaching the F-2 ACARA Math Learning Intentions Through Play
Discover how to teach ACARA Maths through play-based learning in Foundation to Year 2. This blog post shares hands-on strategies, activities, and resources aligned with Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum.
Science Provocations – Properties of Materials
Teaching the early years chemistry strand and looking for some engaging and educational science provocations? This blog post has 5 hands-on learning invitations to help you teach about Materials and their Properties. There are also tips and ideas to help you set up your very own purposeful early childhood science learning provocations.
Science Provocations – Living Things
Are you teaching the early years biology strand and looking for some engaging and educational science provocations to help your students learn about Living Things? In this blog post there are 5 engaging living things provocations to inspire you. There are also tips and ideas to help you set up your very own purposeful early childhood science learning provocations.
How to Start with Play Based Learning
Interested in play based or inquiry learning but don’t know where to start? Discover how I do it and find out all the benefits of play based learning. You will also get some practical ideas and my play based learning hints and tips on how you can easily get started learning through play in your classroom today.
Christmas Classroom Ideas
Are you looking for some classroom ideas to help you celebrate Christmas over these last few weeks of school? I have collated 9 of the best hands-on Christmas classroom ideas for your kindergarten or preschool classroom.
Christmas Maths Activities for Kindergarten
Engage your students with fun, hands-on Christmas maths activities for kindergarten! Explore playful counting, patterning, and sensory ideas like Tree Counting, Christmas Board Games and a Christmas Counting Sensory Bin - all perfect for the end of term.