Hey friends, welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood! This one is suuuuuper exciting, but before we start, let me ask you a question! Has anyone ever said to you: "Oh, you teach preschool, it must be so much fun to play all day!"? Pretty frustrating, right? Many people think teaching early childhood is a walk in the park, even when you and I know the truth: It isn't! Our job needs time, dedication, and a real love for children and literacy. After all, not anyone can teac...
Nov 22, 2021•20 min•Ep. 26
After working with many teachers over the years, I've noticed one thing... "What is it, Vanessa?" you ask? Well, the answer is: The lack of flannel boards! And yes, I can hear you already... "But flannel boards are sooooo old school." But let me tell you, they aren't! They can actually be used in very smart ways to teach many standards in your early childhood class! What do I mean by that? Tune in to this episode to find out! Key Takeaways: Flannel boards in the classroom? (00:00) Why some teach...
Nov 15, 2021•40 min•Ep. 25
How can you make small group time work for you? I answer this question in today's episode of Elevating Early Childhood. When it comes to small group time, many preschool professionals find themselves scratching their heads. What is it? How does it work? And is it really that important? Well, let me tell you one thing: If done right, small group time can be highly effective and allow you to target the needs of each student! So really, what's not to love? If you're curious about small group time a...
Nov 08, 2021•16 min•Ep. 24
The one thing teachers don't have a lot of besides money is time. There's never enough time in the day to finish everything that needs to be done! That's why in this episode, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite classroom must-haves; items that have saved me time or made my teacher life easier. Some of these things I've used for a very long time and I couldn't live without in my classroom, while others may be new to you. My purpose isn't to get you to buy a bunch of things. Instead, I'm sharing my per...
Nov 01, 2021•40 min•Ep. 23
In last week's episode, I talked about how it can be a real challenge to get young children to listen and pay attention during circle time. But what if I told you it doesn't have to be that way? What if there was a recipe for a successful circle time that you could follow? Wouldn't that be amazing ? I know, I know - it sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Well, it isn't! In today's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, a very special guest is joining us to discuss circle time - my good friend...
Oct 25, 2021•34 min•Ep. 22
In this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I discuss something suuuper important: Circle time! As you know, circle time is pretty crucial in pre-k, and having a successful and effective one can be difficult. Why? Simply because most children have short attention spans, which means keeping them focused on circle time can be quite the complex task. But, I'm here to help! Which is why, first things first, I want you to know that, when it comes to circle time, working smarter, not harder, ...
Oct 18, 2021•25 min•Ep. 21
In this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I discuss something super important: How to write lesson plans! This is a question I often get from teachers new to working at the preschool level. So, if you find yourself wondering where to start, or what kind of lesson plan works best for pre-k, don't freak out just yet! I want you to know, you're not alone, and I'm here to help! And today, I'll be sharing my own lesson plan method with you! Not only does this method work for all early chil...
Oct 11, 2021•13 min•Ep. 20
Why do toddlers do what they do? Have you ever asked yourself that? I know I have! After all, little children sometimes do some astonishing things, and I would love nothing more than to understand why! And this is exactly why I've invited this week's guest to come to the podcast and talk to us about it. My good friend (and this week's guest) Devon Kuntzman is a coach, a former orphanage director, and the founder of Transforming Toddlerhood ! She has spent the last 15 years working with families ...
Oct 04, 2021•38 min•Ep. 19
Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you. As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers. You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether ...
Sep 27, 2021•26 min•Ep. 18
Every preschool professional will have to, one day, introduce scissors to their students. And sometimes, that can go wrong. A lot of children can be scissor-happy. I mean, who would say no to cutting their own hair as a child? However, if you do it the right way, teaching scissor skills to young kids can be, if not easy, quite fun. And it all comes down to helping your students hone their fine-motor skills! How can you do that? Tune in now to find out. Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's ...
Sep 20, 2021•22 min•Ep. 17
Do you ever feel pressured to put the most aesthetically-pleasing bulletin boards in your classroom? We've all been there! Creating eye-catching bulletin boards can become a chore that takes up way too much time! And this is exactly what I discuss in this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, with my amazing guest, the brilliant Matt Halpern. Matt has taught early elementary school for almost two decades. He is also a speaker and the author of Look at My Happy Rainbow: My Journey as a Mal...
Sep 13, 2021•43 min•Ep. 16
In this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I discuss a pretty exciting subject: How to start your own preschool. Yes friends, because you can! Plus, what's even more fun is that I talk about this with the fantastic Joy Anderson! If you don't know her, then let me give you a quick introduction: Joy is a mom, a badass professional educator, and, DRUMROLL PLEASE, the founder and CEO of Preschool System . So, if you've ever dreamed of opening your own preschool, you might want to listen to...
Sep 06, 2021•34 min•Ep. 15
Picking up from last week's episode, we continue on today with my discussion with fellow preschool educator, Allison McDonald, about the Science of Reading. In the last episode of Elevating Early Childhood, Allison and I discussed the science of reading, the importance of oral language development, and how you can help your students create a foundation for literacy. Today, we pick up again and discuss even more exciting (and fun) subjects, such as the importance of being intentional with your te...
Aug 30, 2021•29 min•Ep. 14
What is the Science of Reading? And what should preschool teachers know about it? In this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I answer these two questions and more. But I won't be doing this alone! Yes friends, this is an interview episode! And in it, I will be discussing this hot topic with the lovely Allison McDonald. Allison is the creator and founder of the early childhood website No Time for Flash Cards. She's also an author, a mom, and a rockstar early childhood educator! Today, s...
Aug 23, 2021•30 min•Ep. 13
What does it take to teach preschool children how to draw? I get asked this question a lot, so I thought why not share my answer with all my listeners? Yes guys, you've guessed it, it's another "Calm Down Corner Special" episode! If you've ever wondered "Is directed drawing right for my class?", then this episode is the right one for you. A few years ago, directed drawing became a trend on the internet, and as a result, many pre-k educators started asking themselves if they should be adding this...
Aug 16, 2021•22 min•Ep. 12
Do your kids love visiting your preschool library center? For many pre-k teachers, getting children interested in books and reading can be very difficult. And there are various reasons why that is so... The kids aren’t interested… They’re mistreating the books... And very often, we’re not given the adequate resources to create a proper classroom library! So in this week’s episode, I’m going to provide a solution for each of these challenges and share some proven practices for creating an excepti...
Aug 09, 2021•23 min•Ep. 11
Every single year, I get questions about the first days of school. And so, I thought, why not have an episode about it? After all, that first day of school is a pretty big deal, not just for the students, but also for professional educators like you. That is why I’ve created a free printable lesson plan to go along with the episode! I’ll also explain how to use it, so make sure you listen all the way through! But, did you know? It's not just the first day of school that's crucial, it's actually ...
Aug 02, 2021•24 min•Ep. 10
In today's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I will be discussing something every professional educator needs to use in their classroom: Emotions and feelings activities for preschoolers. As we all know, social skills are not innate. They're learned and honed through life, and of course, the earlier you start, the more social intelligence and emotional literacy you acquire. This is why emotions and feelings activities are crucial. In order to learn social skills, children have to first learn...
Jul 27, 2021•19 min•Ep. 9
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another “Calm Down Corner” special. In this week’s episode, I’ll be answering a couple of burning questions from some of my listeners, and also offering some tips on how to use your calm down cozy corner in the most effective way. You see, many professional educators set up calm down corners (or Zen zones or calming areas) and find out —sometimes the hard way— that they’re not working as well as they wanted them to. Why does that happen? Simply because calm do...
Jul 19, 2021•17 min•Ep. 8
Are focus walls REALLY an effective teaching tool for preschool and pre-k? Find out on our first ever “Calm Down Corner” episode of our podcast! As early childhood professionals, we’re frequently exposed to misinformation about educating young children. Inappropriate, unfounded practices are being shared on the internet left and right. Shiny, buzzwordy—and completely opposite to how kids learn! Not only are they ineffective, but they’re also a massive source of stress and anxiety for teachers be...
Jul 12, 2021•15 min•Ep. 7
Have you ever entered your email address to download a freebie...and then been disappointed by what you got? I know I have plenty of times! When you’re trying to find new ideas for your classroom, freebies can be very helpful. But it can also go in another direction—one where you catch yourself thinking... “Huh? That’s it? I could’ve Googled that!” So when I create freebies and bundles, I’m particularly mindful of trying to provide the very best resources and in plentiful fashion. And for quite ...
Jul 05, 2021•35 min•Ep. 6
Time young children spend in learning centers is precious for their development. And yet, it’s one of those strictly school-related activities, which is why we must do our very best to set them up for success. Creating a successful learning center requires lots of strategic planning and effort. There are many questions you need to answer first, including… How many centers should you create? How long should the center time be? What are the centers going to be about? How will your students know wh...
Jul 02, 2021•20 min•Ep. 5
Have you ever encountered an educational program so boring you knew right away it wasn't going to work? One that is so dry and anti-fun the only thing it could do effectively was put children to sleep? Throughout my career, I've had plenty of less-than-fortunate encounters with these types of programs. Some were so awful they literally drove teachers to quit their jobs! Luckily, if proven, research-based teaching methods guide your approach—NOTHING can stand in your way. Not even a dreadful educ...
Jul 01, 2021•12 min•Ep. 4
Early childhood teachers have it pretty rough. We face all sorts of indignities daily without even getting a hint of the respect we deserve as professional educators. We’re constantly looked down upon, whether it’s coming from the parents of our students, administrators, or even our own peers! With all that going on, it’s easy to drift into negative thinking, which can lead you down a destructive path. And if you go down that road long enough, you’re running the risk of becoming a complainer. I ...
Jun 30, 2021•10 min•Ep. 3
One of the biggest challenges teachers face with teaching the alphabet is getting the letters to stick. You spend weeks teaching, following your curriculum, doing everything by the book. Everything seems to be going great - the kiddos are getting it! And then... Poof! They forget all of it! As if you’ve never even mentioned it before! Has this ever happened to you? Because it’s happened to me plenty of times. When I was a young student teacher, I had an opportunity to shadow a kindergarten teach...
Jun 29, 2021•13 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to our first-ever episode of Elevating Early Childhood! I’m Vanessa Levin, and I help pre-k, preschool, and kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more! Have you ever encountered a problem in your classroom you weren’t sure how to solve? Maybe you’ve felt alone, isolated from your colleagues, not knowing who to turn to for help? These were the biggest challenges I’ve faced when I was starting out as an early childhood teacher. I spent years fantasizing about creating a p...
Jun 29, 2021•9 min•Ep. 1
Teaching Trailblazers Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
Mar 19, 2021•3 min
