The Crazy Pre-K Classroom

Hello All, I just wanted to share some ideas for teaching addition to the four year olds we all love. I like to start out by using manipulatives for the children to count. Today I used paper hearts because the paper we were working on was left from Valentine's day. As we read through the story problem I had the children circle each number. They then identified the number for me. We counted enough hearts to represent each of the numbers and then counted them all together. Seems simple right? But in the brains of 4 year olds putting two groups together is not always that easy. First,there can be a color divide, getting them to continue past the first color set fluently into the next color set is a challenge. Second, they are used to rote counting without manipulatives in front of them. So to get around these problems I broke my groups up into small groups and placed their papers on a clipboard. We worked together on the rug to get through 2 word problems. After circling the numbe...

Have you ever looked through your curriculum and thought an activity would be great for learning but really boring? Sometimes I wonder who is thinking some of this stuff up? For instance I had an activity to do today to teach positional words where the children were supposed to use a plastic cup and a bottle cap to show me they understood my directions. I just couldn't do it! How boring to sit on the carpet and move around a bottle cap so........I changed it! I happen to have a class set of small bug jars and plastic spiders. Well, my kiddos know I am totally afraid of spiders so I told them that at the end of the activity they could "attack" me with the spiders. This made the boys especially happy! The class loved using their bug jars and spiders to complete the same objective. Here are some other ideas to help engage 4 year old minds with fun in mind: (1)Add a song: the best songs for learning involve movement and are ideally written on large chart paper for tracking wh...

I have to admit I love Read the Room! This activity is so popular in my classroom, my kiddos beg me for it every week! I love it because it allows children to move and experience writing in different positions. I especially love what my children are learning through this activity: (1)Visual Discrimination: Having to find each card and match the picture on the card to the picture on the recording sheet then write the word on the correct line. (2) Letter/Sound Recognition: Associating the letters and sounds in each word associated with a picture.(3)Handwriting Practice: Writing each letter on a line, practicing proper strokes and letter formation. (4)Self-Control: Being able to move around the room as instructed completing the activity without getting out of control.(5)Vocabulary: Identifying the common objects that go with your teaching. When I realized this week that I had 26 different sets of Read the Room I thought it was time to share! So, I have placed all 26 sets in one mega pack ...

Hello All, I am joining in on the huge TpT Super bowl sale! Every item in my store is 28% off! 20% from me and the extra 8% from TpT. This is the cheapest way to get great learning resources for your classroom! I hope you will take a minute to explore all of the items in my store so you can take advantage of the sale. I know today is the day I am buying everything in my wishlist! Click this link to go directly to my store: Christine's TPT Store Till next time, Christine