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!
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.
Read MoreAre 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.
Read MoreEngage 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.
Read MoreDiscover creative loose parts Christmas ideas for play-based learning! In this blog post you will discover the benefits of loose parts play and how you can use loose parts to spark curiosity and learning in your classroom this Christmas.
Read MoreAre you looking for some Christmas sensory play ideas to get you through to the holidays? As Christmas approaches the children get so excited and keeping them settled and on task can sometimes be difficult. Time for some sensory play. Sensory play can help your children to settle and stay on task. I am constantly amazed by the calming effects sensory activities can have on my students.
Read MoreFind out what loose parts are and where the idea of loose parts play originated. Discover the benefits of loose parts play and get some easy and practical ideas for loose parts play in your classroom.
Read MoreDiscover the 7 stages of block play and the influences these stages can have to the design of your learning environment. BONUS FREE Block Play Stages pdf to download and print.
Read MoreIf 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.
Read MoreIn this blog post you will discover what the 100 languages of children means, where the idea started, why it is an important element of a child-centered education program and how you can use the 100 languages of children in your classroom.
Read MoreDiscover all the benefits of a classroom maker space in this blog post and download some free posters to educate your classroom visitors on why you have a Makerspace, Box Construction Area, Collage Table, Creation Station or whatever you choose to call it in your learning space.
Read MorePiaget’s theories of cognitive development have influenced our modern play pedagogies. See how Piaget and play based learning go hand-in-hand and how his theories reinforce the idea that children learn through play. Discover some practical play-based learning ideas for your classroom.
Read MoreDiscover 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.
Read MoreDo you feel Science is just one more thing to add on to your already crammed curriculum? Are you thinking “Why Teach Science in Early Childhood?” Find out why you need early childhood science education in your classroom and how you are probably already teaching it.
Read MoreAre 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.
Read MoreDiscover what loose parts are and why you need them in your classroom. Download a FREE list of over 150 loose parts resources you can use to set up age appropriate investigation areas and learning invitations in your early years setting.
Read MoreJean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist in the early 1900s. Read about how his theories of cognitive development reinforce the idea that children can learn through play in your educational setting.
Read MoreThere are numerous benefits of loose parts play in the early childhood classroom. In this blog post you will discover what loose parts are and the curriculum learning intentions you can teach through loose parts play.
Read MoreDiscover 43 hands-on rhyming activities to help you teach rhyming and word families to your kindergarten and preschool children. These educational rhyming games and hands-on activities are an effective and fun way to teach rhyming words. Perfect for your literacy lessons and centers.
Read More
