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!
Discover 6 innovative ways to use picture sorts in your preschool, kindergarten, or 1st-grade classroom! Learn how these versatile resources can enhance phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and more and download my ready-made picture sorts to save yourself time and boost student engagement.
Read MoreDiscover 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.
Read MoreDiscover the best ten frame games for kindergarten and get my free ten frame printable. You’ll easily build number sense and math skills with these fun and engaging math ten frame activities.
Read MoreWant to up your teaching game? Discover everything you need to know about Vygotsky Play Theory and how it can improve play based learning pedagogies in the early childhood classroom.
Read MoreSegmenting phonemes is an important phonemic awareness skill. Use my 22 tried and tested phoneme segmentation activities and download the free phoneme segmentation word list to teach your kindergarten and first-grade students how to segment words into phonemes.
Read MoreDiscover the numerous benefits of play-based learning in early education and the important role it plays in children’s social, emotional, physical, and academic development. This comprehensive blog post uses recent research to show why this is the most effective way to teach young children.
Read MoreDiscover engaging word awareness activities, teaching tips and strategies for this basic phonological awareness skill. This blog post is a practical guide to developing word awareness through 22 playful, hands-on strategies and activities. Perfect for kindergarten, preschool, and first-grade teachers looking to teach the concept of a word.
Read MoreLearn the essential traits of a successful play-based kindergarten teacher. This guide offers practical advice and ideas for teachers to successfully implement a play-based learning pedagogy.
Read MoreDownload free Christmas writing prompts for kids in kindergarten and first grade. Encourage your students to write with these Christmas themed vocabulary cards and make story-writing fun and engaging this festive season.
Read MoreUnderstand 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.
Read MoreDiscover 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.
Read MoreGet your students excited about writing this Halloween with my Free Halloween Writing Prompts for Kindergarten and grade one. Quick, easy prep and educational too!
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreWondering how to create an effective play based learning environment? In this blog post you’ll discover how to create a learning environment that enhances student engagement and promotes academic success. Explore seven proven strategies that will help you transform your classroom into an effective and inspiring space for learning.
Read MoreCreate a face loose parts are a fun and engaging way to help your students explore emotions and facial expressions. Find out how easy it is to make these Face Loose Parts. They are a favourite resource in our classroom. Perfect for teaching young students about emotions and feelings.
Read MoreExplore play theories from Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Susan Issacs. See how they can inform your teaching in a play-based learning classroom and help you create a rich and supportive play-based learning environment that nurtures children's development and fosters a love for learning.
Read MoreDiscover 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.
Read MoreEnhance math skills and engage your students with my FREE Ten Frame Cards Printable for you to download. In this blog post you’ll discover hands-on activities, games, and strategies for teaching number sense, counting, and problem-solving using ten frames.
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