Welcome to My Play Based Classroom Blog
Hi there!
I'm Janelle - a play-based early years teacher who is super passionate about creating learning experiences that boost curiosity, creativity, and academic growth.
On this blog, I share practical tips for meeting curriculum benchmarks through a balance of explicit teaching and play, setting up the ideal learning environment and fostering social-emotional development.
So, let’s make play-based teaching work in your preschool, kindergarten, or first-grade classroom!
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.
Growth Mindset for Kids: A Teacher’s Guide
Discover how to teach a growth mindset for kids with practical strategies, activities, and resources to build resilience, confidence, and persistence.
Free List of CVC Words for Kindergarten
Looking for an easy way to teach CVC words for kindergarten? Download my free CVC word list with decodable sentences in this blog post and discover engaging, hands-on activities to build phonics and reading fluency.
Our Daily Morning Meeting in Kindergarten
Discover how to run a successful daily morning meeting in kindergarten! Learn morning meeting activities, ideas, and tips to create engaging routines that foster classroom community, support student learning, and start your school day right.
First Day of Kindergarten Activities
Discover practical first day of kindergarten activities, tips for managing those first-day jitters, and ideas to build relationships, establish routines, and create a welcoming classroom community. You can also download my free resources to make your first day stress-free!
Discover Play-based Learning Strategies for Prep or Foundation Stage
Discover essential play-based learning strategies for Prep or Foundation stage classrooms. Learn how to foster curiosity, meet curriculum goals, and create engaging play-rich environments with my tips and free guide.
My Play Based Kindergarten Daily Schedule
Discover how to create a balanced kindergarten daily schedule that combines play-based learning with explicit teaching. Get tips, practical ideas, and a free editable planning template to keep your students engaged and meeting curriculum goals!
Froebel's Theory of Play for Early Childhood Education
Discover the transformative power of Friedrich Froebel’s Theory of Play in early childhood education. Learn how his principles align with the EYLF and ACARA, and get practical tips for creating an effective play-based learning environment.
Activities for Teaching Syllables and Phonological Awareness
Teach syllables and phonological awareness with these engaging activities for kindergarten and preschool children. Teaching syllables is so much more than clapping the beats in words! I’ve got a selection of hands-on games and activities your students will love. They will master blending and segmenting syllables in no time.
9 Christmas Games for the Classroom - fun and easy
Check out these easy prep Christmas games for the classroom and celebrate the holiday season with your students. You will love these fun and easy prep Christmas games. They are perfect for younger kids in preschool, kindergarten and first grade.
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.
Benefit of Block Play in Preschool and Beyond
Discover all the wonderful benefits of block play in this blog post. From cognitive development to essential life skills, block play is a must-have activity in early childhood education.
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!
Playdough Activities for Kindergarten Sensory Maths Play
This blog post is a comprehensive guide on playdough activities for kindergarten focusing on sensory maths play. Find out my 10 favourite playdough math activities and discover some invaluable playdough resources for your kindergarten classroom.
5 Best CVC Words Activities and Games for Kindergarten
Discover the 5 best CVC words activities in this informative blog post. Learn what CVC words are, why they're essential for early literacy, and the best ways to teach them. These tried and tested activities will make learning CVC words a joy for your students.
12 Effective Strategies for Teaching Phonemic Awareness
Looking for the most effective strategies for teaching phonemic awareness? Discover how to get your students to reach their reading benchmarks and have success learning to read and write in this blog post. Hint: You’ll need to know the latest Science of Reading research and use it to effectively teach phonemic awareness to your kids!
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.