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Threads, Activities, and Inquiry moments for outdoor education in ECE

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"Good Morning Dear Earth" | Waldorf Circle Time Song for Kids

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Alana Banana - Educational Music Videos for Kids

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Make a Pattern #kidsmusic #movement #preschool #alanabanana #remix

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Alana Banana - Educational Music Videos for Kids

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I Built 5 Snowmen ❄️ #kidsmusic #counting #alanabanana #lalalibrarian #remix

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Tree Fingerplay Song - “Down Come the Raindrops”

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Learn more about UDL for Early Childhood classrooms - https://mybrightwheel.com/blog/universal-design-for-learning

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The Mindful Turtle Podcast provides small, actionable tips to help nature-based early childhood educators to transform their nature-based teaching one intentional step at a time.

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The Mindful Turtle Podcast provides small, actionable tips to help nature-based early childhood educators to transform their nature-based teaching one intentional step at a time.

Hosted by Dr. Rachel A. Larimore of Samara Early Learning, the show is designed to help educators create classroom and school communities that thrive-calmly and steadily-to help young children learn with nature.

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Mindful Turtle Podcast - Samara Early Learning

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The Mindful Turtle Podcast provides small, actionable tips to help nature-based early childhood educators to transform their nature-based teaching one intentional step at a time. Hosted by Dr. Rachel A. Larimore of Samara Early Learning, the show is designed to help educators create classroom and school communities that thrive-calmly and steadily-to help young children learn with nature.

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Aligning Learning Environments with the needs of the brain

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Aligning Learning Environments with the needs of the brain

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Cultivating Confidence - Early Years Consultancy

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Ignite Play & Get Organized In Your Play Based Early Years Environment

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Progression of Early Writing Skills - OT perspective

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Progression of Early Writing Skills - OT perspective

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This developmental progression of writing, beginning with these shapes, is critical to success with writing. More recently, kids have been expected to be able to write the letters of the alphabet far earlier than they are actually ready. Without these prerequisite skills, children are more susceptible to developing poor writing habits and frustration.

Here are some additional prerequisite motor skills that are critical to developing functional habits for writing...

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Progression of Writing Skills - OT OuTside

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This developmental progression of writing, beginning with these shapes, is critical to success with writing. More recently, kids have been expected to be able to write the letters of the alphabet far earlier than they are actually ready. Without these prerequisite skills, children are more susceptible to developing poor writing habits and frustration.

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Revisited: Focusing on play before pencils with Tania Ferrandino

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Listen to this episode from The Preschool Podcast on Spotify. On this week's episode of the Preschool Podcast, we revisit an episode from last year with Tania Ferrandino, Occupational Therapist and Senior Professional Learning Producer at Learning Without Tears.

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Writing and Working on a Vertical Surface

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Writing and Working on a Vertical Surface

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The Benefits of Writing and Working on a Vertical Surface! — OT OuTside

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Do you know why preschools use easels? There is an absolute functional purpose to them and they are a goldmine for developing critical skills! You see, when kiddos work on a vertical surface they are gaining so many developmental benefits!

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Listen to this episode from The Preschool Podcast on Spotify. In the first full episode of The Preschool Podcast with Jo and Maddie, our hosts discuss one of their favorite topics in early childhood education: Process vs Product. What does it mean to focus on the process rather than the product when it comes to making art with young children?

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Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative

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PREK | Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative

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Early numeracy skills: how to develop them

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Early numeracy skills: how to develop them

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Early numeracy skills: how to develop them

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Children develop maths and numeracy skills from birth. Build early numeracy skills by counting, sorting, looking at shapes, singing number songs and more.

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Help Your Child Develop Early Math Skills - ZERO TO THREE

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Before they start school, most children develop an understanding of addition and subtraction through everyday interactions. Learn what informal activities give children a head start on early math skills when they start school.

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The science of reading is the body of research focused on how we learn to read. In this Q&A, we respond to several questions about the science of reading in preschool.

What is the science of reading? Why is it important for preschool?

The science of reading is a body of research on reading development, dating back to the 1980s, that emphasizes the science, rather than the commonly held beliefs, about reading. Knowing the science behind reading is critically important today, when nearly one-third of fourth graders are substantially behind their grade level in reading and nearly 10 percent of children in elementary grades have learning disabilities such as dyslexia that can significantly affect reading success.

Why is the science of reading important to know about in early childhood? Because early training of phonological awareness and vocabulary can prevent many reading difficulties from happening in the first place.

The science of reading has focused on five factors critical to future reading success:

phonemic awareness: the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words

vocabulary: the words a child can understand the meaning of and can properly use in conversation

phonics: the ability to match written letters to the sounds of spoken language

fluency: the ability to read words and sentences smoothly, quickly, and with expression

comprehension: the ability to make meaning from what is read

The first two factors are relevant to preschool teaching. Phonics instruction usually begins in kindergarten and continues through second or third grade. Fluency and comprehension instruction usually begin in first grade and continue until the older elementary grades. Let's focus on the two skills that can be taught in preschool: phonemic awareness and vocabulary.

Phonemic awareness is when a child understands the sounds that make up words. There are 44 phonemes in the English language represented by 26 letters. Phonemes are the smallest units of the spoken language. The 44 phonemes can be categorized by consonants, vowels, digraphs (e.g., sh, ch), diphthongs (e.g., oi, ow), and R controlled vowels (in words such as her, horn, cargo).

We can teach the letter sounds to preschoolers quite easily through games and songs. Some favorite songs that help children practice phonemic awareness are "Apples and Bananas" and "Willaby Wallaby Woo." Although many adults focus on teaching letter names in preschool, teaching the letter sounds is also very important at this stage. Teaching letter sounds can be done through reading a letter-sound book or simply stating the sound a letter makes aloud and having the children repeat it together, such as "The letter B says /b/."

Vocabulary can be taught through reading books aloud and having complex conversations in the classroom. A variety of books for read-aloud time is critical for teaching vocabulary. Books with characters that are different culturally or in other ways than the children in your class can expose children to new words and increase their vocabulary more than the everyday language they use in their home and at school. What about a book about farm life, if your school is in the city, or a book about the animals of South America, or a book about working at the post office? All these books are going to expose your students to new words that you can define and talk about, leading to a bigger vocabulary for each child.

Are we pushing first-grade and kindergarten curriculum down to preschool?

We can look to the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS) for guidance and find language arts standards intended specifically for children ages 3, 4, and 5. According to the IELDS, young children should be able to

demonstrate increasing competence in oral communication (listening and speaking).

demonstrate understanding and enjoyment of literature.

demonstrate interest in and understanding of informational text.

demonstrate increasing awareness of and competence in emergent reading skills and abilities (e.g., recognizing and naming some letters of the alphabet, blending sounds of words aloud with help, recognizing rhyming words).

demonstrate increasing awareness of and competence in emergent writing skills and abilities (e.g., scribbling, writing letters, and drawing).

Preschoolers don't need to be able to read, although some may read at an early age. In a high-quality early childhood program, preschoolers learn from a language-rich environment. In this environment,

read-alouds are frequent and fun.

many oral language games are played and children's vocabularies grow.

children know how to hold a book, flip the pages, and treat it with care.

children know that words on a page have meaning.

children can communicate to get their wants and needs met.

Preschoolers do need play. Children should have a balance of play and more structured activities such as read-alouds, singing and rhyming songs, and other oral language activities. When learning in this way, all activities feel like play for young children, who will grow and develop in their language arts skills.

What can I do as a preschool teacher to support early literacy using the science of reading?

At the preschool stage, oral language, especially phonemic awareness and vocabulary, are the most critical skills to develop. Most of the activities to support the science of reading in preschool require no more materials than you and the children. Worksheets, handouts, and paper are not needed. High-quality children's books are recommended for reading to highlight these concepts :

Rhyming and alliteration: Read aloud every day, especially stories with rhyming and alliteration. For example, nursery rhymes can be a fun way to introduce rhyming. Predictable books often feature patterns and sequences that appeal to young children.

Singing and vocabulary: Sing finger-play songs such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with children and talk about the new vocabulary in the song. "Twinkle, what do you think that word means? To sparkle in the sky? Yes, that's a great definition! Twinkle is to sparkle! Let's make a twinkle motion with our hands. Wow, you are all twinkling!"

First sound awareness: Practice letter sounds together with initial sounds of short words. "The first sound we hear in the word cat is /k/. Does anything else start with /k/? Yes, cup starts with /k/. Candy starts with /k/, too!"

Syllable segmentation: Segment words into syllables. Try this as you dismiss children from group time. "Jennifer's turn. Let's clap out the sounds in Jennifer's name. JEN-I-FER. How many was that? Yes. Three syllables!"

What can I do at home with my preschool-age child to support early literacy in line with the science of reading?

You can help your child develop their vocabulary and their understanding of language with some simple, daily activities.

Read together: Read books to your child every day. Talk about the characters in the stories and any new words you may come across. "The tiger was riding a train. Isn't that silly? Tigers don't ride on trains! Have you ever seen a tiger? Yes, it is a very big cat!" For ideas for reading and playing games, see our tip sheet The Gift of Words: Reading and Games.

Talk together: Talk a lot! Have conversations. Talk about what you see when you are out and about. Try to have a back-and-forth conversation, taking turns to talk a few times. The longer and more turn-taking in your conversation, the more growth you will see with your child's language skills.

Notice things: Notice signs and words in your environment. "That is the sign for the bakery. Do you know what it says? Alberta Bakery!"

Emphasize your child's name: Help your child recognize their written name. "You drew a wonderful picture of the dog. Would you like me to write your name on the bottom? Max. M-A-X, that's your name!"

Additional skills and habits to help your preschool-age child get ready to read can be found in our tip sheet Fun at Home with Preschoolers: Getting Ready to Read!

What literacy skills might a kindergarten teacher expect from young children coming into their classroom?

Children who begin kindergarten have a wide variety of abilities and prior experiences with school environments and formal learning. Not all children attend preschool or prekindergarten, so kindergarten may be a child's first school experience.

Many kindergarten teachers say that it is beneficial that a child knows how to follow two- or three-step directions, knows how to communicate their wants and needs, and has some social skills such as waiting for a turn and sharing toys with others. Knowing some letter sounds, some letter names, and being able to identify their written name also are helpful skills.

As the school year approaches, here are some activities that families can do to be prepared for kindergarten.

IEL Resources

Tip Sheets

Blogs

Tool Kit: Helping Young Children Get Ready to Read

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The Science of Reading in Preschool | Illinois Early Learning Project

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The science of reading is the body of research focused on how we learn to read. In this Q&A, we respond to several questions about the science of reading in preschool.

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Amy R. Napoli, Early Childhood Extension Specialist

Victoria J. Johnson, Graduate Student

Reading aloud to children has been identified as the single most important activity for preparing children to become readers. Reading to children at a young age has many benefits. There are different styles of reading that can encourage children's early language and prereading skills. This NebGuide introduces a specific strategy-dialogic reading-that caregivers (i.e., parents and teachers) can use to promote children's prereading and language skills.

The Importance of Early Reading

Reading with children early in life benefits them in many ways, including promoting their school readiness skills. In fact, children who are read to at home at least three times per week are nearly twice as likely to score in the top 25% of reading scores compared with children who are read to less than that. Reading aloud to children helps them develop a variety of skills. It helps them learn new words, exposes them to new ideas, helps develop language skills, strengthens their reading comprehension, and encourages their imagination. Each of these skills is important as children develop more advanced skills and become readers. Reading with children promotes important language and prereading skills while also supporting the bond caregivers share with children.

Prereading skills: skills that help children prepare for reading. This includes things like knowing how to hold a book, knowing the names of letters, and being able to identify rhyming words.

What is Dialogic Reading?

One way to enhance reading experiences with young readers and encourage prereading skills is by using dialogic reading. Dialogic reading is a style of reading in which the child takes the lead and becomes the storyteller. The caregiver listens, asks questions, and follows the child's interests. Having the child lead may feel unnatural at first, but with some practice, it can easily be incorporated into reading routines. Dialogic reading promotes vocabulary and prereading skills and may help engage children who have a hard time sitting down and listening to a book. The caregiver engages in dialogic reading by encouraging the child to talk, and using modeling and expanding strategies. When used while considering the child's abilities and interests, dialogic reading can assist in the development of prereading skills.

Encouraging children to be the storyteller. Perhaps the most unnatural aspect of this type of book reading is encouraging children who cannot yet read to be "readers." In dialogic reading, adults support children in taking the lead instead of the adult leading. Allowing young children to be in charge during storybook reading can foster their interest in books. This may feel more natural if a familiar book is used. Dialogic reading emphasizes repeated readings of the same book. Children can take the lead more with each reading as they become more familiar and comfortable with a book. More challenging prompts can also be introduced with each reading.

When children become the storytellers, it provides a unique opportunity for caregivers to engage with children on their level. Whether children are hesitant or confident in telling the story, showing an interest in their version of the story reinforces their ability to take an active role. Following children's lead in this process is an important way of encouraging them-if children want to take the story in a particular direction, going along with it and asking questions can maintain their interest. Taking the lead can happen in simple ways, such as the child pointing to and naming pictures or telling their version of the story using their own words. Allowing children to interact with books in this way can increase their positive association with reading and give them a feeling of accomplishment.

Caregiver as an active listener. Playing the role of listener looks very different when the roles of adults and children are switched. Although the adult's most important job becomes listening, this listening role is a very active one. It includes asking questions and responding in ways that encourage children to continue engaging with the story. It also includes providing feedback to introduce or reinforce vocabulary or to help the child to think deeper about the story. Active listening facilitates the interaction and models skills that can promote reading comprehension.

The most important part of being an active listener is making the reading experience fun. Interacting with the book as the storyteller should be an enjoyable experience for the child. For instance, taking turns where the adult reads one page and the child the next can be a fun activity. Active listening can also mean offering help when needed, such as suggesting the right word if the child seems stuck or leading the child with a question such as, "Where do you think they will go?"

Active listening can also be a great way to expand children's vocabulary. When children name an object or have an idea, repeating what they say reinforces the correct use of the word and builds their confidence in using it again. After repeating the child's word, caregivers can offer new vocabulary, such as, "Yes, that is a lion. He is looking at the elephant. Can you say elephant?"

Repeating, expanding, and modeling. Repeating and expanding on what children say during reading not only shows them that the adult is interested, it also exposes them to more words. Essentially, it is all about responding to children in meaningful ways. Repeating the idea is a good way to introduce new vocabulary. For example, if the child says, "He climbed all the way to the top of the mountain," replying with, "You are right. He climbed all the way to the peak " reinforces what the child said and also demonstrates the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Providing additional description is also a good way to expand. The child might say, "They climbed up the tree" and the adult can expand by replying, "Yes, two children climbed up the tall, green tree."

When a child says something, the caregiver can take it a step further by modeling language, introducing new vocabulary, or expanding on what the child has said. This promotes language development and helps children learn new words. For example, if a child identifies a picture of a dog, the caregiver can respond in several ways:

Repeat the word ("Yes, that is a dog!")

Offer new words ("That kind of dog is a Labrador")

Add information ("He looks like he is hungry for that bone")

Connect to the child's experience ("We saw a dog like that at the park last week")

Highlight differences ("This dog is black. Where is the white dog?")

Asking questions is another great way of expanding and modeling. Questions not only show interest in children's comments, they also give examples of how to dive deeper into the story and help the child make meaningful connections (e.g., "I see the dog! Do you think he is going to eat that bone?").

Asking questions. Asking questions can be a powerful tool for skill development. Questions can provide a way to guide and encourage the child through storytelling, naming objects, increasing vocabulary, and developing prereading skills. It might be a little tricky at first to know what kinds of questions to ask, how to structure them, and when to use them. With some practice, coming up with and asking questions will get easier and feel more natural. In fact, dialogic reading is easiest when interacting naturally and following children's cues.

Caregivers can ask more complex questions as the child's ability to respond increases. For instance, younger children respond well to "what" questions, such as asking them to name pictures in the book ("What is this?") or simple questions about the story ("What will the boy do next?"). Simple questions focused on the pictures or the story can help increase vocabulary and thinking skills that build foundations for reading. As children mature, more challenging questions and prompts to promote comprehension can be asked. Examples of dialogic reading prompts and age-appropriate questions are provided in Table 1. The provided ages are general guidelines. Caregivers should be aware that some children benefit from certain prompts at ages other than those recommended.

Table 1. Reading Prompts for Different Ages

Providing feedback. Feedback is an important way to encourage children and can be given throughout the reading activity in different ways. Feedback can reinforce children's correct answers and gently redirect their incorrect responses. Caregivers can provide feedback by asking questions that guide children in the right direction, repeating the child's words, and providing encouragement.

Positively responding to a child's attempts encourages the child to participate in the activity with greater motivation and confidence. Specific praise and encouragement can help children associate accomplishment with the activity. For example, praise like, "Pterodactyl is a big word! I'm impressed you can say it so well!" may encourage children to try to say other new words. While specific praise is especially helpful for learning, general praise can also be appropriate. "That was a great story you just shared-I loved it!" is simple but encourages children's engagement.

What about when the child is incorrect or does not know the answer? A response to an incorrect response, such as misnaming a picture in the book, does not need to feel discouraging. Caregivers can correct the child while still praising their efforts. For example, "That does look like a cat with its pointy ears, but this is actually a dog. It's a funny looking dog, isn't it?" If a child is not sure how to respond to a question, the caregiver can offer an answer, ask the child to repeat it, and ask a follow-up question. For example, "This is a hippopotamus. Can you say hippopotamus? What does the hippopotamus look like?"

Another thing to keep in mind is that children vary in their creativity, often increasing their use of imagination as they get older. Following the child's version of the story without judgment or redirecting is important. The main purpose of feedback is to offer positive guidance while keeping the experience fun and satisfying.

Sensitivity to children's developmental level. Being sensitive to children's developmental needs means keeping their attention span and interest in mind. Keeping the experience positive is always the most important goal. Dialogic reading can be matched with children's interests by choosing books about things that they like (or even letting them pick the books themselves!). Often, keeping children's abilities in mind means modeling the activity first and then encouraging children to take the lead as they are interested and able.

Questions should encourage children to engage and should not make them feel like they are being quizzed or evaluated. If a child begins to act frustrated, disinterested, or tired, there are a few things caregivers can do. The caregiver can offer to take turns reading or offer additional support by prompting with simple questions. Tailoring the length of the reading to the interest and developmental level of the child keeps it fun and exciting. The goal is to encourage the child's involvement, not necessarily to get through the entire book.

Another option might be to try a different book. Even at early ages, children demonstrate preferences and are more likely to engage with books that match their interests. It may be necessary to try the activity several different times with different books before it feels like a natural experience.

Dialogic Reading Prompts

Prompts are another way to actively involve children in storytelling. Prompts are ways of encouraging children to use language and to become involved in telling the story. The prompts are not intended to be quizzes with right or wrong answers. Instead, they should be questions that encourage children to become active participants. The prompts listed below are appropriate for most 4-and 5-year-old children.

Completion prompts. To use completion prompts, an adult begins a sentence and leaves it open for the child to complete. For example, the adult might say, "I do not like green eggs and ham . . ." and the child finishes with ". . . I do not like them, Sam-I-Am." Stories that repeat the same sentence throughout the book make this prompt especially effective and fun. Some other examples of these picture books are Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Silly Sally by Audrey Wood. Completion prompts are also great for repeated readings after the child is familiar with a particular story.

Recall prompts. Recall prompts ask the child to remember something that happened in the story. Sometimes it is helpful to turn the pages back and look at that part of the story together. Some good opportunities to use recall prompts are:

At the beginning of a book that has previously been read. For example, "We read this book at Grandma's last week! Do you remember what happened to the bear?"

During a reading, such as, "What did the caterpillar eat to give him a stomachache?"

After reading a story. For instance, "What happened to the cat in that story?"

Open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are prompts that do not have a simple one-or two-word answer. They encourage the child to explain something or provide a more in-depth response. Simple yes/no questions can be expanded by following up with "why?" or "how?" These types of questions encourage children to explain their thinking. Open-ended prompts often focus on illustrations or the plot. Some examples are, "What is happening here?" and "Tell me about what the rabbit is doing."

Wh- prompts. Wh- questions usually begin with what, when, why, where, or how. Similar to open-ended prompts, wh- prompts usually (but not always) require an in-depth response. What questions help build children's vocabulary (e.g., "What is this called?"). How and why questions help develop critical thinking skills (e.g., "How do you think he can fix it?" or "Why is she feeling sad?").

Distancing prompts. Distancing prompts help children relate the story to their own life and experiences. Caregivers might ask children if they have experienced something that the character is experiencing (e.g., "The bear is sad that she can't find her mom. When is a time that you were sad?" or "This is a silly zoo! Do you remember when we went to the zoo? What did you see there?").

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Promoting Young Children's Early Language and Prereading Skills with Dialogic Reading

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Amy R. Napoli, Early Childhood Extension Specialist Victoria J. Johnson, Graduate Student Reading aloud to children has been identified as the single most important activity for preparing children to become readers. Reading to children at a young age has many benefits. There are different styles of reading that can encourage children's early language and prereading skills.

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ABC of Active Reading - Engage students in the story!

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ABC of Active Reading - Engage students in the story!

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Oral language is the foundation of literacy. Pre-kindergarten children are not reading yet, but they are building comprehension skills through listening, the lively back-and-forth of every day conversations, pretend play, and active read alouds where parent and child are having a dialogue about the book.

Parents can develop oral language and comprehension with these activities:

Active every day conversations

Sharing oral stories

Reading books together

Singing and playing rhyming games

Listening games, such as "Simon says"

Dramatic play where your child takes on imaginary roles

One shift that will advance your child's oral language skills

This video is from Home Reading Helper, a resource for parents to elevate children's reading at home provided by Read Charlotte . Find more video, parent activities, printables, and other resources at Home Reading Helper .

Every day conversations with your child are so important! Sometimes those interactions are necessarily brief and direct - "Let's put on your socks and shoes so we can get to the store." Try to also build in open-ended conversations each day - talk that is active, with lots of back-and-forth between you and your child (sometimes called "multi-turn conversations"). You're teaching your child how to take turns listening and speaking, and showing your child that you value their thoughts and ideas.

Ask your children questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer. Some questions that help them to talk more openly are "Why do you think that happened?" "What do we do next?" "What would happen if we did it this way?" "What can we do about that?" "How can we make this better?"

Reading aloud is one of the best ways to help your pre-K child absorb new words. It's also a great way to help young children learn about the world and make connections between their own lives and what's in the book - that helps children see the world with empathy. And last but not least, it's a wonderful time to snuggle up with your child and share the experience of reading and discovery together.

There are so many great nonfiction and informational books for very young kids (such as the popular DK Eyewitness series). Try to include some of these during your next trip to the public library. Even very young children love learning about the real world and are proud to share what they know!

Even a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the grocery store can be a rich learning experience for young children. A child may see an urban bunny for the first time on a walk, and then be able to connect it to stories about rabbits. These personal connections help children connect what they read with what they know - a powerful way to build comprehension skills!

Try these oral language comprehension activities at home

Walk and talk

When you take a walk through your neighborhood, encourage your child to point out things she sees and to talk about them. React to her observations, ask open-ended questions (who, what, why, where, when, how), and add your own observations to encourage a lively conversation. During the walk you might want to stop and say, "Listen, what can you hear?" Or if you hear a familiar sound, stop and say, "Do you hear that knocking sound? What do you think that could be? Maybe it's a woodpecker -​ let's look up and see if we can spot the bird."

Act it out

Read stories such as The Three Bears or Three Billy Goats Gruff. Act out the stories using different-sized stuffed animals. This is a great opportunity to talk about the concepts of "small, medium, and large." Go on a scavenger hunt in your home to find other objects of different sizes (shoes, socks, cups, etc.) and ask your child to classify the items by size. You might also ask your child if he knows another word for small and large.

Sing it

Create or learn songs to expand your child's vocabulary. One idea: make up songs to describe your daily routines, periodically adding new verses that include new vocabulary words.

Listening games

Play "I Spy" with your child using words that describe an object's position. ("I spy something on the carpet, in front of the couch, next to the dog.") Play games such as "Red-Light Green-Light," "Mama, Puedo," and "Simon Says" that require talking, listening, following directions, and giving directions.

Grocery store literacy

Position words are used every day at home and in preschool. Use the items on the grocery shelf to give your child practice finding something above their belly button, below their nose, on the bottom shelf, and between other items on a shelf. Opportunities to use superlatives, those little endings that help describe size, are all around the grocery store. Have your child find a big fruit, a bigger fruit and the biggest fruit in the produce section. What's the smallest item in the cart? The largest item?

Kitchen conversations

Take advantage of daily activities. For example, while in the kitchen, encourage your child to name the utensils needed. Discuss the food you'll be eating, their color, texture, and taste. Where does the food come from? Which foods do you like? Which do you dislike? Who will clean up? Emphasize the use of prepositions by asking him or her to put the napkin on the table, in your lap, or under the spoon. Identify who the napkin belongs to: "It is my napkin." "It is Daddy's." "It is John's."

We're going on an adventure

Ask your child to draw a map of an imaginary place he would like to explore. Have him tell you a little bit about the setting and who might live there. If you like, you can dress up (sometimes a hat or cardboard tube spyglass is all you need) and set out on your adventure. Encourage your child to tell you all about the journey and what he's experiencing. Your child will love it if you are "all in" for this imaginary journey!

Active reading

Model active reading when you read with your child. Talk about what's happening as you're reading. Stop and discuss any interesting or tricky vocabulary words. Help your child make pictures of the story in his mind. Ask your child, "What just happened here? How do you think that character feels? Have you ever felt like that? What do you think will happen next?" Not only will this develop your child's comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Tell me about it

After a read aloud, one of the best and easiest ways to check for understanding is to ask your child to summarize what the book was about in their own words. You can ask a question or two to help your child clarify her thinking or to add more detail.

Family stories

This is a wonderful activity for a family picnic or for a rainy day when you're snuggled together on the couch. Share a favorite story about your childhood or a family story that's been passed down from generation to generation. Use vivid language and details about people, places, and things. Funny or scary will really get your child's attention! Your child will probably have lots of questions, which keeps the storytelling alive. You could also ask your child if she has a favorite family story of her own.

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Oral Language Comprehension: Activities for Your Pre-K Child

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Pre-K children are actively absorbing spoken language and experiences to make sense of the world around them. Engaging in rich conversations about everyday things and reading lots of stories are two terrific ways to help young children strengthen oral language skills and comprehension.

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Reading comprehension refers to the ability to understand what one reads. It is the ultimate goal of reading instruction.

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“I am a teacher.”

These four words, written by an author in this issue, hold so much meaning. To proclaim “I am a teacher” represents both a unique and also a shared journey.

Some educators knew they wanted to teach early in life. Others discovered their passion for education later on, after exploring other avenues. While each has their own journey, becoming an effective early childhood educator depends on coordinated and sustained supports at many levels—individual, community, and societal. There are challenges and complexities in each layer, but every piece of the process contributes to the formation of an educator who engages in developmentally appropriate and equitable practices.

NAEYC’s role in supporting the preparation of the current and future early childhood workforce is multi-faceted, and the organization is committed to addressing the components and challenges at each level. While the articles in this cluster focus on the practices professional preparation programs are implementing, there are important structures and supports that must be in place in order for programs to accomplish this work.

The Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession significantly informs NAEYC’s higher education agenda. It acknowledges the complexities of educating, strengthening, and supporting the early childhood workforce and designates higher education as the primary pipeline for that workforce. In doing so, the Unifying Framework recognizes that—like early childhood educators—the early childhood education professional preparation programs in higher education have been under-resourced and under-valued for decades. They need and deserve significant infrastructure and support if they are to prepare students in professional standards and competencies, obtain professional accreditation or recognition, and support seamless postsecondary pathways.

Toward that end, there are four areas of infrastructure that need attention:

faculty supports (access to professional development and faculty:student ratios comparable to other clinical professions in the institution)

program supports (access to quality field sites, access to technology and data systems to follow and support students’ progress)

student supports (mentoring and advising, programs that offer cohort models and flexible delivery models)

investment and engagement from higher education leaders

With the release of the Unifying Framework and the "Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators" position statement in March 2020, NAEYC’s Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs prioritized aligning the higher education accreditation standards to these new guidelines. The standards also needed to reflect both NAEYC’s updated "Developmentally Appropriate Practice" position statement and its new "Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education" position statement. Through a standards workgroup comprised of stakeholders within and outside the accreditation system as well as through engagement with and feedback from the early childhood higher education community, the Commission released new standards in October 2021 for programs pursuing NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation.

These standards represent a significant shift in structure from the previous ones, as they now focus on evaluating program design elements rather than using practitioner competencies as the standards. This shift was made to better articulate what is expected of early childhood education professional preparation programs to meet the accreditation standards. The new standards elevate the important infrastructure that needs to be in place for programs to effectively prepare early childhood educators.

There are now six standards that address essential components of high-quality professional preparation programs:

Standard A: Program Identity, Candidates, Organization, and Resources

Standard B: Faculty Characteristics and Quality, Professional Responsibilities, and Professional Development

Standard C: Program Design and Evaluation

Standard D: Developing Candidate Proficiency in the Professional Standards and Competencies

Standard E: Ensuring Candidate Proficiency in the Professional Standards and Competencies

Standard F: Field Experience Quality

While the standards have been organized around elements of program design, each standard points back to how the specific elements promote students’ knowledge and application of the "Professional Standards and Competencies." For example, Standard C focuses on the cohesiveness of the program of study, advising supports for students, and the ways in which programs are supporting transfer/articulation/partnerships to offer seamless pathways. In Standard F, programs demonstrate how they organize and sequence field experiences to provide opportunities for students to observe and practice the competencies described in the "Professional Standards and Competencies."

This cluster of Young Children articles focuses on impactful practices for teacher educators and preparation programs related to syllabi, course assignments, and class activities as well as clinical and field experiences. The primary students of focus are different from a typical cluster in Young Children—teacher candidates rather than young children. Each article presents research and recommendations that connect to educators across the continuum of professional development and settings.

To begin the cluster, Sarah Garrity and Camille Catlett offer a framework for "Preparing Equitable and Inclusive Early Childhood Educators: Three Evidence-Based Strategies." Along with describing each strategy, the authors share detailed vignettes and examples of how a program chair used each one to improve and refine their courses and program to align with developmentally appropriate practice (DAP).

Next, Christine Lux, Nanci L. Red Bird, and Allison B. Wilson examine efforts to "Identify, Apply, and Reflect: Supporting Early Childhood Teacher Candidates Through Innovative Field Experiences." The authors outline the intentional practices that have been developed and implemented at multiple universities in their state to attain this goal.

Exploring the connection between coursework and practice, Kathy Danko-McGhee and Pamela Chibucos write about "Baby Steps: Using Service Learning to Integrate Art, Literacy, and Reflection with Infants and Families." Through a partnership with a local organization, prospective educators engaged in service learning to foster art and literacy experiences in their community.

Miriam Packard, Carolyn Brennan, Gail E. Joseph, and Katharine Emerson-Hoss describe "The Power of Video Analysis: Developing Professional Vision and Anti-Bias Practices for Pre- and In-service Teachers." The authors explain each component of the Video Analysis Framework they created to encourage focused observation, identifying and disrupting bias, and accurately interpreting interactions in early childhood settings. The authors themselves are continuing to think about and reflect on identifying and disrupting bias related to race, as seen in their accompanying authors’ note.

The last two cluster articles examine critical issues related to race in early childhood teacher education. "Toward Pro-Black Early Childhood Teacher Education," written by Meir Muller, Eliza G. Braden, Susi Long, Gloria Swindler Boutte, and Kamania Wynter-Hoyte, presents the authors’ collective work and some of the specific practices—including readings and videos, course assignments, and class activities—they use to prepare anti-racist, pro-Black future educators. They too recognize the importance of how race is represented in text and provide rationales for their decisions in an authors’ note.

Conrad Oh-Young, Jennifer Buchter, Delilah Krasch, Jenny Chiappe, Jun Ai, Shin Silver, Heather Bae, and Neal Nghia Nguyen close out the cluster with "Diversifying the Workforce: Increasing the Number of Asian Americans in Early Childhood Education." Intertwining their own professional experiences with research, the authors demonstrate a significant need and offer recommendations for recruiting and retaining Asian American teacher candidates in higher education programs.

From recruitment to degree completion and licensure, higher education faculty, staff, administrators, and clinical partners each contribute to the development of individual and cohorts of educators. Guided by state, national, and professional standards and with a deep dedication of their own, those who prepare teachers have the privilege of educating those who educate and care for young children. We hope that, whatever your role in this process, you find inspiration and practical steps to take in this issue.

Annie Moses,
YC Editor in Chief

Mary Harrill,
Senior Director Higher Education

Ms. Diuguid’s class of 2- and 3-year-olds explores with pastel paints. This is one of many art and sensory explorations done in her classroom to foster development across domains. As she shares, “Much of what we do is process with no product in sight.”

Is your classroom full of children’s artwork? To feature it in Young Children, see the link at the bottom of the page or email editorial@naeyc.org for details.

We’d love to hear from you!

Send your thoughts on this issue, and on topics you’d like to read about in future issues of Young Children, to editorial@naeyc.org.
Would you like to see your children’s artwork featured in these pages? For guidance on submitting print-quality photos (as well as details on permissions and licensing), see NAEYC.org/resources/pubs/authors-photographers/photos.

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This cluster of Young Children articles focuses on impactful practices for teacher educators and preparation programs related to syllabi, course assignments, and class activities as well as clinical and field experiences.

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A Little SPOT Educator Guide Interactive

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Early Childhood: Learning about Holidays

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Early Childhood: Learning about Holidays

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Early Childhood: Learning about Holidays

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Teaching for Change carefully selects the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

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Teaching for Change - Anti Bias Education for Young Children

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Teaching for Change - Anti Bias Education for Young Children

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Anti-bias curriculum is an approach to early childhood education that sets forth values-based principles and methodology in support of respecting and embracing differences and acting against bias and unfairness. Anti-bias teaching requires critical thinking and problem solving by both children and adults. The overarching goal is creating a climate of positive self and group identity development, through which every child will achieve her or his fullest potential.

The book, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards, offers practical guidance to early childhood educators (including parents) for confronting and eliminating barriers of prejudice, misinformation, and bias about specific aspects of personal and social identity; most importantly, it includes tips for adults and children to respect each other, themselves, and all people. Below you will find recommended books for young children, teachers, and parents for each chapter as well as additional resources on anti-bias themes and topics.

Readers may also be interested in Freedom Reads: Anti-Bias Book Talk, our new video series for parents, caregivers, and educators, available at SocialJusticeBooks.org.

Books

Recommended booklists that accompany the best selling NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) publication Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.

Film

" Reflecting on Anti-Bias Education in the Early Years " is available for educators to stream for free. This 48-minute film is produced with the guidance of Louise Derman-Sparks, this resource offers the four interrelated goals of anti-bias education, along with a viewer guidebook. The film shifts the focus away from the talking heads of experts and on to the voices of teachers committed to equity on a daily basis. By taking viewers into diverse early childhood classrooms, the film seeks to demonstrate the importance of teacher reflection on identity, context, and practice in anti-bias education and provides a much-needed resource for teacher education and professional development.

In addition, a 1990 companion film to the book Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves is available for free viewing on Youtube.

Articles

Article Collections
Available in English and Spanish
DC Educators for Social Justice

Teaching for Change has an initiative to help build and nurture a network of social justice educators in the D.C. metro area. Teachers in the D.C. Metro area are welcome to apply to join the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group. Learn more.

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Anti-Bias Education - Teaching for Change

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Anti-bias curriculum is an approach to early childhood education that sets forth values-based principles and methodology in support of respecting and embracing differences and acting against bias and unfairness. Anti-bias teaching requires critical thinking and problem solving by both children and adults. The overarching goal is creating a climate of positive self and group identity ...

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The film, Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years (48 minutes), produced by Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo, features vignettes of anti-bias strategies in early childhood classrooms interspersed with teachers reflecting on their practice. Debbie and John partnered with filmmaker Filiz Efe McKinney of Brave Sprout Productions to create a film that shifts the focus away from the talking heads of experts and on to the voices of teachers committed to equity on a daily basis. By taking viewers into diverse early childhood classrooms, the film seeks to demonstrate the importance of teacher reflection on identity, context, and practice in anti-bias education and provides a much-needed resource for teacher education and professional development.

The film has received numerous awards including the Silver Prize for Documentary Feature (2021) in the Social Justice Film Festival and a nomination for Northwest Regional Emmy® (2022) in the category of diversity, equity, and inclusion - long form content.

The film can be streamed at the screen image above at no charge for professional development and educational purposes. Please review information about the use of the film. The film has closed captions in English, Spanish, and Chinese (simplified characters) which can be turned on by clicking on the CC button to the bottom right of the screen. A Guidebook (available in Spanish and English) provides additional background and resources, and poses provocations and questions for reflection about each vignette in the film. The Official Trailer (3 minutes) is available for promotional purposes.

There is no "one way" to implement anti-bias education. The four anti-bias goals help guide the work. This approach involves critical thinking and a deep understanding of the complexity of the issues and the context of your community. The film is a provocation to generate dialogue about how to bring this approach into your practice.

Louise Derman-Sparks is the film's senior advisor. The film's theoretical and research framework is based on her co-authored books, Anti-Bias Education for Our Children and Ourselves (with Julie Olsen-Edwards and Catherin Goins ) and Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change (with Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo).

Read the latest news about the film
See Awards and Festivals

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Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years

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The Film: Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years

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Beyond Behaviors - Presentation with Olivia

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Beyond Behaviors - Presentation with Olivia

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3 Tips for Getting Started with Nature-Based Learning— Rachel Larimore

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Reggio Emilia - Inspiration for Classroom Environment and Activities

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Reggio Emilia - Inspiration for Classroom Environment and Activities

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Cultivating Confidence - Early Years Consultancy

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Cultivating Confidence - Early Years Consultancy

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Reggio Inspired Classroom Organization Ideas

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Day in the Life of an Early Childhood Educator

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Day in the Life of an Early Childhood Educator

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Day in the life of an Early Childhood Educator

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Loose Part Play Ideas - Invitation to Play

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Loose Part Play Ideas - Invitation to Play

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Cultivating Confidence - Early Years Consultancy

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Loose Parts Play Ideas For Invitations To Play

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Cultivating Confidence - Early Years Consultancy

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Intelligent Materials - Play, Art and Literacy

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Intelligent Materials - Play, Art and Literacy

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Webinar: Inspiring Higher-Level Thinking in Young Children

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Comprehension growth begins at a young age as children learn how to listen and understand. This early type of comprehension is most often called oral or listening comprehension and is typically divided into two types: inferential and literal. The former includes transferable strategic skills, such as predicting, inferencing, and making connections to prior knowledge, and this type of early comprehension instruction predicts successful reading comprehension in elementary students (Duffy et al., 1987). The latter often includes explicit knowledge and vocabulary instruction during reading (Zucker et al., 2013), or concrete questions about texts (e.g., How many cookies did Elmo eat?). Preschool teachers do not often consider inferences when planning book discussions (Scheiner & Gorsetman, 2009). However, when teachers' read-alouds promote comprehension strategies, young children are able to construct meaning, particularly when books are purposely selected to support such strategic comprehension (Mohr et al., 2022; Wright et al., 2022).