Early childhood education college students are very busy people. They take required general education and early childhood curriculum courses, and they complete prepracticum and field experiences in a variety of early childhood settings. There has been an increase in the number of students who work during the day and go to school in the evening, as…

Number sense development in young children has been linked to future math achievement in a manner similar to the way phonological awareness (i.e., children's awareness and use of sounds within a language to make meaning) has been linked to reading achievement (e.g., Kosanovich, Weinstein, & Goldman 2009). That is, they may be indicators of future…

Early childhood educators know that home is a child's first learning environment. From birth, children are comforted by hearing and listening to their caregivers' voices. The language used by families supports young children's development of oral language skills. Exposure to print materials in the home also supports literacy development. Literacy…

In this article, the author shares how she changed the way she engaged with Alex, a student who was reluctant to do art projects. While reflecting on Alex's objections to doing art projects, she noticed one concern in particular that arose again and again: he wanted to play. Alex experienced the shift into art-making as a break from playing with…

A year and a half ago, Rena, Cheri, and Cassandra were introduced to each other by a colleague because they shared an interest in exploring the impact newer technologies have on learning in early childhood classrooms. They meet regularly to share ideas and information on how to incorporate tablets using best practices. Cassandra's preschool…

It is the third week that Ms. Sotto's preschool classroom has been turned into an airport. The literacy center is a ticket counter, with a travel agency complete with child-made passports, tickets, and travel brochures. What is happening in Ms. Sotto's classroom is an example of what most early childhood educators mean when they talk about…

The authors have spent many years providing professional development in the area of science education, working alongside teachers and observing children in the classroom. These experiences have convinced them that activities involving inclined planes are possibly the best science activities they have ever encountered. They call their collection of…

Creating meaningful math experiences that reach children with diverse abilities, home languages, learning styles, and backgrounds is a daunting challenge for all teachers. Primary teachers often receive little professional support for achieving this complicated task in mathematics (NCTM 2000). This article explores how five different math…

In using developmentally appropriate practices, teachers should intentionally address all aspects of a child's being, the spiritual along with the physical and the cognitive. Because spirituality is a vital part of human nature, a whole-child teaching approach must include the part of the child some call spirituality. Many have attempted to…

True understanding of time, dates, and the calendar comes with maturity. Given the level of thinking required to grasp time concepts and the developmental abilities of young children, the authors suggest alternatives to calendar routines for preschool and kindergarten children. Suggested activities include picture schedules, classroom journals,…

The research is clear that a family's involvement in their child's early education improves outcomes in areas such as the child's language, self-help, social, and motor skills. The more frequent the contact between home and school, the more the child benefits. While traditional forms of home-school partnerships (for example, parents participating…

The authors demonstrate how to tailor curriculum to support the varied interests, abilities, and talents of the children in a kindergarten class. Through words and photographs, they describe an in-depth study of rocks and sand, a topic of great interest to the children. The teachers posed open-ended questions that fostered high-level discussions.…

Children observe, listen, feel, taste, and take apart while exploring everything in their environment. Teachers can cultivate nature investigations with very young children by offering infants natural objects they can explore and investigate. When adults introduce nature in the earliest stages of development, children will be open to new ideas and…

In the real world, helping infants explore the earth is not always practical. The logistics of enjoying nature with a group of infants and toddlers in a city can be daunting; however, with a few smart policies and wise decisions about health and safety, sharing nature with young children brings rewards that more than make up for the…

Noticing and being able to manipulate the sounds of spoken language-phonological awareness-is highly related to later success in reading and spelling. The authors define and explain the levels of phonological awareness-syllable awareness, onset-rime awareness, phoneme awareness. They give teachers step-by-step instructions for implementing a…