How Do You Teach Letters Without Using Letter Of The Week?

Letter of the week has long been a popular way for preschool teachers to introduce letters and letter recognition to their little learners.

Typically, the letter of the week is structured by introducing one letter, and then for the next few days, the teacher reviews the letter at group time. Sometimes a craft or worksheet focusing on that same letter is also integrated.

Although it can be convenient, studies are consistently showing how this method is not the most effective way to introduce letters and literacy.

This doesn’t mean that teachers haven’t seen results from this practice, but it does mean that there are more developmentally appropriate and impactful ways to teach them.

Children are constantly learning so there’s no reason to isolate opportunities to learn letters throughout their day.

With the letter of the week method, children are expected to retain information for that week’s letter plus the previous letters with only a small time frame to master the new information they had been given.

There’s little time for the children to explore the other letters in-depth, no opportunity for real-world applications, and individualizing these lessons are rare, if done at all, because LOTW is usually introduced during large group or as a craft.

We miss the opportunity to tie literacy into their everyday experiences by limiting exposure and making children reliant on the teacher to feed them the information.

But how exactly do you help students learn their letters and letter recognition if you’re not using letter of the week?

It’s important to know that there are certain pre-literacy skills children need to learn first.

Simply being able to memorize a letter or repeat after you won’t be helpful for the child when they begin attempting to learn how to read, write and spell.

They need to understand things like the concept of print (ex: reading left to right for English readers or in whatever direction is correct for their native language), phonological awareness (hearing the difference in sounds), and narrative capabilities (ex: this happened first, then this happened next).

Activities like reading to them on a regular basis while pointing, emphasizing sounds while speaking, singing phonological rich songs, rhyming songs and poems, making animal noises while playing, etc can help build these skills.

Integrate these learning opportunities throughout their day and classroom. You can do this by:

• Having meaningful books available and accessible (not just limited to the Library center)

• Reading to them frequently, one-on-one and in a group

• Labeling your classroom and the materials

• Pointing out letters and sounds in conversation

• Having conversations with children and avoiding “baby talk” (such as using words like diape-y instead of diaper)

In younger classrooms don’t feel pressured to have them know the full alphabet forward and backward. focus on strengthening those preliteracy skills.

Introducing Letters

When it comes to learning, young children learn best through hands-on and interactive opportunities and play.

To learn more about this you can check out our free training “What If We Stopped Having Circle Time”

Integrating letters into their everyday play and being able to physically touch and interact with materials helps them understand and retain the information.

This is the difference between rote learning vs active learning.

Rote learning they’re simply repeating A, B, and C out of habit or memorization. Which isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes children pick up on letters through repetition.

For example, when they see their name next to their picture - they might not have decoded the individual letters yet, but they’ve come to memorize those lines paired with their face and now understand that must be their written name.

This is good! As mentioned before understanding print has meaning and significance, and it’s also different from drawings, is a preliteracy skill.

It becomes a problem when rote learning methods like flashcards and singling the alphabet every day is the only way children get information. And LOTW doesn’t delve any further than showing and memorizing in most curricula.

We want to make sure children aren’t just repeating the letters, but understanding their function so that they can move on to blending sounds, learning language rules, and spelling.

Hands-on activities and play help cement true understanding, and when we embed these opportunities into their whole day, as supposed to limiting it to a single moment like circle or crafts, then we can expand and present more opportunities to explore letters and a variety of them too - not just the dedicated letter for that week.

Ideas for fun and hands-on activities:

• Tracing letters in shaving cream, sand, or rice trays

• Creating Letter soup by mixing letter tiles in a bowl

• Sculpting letters with playdoh or clay

• Creating letters with natural materials (leaves, twigs, pebbles)

• Letter-matching blocks, stickers, puzzles, etc

• Letter scavenger hunts

• Cutting letters and words out of magazines

• Letter hopscotch or bean bag toss

• Creating letter collages

Have these activities scattered throughout your different centers during free play.

Examples of this could be having the letter soup recipe in dramatic play, a letter-matching puzzle in manipulatives, and letter blocks in the block center.

Doing these activities spontaneously might not feel like “teaching” but children are natural learners and they’re absorbing information in those small moments.

Learning isn’t an isolated experience that only happens at circle time; it can happen during centers, snack, potty time, any time really!

Don’t hesitate to read the shelf labels out loud as you’re cleaning up, spell out things as you’re writing in front of children, point out when items have matching sounds (“Apple and Alison have the same sounds!”), and mention letters and words as you see them.

Start with their name.

Another preliteracy skill children need is the motivation to read, and introducing children to the letters in their name first can be a great way to get them excited about learning their letters.

Here are 5 ways to introduce their name:

1. Have parents label all of their belongings and teachers label their cubby. When it’s time to put away something or grab an item out of their cubby point out the label. Show the child the label on their lunch box also matches the one on their cubby. When it’s potty time you can ask something like “Can you grab me one of your pull-ups out of your cubby? It has your name on it. It starts with ‘A’”.

2. Have children “sign in” by circling their names in the morning or scribbling in a box next to their names. For really young kids you can also put their picture next to their name to help them identify it. As their skills develop remove the picture so they have to just identify their name.

3. Let them sign their own artwork. You can write their name, but encourage them to write it too.

4. Have cards with their name in different centers. You can put a small basket of cards with their names written on it in the manipulatives and children sort through it to find their own name, or laminate cards with their name and place it in the art center. See what the children feel inspired to create!

5. Use name cards. You can have children grab their name card and place it on the table where they want to sit for lunch, grab their card and sit down for morning affirmation, or use it to hold their spot if they’d like to ask for permission for something that is monitored. For example: if only three kids can fit at the sensory table at once, they can grab their name card and put it down to show they’d like to use it next when a spot is open.

You’ll be amazed at just how much children can pick up without an adult having to explicitly teach them.

Remember, learning for children is very organic and spontaneous so while you might not be doing flashcards or letter crafts, if you’re intentional about conversations, the materials in your classroom, and seeking out these opportunities while they play, you’ll see just how much learning they do!

Preparing Your PreK Class for the Holiday Chaos

October has rolled around which also means the holidays are also on their way.

During the holiday season though, teachers often experience that their classroom suddenly turns abnormally chaotic.

There seem to be more whining, tantrums, and children start testing their limits more than they normally might.

Although a little disruption is normal during this time, we can minimize the impact the holidays have on our classroom by being proactive.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as the holiday season approaches.

Expect some restlessness, emotional meltdowns, and testing behavior.

Children tend to absorb the energy around them and the holidays certainly make people busy and excited. Also, it can be a busy and even stressful time for families filled with family trips, activities, and events.

This means your students are probably seeing changes in their schedules and routines, such as staying up later than they normally would for a fall festival or having relatives visiting their homes.

These events and changes can be a lot of fun for children, but also stressful and tiring.

Tired and overwhelmed little ones may misbehave, become emotional, or even shy away or refuse to participate in classroom activities in an attempt to escape the busyness.

They’re not “being bad”, they’re stressed.

You can help your students by making sure your own classroom isn’t overly busy with endless activities and by trying to stay consistent with your routines.

For example, having your “party” at the same time you’d normally have a snack can reduce disruption.

Remember to plan with your students in mind.

The holidays always bring a whole new level of inspiration for fun activities and crafts for the classroom, but be mindful that you’re not getting swept up in the excitement and forcing activities, especially when it comes to process art.

We can become so excited about making cute handprint turkeys and Santa beards to display and send home to parents that we don’t remember that for children, the process and experience prior to the finished project are where their learning really happens.

And they might not want anything to do with the craft altogether.

Make sure you’re giving your students plenty of time to explore and enjoy their art and crafts and that they still have plenty of open exploration too.

An indicator that your kids might not be enjoying the activities is if they start resisting participating. Don’t be afraid to give a child who’s not interested permission to do something else or opt-out.

Also be mindful of overplanning events such as parties, parades, and performances and their lengths.

Plan for more Gross Motor activities and whole-body movement play.

Depending on where you live the weather can be having a serious impact on your ability to take your students outside, and sometimes they’re only able to be outside for a limited amount of time.

All of that energy that they’d normally be able to release by running around the playground is hard for little ones to contain.

As a result, you might find them running around, wrestling, and becoming overall antsier in the classroom.

You can try to buffer some of this extra energy by planning lots of gross motor games and having more activities that require whole-body movement. Here are a few ideas:

• Incorporate more dance and movement outside of group time

• Create an indoor hopscotch

• Make a large road around the classroom that they can move cars around

• Have a separate group time for stretching and yoga

• Provide weighted blocks and large, weighted toys for their center activities

• Rotate through calming sensory bins

• Have large yoga balls and balancing beams available indoors for them to use

• Take small groups on small walks around the school

Be flexible with your plans.

Maybe you had planned to make mummies or paint pumpkins for that day but you can’t seem to get your kids to sit still long enough to even get the paint out.

If it’s become more stressful than fun for you and/or the kids, it’s okay to change plans.

There’s really no point in insisting on completing the activity if you’re spending 80% of that time redirecting and trying to get them to pay attention.

It’s perfectly fine to reschedule the activity for a different time/day or just drop it altogether and move on.

via GIPHY

Reach out and recruit help.

If you need help, ask for it.

Having an extra hand who can shadow and sit with some of the children that are busy or having a hard time can make all the difference in a classroom, especially during the holidays.

Asking for help during classroom parties or messy activities like playing with pumpkins or baking holiday treats can keep the classroom from spiraling out of control while you’re busy trying to keep the flour in the bowl.

Ask if there’s a floater who you can ask to step into the classroom, or if your assistant director is willing to come in for a little bit with you. You can even recruit parents and help them get involved.

The holidays can bring lots of chaos with them.

With children filling up on treats, staying up past bedtimes, and having to stay indoors because of snow or rain, it can be a bit much.

But it’s also a lot of fun and a great time for special events that you wouldn’t normally do.

With a little bit of planning and forward-thinking, teachers can turn all that extra energy into a lot of fun.

Using Group/Circle Time With Intention: Building Impulse Control

Circle time is a great opportunity to build crucial skills beyond letter recognition in preschoolers that will benefit them in and out of the classroom.

Executive functioning skills are basically the skills we develop to help us with mental processes to focus, plan, follow multi-step instructions, and more.

It’s been compared to an air traffic station for our brains, giving the planes (our thoughts, emotions, and information) direction.

It’s our brain’s ability to intake all of the information and initiate, execute, and complete a task.

These skills were previously assumed to be “built-in” and predetermined at birth, but now we’re learning that we have the ability to strengthen and build these skills, especially during our early years.

How to use group time to build important executive functioning skills in the preschool classroom

Group time/Circle time is a great opportunity to help children build on these skills, including impulse control.

This time is ideal since you’re able to intentionally plan your activities and lessons to help build specific EF (executive functioning) skills.

The two that are particularly useful to help strengthen at this time are impulse control and following directions.

Before we start though I do want to make a quick PSA.

• You can (and should) build these skills outside of circle time.

• Circle time shouldn’t be very long if you chose to have it.

• You actually don’t even need formal circle time at all…

Alright, with that out the way, let’s get started!

Impulse Control:

Impulse control generally refers to the ability to control oneself, especially one’s emotions and desires.

But the ability of a child to resist acting out their impulse is hard.

The ability to resist that impulse when they’re feeling an intense emotion is really hard.

Learning to resist that impulse while emotional, and then redirecting themselves is even harder.

So this is a skill that needs lots of practice and repetition.

Learning impulse control can help when it comes to tasks like cleaning up, sharing with others, and reacting appropriately when feeling big emotions like anger or excitement (i.e. not hitting).

One way to build impulse control? The tried and true recess games:

Games that can help build this skill:

• Simon Says

• Freeze Tag

• What Time is it, Mr. Fox?

• Red Light Green Light

• Teacher, May I?

Building these skills in a group setting can further reinforce these skills because not only does the child have to remain aware of their own actions, but they have to resist the distraction from other friends.

For teachers, this can help reduce the “domino effect” that can happen where one child begins to act out and the others follow.

Another way to help build this impulse control is to have children perform very specific actions within certain parameters.

For example, The “Spaghetti” Game: at your instruction children wiggle different body parts one at a time like it’s spaghetti (arms, then legs, head, etc), and at the end wiggle their whole body.

This allows for kids to be silly and funny but they also have to practice keeping their energy contained by only wiggling one body part at a time.

Also, try games where they have to pass items to someone else or take turns.

Sometimes, during group, we’d bring something fun to observe like a crystal or a souvenir from a recent vacation and let the children hold it. They can observe it for a moment before giving it to the friend sitting next to them to do the same. During this, we’d sing “take a look and pass it on”.

During these types of games, children have to actively resist keeping the item to themselves and regulate their emotions while watching someone else have a turn.

Also, toys like a rainbow tent and having kids wait till you say go before running underneath can help build impulse control when they’re excited.

And of course, music and movement always work.

Songs like the Freeze Dance, Listen and Move, and Going on a Bear Hunt are great songs to practice keeping their energy contained while being excited.

This song has always been a hit in my classroom:

Last tip:

Remember to provide clear instructions and expectations for these games so they understand what’s expected of them.

For the most part, most children simply recognize these games as a fun way to “get their wiggles out” and don’t know you’re building important skills in them. ;-)

ENJOYED THIS POST? DON'T FORGET TO PIN AND SHARE WITH OTHER TEACHERS!

5 Ways to Encourage Parent Support in the Classroom

It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes one to teach them as well.

Being an early childhood educator can be challenging and it helps immensely when there’s a supportive team in your corner.

Unfortunately, it’s not always an automatic response for parents to rally around daycare/preschool teachers and we need to find ways to encourage their support.

The stronger bonds and relationships we can build with parents, the easier it is to help the child succeed in the classroom. This relationship becomes especially important if challenging and difficult behavior arises.

It’s important that parents and teachers not see each other as competing influences in the children’s lives, but as a unit, with both working to ensure the best for the child and their education.

Here are some ways to build strong relationships and encourage parental support in the classroom.

Get the parents involved in the classroom:

A lot of parents have to work long hours, which means leaving their kids to the care of someone else for long periods of time.

It’s easy for parents to feel disconnected from the classroom and what their children are doing because of this.

For some parents, disconnection can result in not understanding how the home environment and parenting effects the child in the classroom and vice versa.  

You may notice a lack of consistency for attendance and/or drop-off times, not taking the concerns of teachers seriously, low engagement for classroom events, and little sense of urgency for requests like evaluations/assessment results or paperwork.

Likewise, that disconnect can sometimes also leave parents feeling like someone is replacing them or trying to overstep their parental position in the child’s life, nitpicking/over-exaggerating, or judging a parent if a teacher is perceived as pushing too hard or delivering difficult information like behavior challenges.

Help parents get involved in the classroom and reconnect with their child’s learning environment by giving them opportunities to volunteer. If they have a way to contribute and be a part of the classroom experience, they’re more likely to feel connected to it.

This way they don’t see it as you on one side, them on the opposite side, and the child alternating between these two sides, but rather a circular relationship.

Although, not every parent will be able to volunteer their time they might be better suited to volunteering their talents or funding. Be sure to offer different ways for parents to contribute.

You can offer parents the chance to:

• Read to the classroom

• Help with classroom events

• Bring in snacks, and classroom materials

• Help with larger projects (like changing classrooms theme or DIY projects)

• Decorate the bulletin board

• Contributing specific skills (like parents who are good with gardening or painting)

• Creating center/lesson materials from home

• Offer special extracurricular activities (like a soccer game, yoga, or music class)

• Help with school events like classroom parties

Parent Teacher Conferences

Even though the children are young, it’s still important we have regular discussions about children and their development, goals, and progress with their parents.

Sometimes the brief 3 minutes we have with parents during pick-up/drop-off times don’t offer the opportunity to discuss things in depth.

Having these conversations can help both teacher and parents gain insight into how the child is doing and what might be impacting certain behaviors and development.

Not only that, it can help parents feel more involved and more included in the decision-making process when teachers are creating lessons and individual goals.

This is the perfect opportunity to help parents gain insight into the inner workings of the classroom, your curriculum, and the expectations you have and hear what the parents are needing from you as well.

Conferences shouldn’t only be to discuss behavior issues either. They can be used to discuss overall progress and growth.

Not all childcare and preschools can have dedicated time to parent-teacher conferences, however, and likewise, not all parents can make it during the day.

Consider pre-planning a day that parents are notified of at the beginning of the year, hosting online conferences with parents over platforms like Skype or Zoom, having a substitute available for teachers if you can’t close the school for a day, or sending out detailed “progress reports” that include a section for parents questions and comments.  

Conferences can also communicate to parents that what children do, even in early childhood classrooms, is still vitally important and you’re a professional.

It’s more than just “daycare”, but important, foundational experiences that will build on their future educational journey.

Open Communication

Outside of “daily reports”, there should be open communication between parents and teachers.

Often, besides “they did well today” there’s no real conversation between parents and teachers. Utilize unique apps like MyKidzDay to engage in meaningful conversation and keep parents in the loop about their child.

Not every day is going to warrant a page-long report about what the child has done, but sharing pictures, having a parent board or a display of children’s work, and newsletters can really help parents feel like they know what’s happening in their child’s day-to-day life at school.

Parent Education Nights/Resources

Teachers can really have a lot of insight that parents might appreciate, and as a teacher sometimes we have access to resources that might be harder for parents to find on their own.

Consider having parent education nights on things parents might be struggling with, have expressed interest in, or would help the teachers and staff out more if the parents were more aware of that topic.

It could be a short 30-minute discussion, informative pamphlets/articles, guest speakers, or information on classes/workshops in the area.

Some good topics could include:

• Positive Discipline

• Stress Management

• Healthy Eating and exercise for young children

• Literacy and reading for young children

• The importance of play

• Resources for single parent/military/blended/etc homes

It’s also good to regularly keep parents informed about the importance of the teachers and their role in the classroom and the children’s lives.

These types of classes are a great way to help parents gain insight into how important early childhood education is and how much their support means.

School Wide Events

When they feel close to other parents and their families, the staff, and everyone as a community, they’re more likely to be invested in the individual classrooms.

Host school-wide events like family picnics, holiday events, garage sales/fundraisers, read-a-thons, and craft days to bring the school together.

Let Them Get To Know You

You don’t have to necessarily be friends with all the parents and caregivers, but building a solid relationship can be key to getting them motivated enough to support you in the classroom.

Have an updated bio about yourself somewhere for parents to see, and connect with them over a similarity or shared experience (ex: if you notice they wear lots of Stranger Things merch you can mention you also enjoy the show or if you’re both from the same state), or share bits of your personality like a silly, appropriate meme on the parent sign in board.

A guest appearance outside of the school environment, such as stopping by the school fundraiser at a frozen yogurt shop, can help parents see you as an individual and not just “Anna’s teacher” and bridge that gap in your relationship with them.

The biggest part of encouraging parent support in the classroom is keeping communication open, and making sure the school's environment is friendly and inclusive of parents.

Take time to truly listen to the parents and their concerns, help educate and include them, and make them feel welcomed and appreciated.  

While we have no control over their parenting decisions and what they do outside of the classroom, we can invite them to be contributors inside the classroom.

It’s not us vs them, but all of us together, to help their child thrive.

Enjoy this post? Don't forget to pin and share with other teachers!

5 Ways to Reduce Preschool Teacher Overwhelm

Being an early childhood teacher is not for the faint of heart or mind.

It requires a lot from someone and the amount of multitasking and demands can easily cause teacher burnout and overwhelm.

Along with the day-to-day tasks of teaching, there’s also a lot of mental workload too.

From lesson planning to state requirements, upcoming assessments, and parent concerns— a parade of worries is seemingly always rumbling on autoplay in the back of our minds.

It’s not hard to believe that by the end of Tuesday, most preschool teachers are already physically and mentally exhausted.

5 Ways to Eliminate Preschool Teacher Overwhelm -Early Childhood Educators Academy 

So here are some tips to help lessen or simplify your workload

1. Do frequent braindumps then prioritize what tasks you really need to take on.

From there decide which tasks you’re willing to keep on your plate.

It's tempting when you're planning lessons for the next month to scroll through Pinterest and want to do #allthethings.

However, a mountain of ideas crowding your thoughts can easily lead to feeling like there's way too much to do with very little time.

Prioritize what you have to do, then make intentional choices about what extra crafts and projects you want to add.

Take any exceptional inspirations that you just can't let go of and put them in a folder to look at later when you have spare time (and energy).

2. Utilize a project management system to help make tasks manageable.

Technology is getting fancy so there's no need to try and remember everything that needs to get done for the classroom party or parent-teacher conferences.

Take large projects and break them down into smaller chunks using apps like Todoist, Google Keep, or my personal favorite, Trello.

Also, be sure to recruit help from staff and parents too, and delegate.

You don't have to be a one-man band when it comes to teaching. Send out flyers and ask for volunteers from the parents, trust your assistant with some more hands-on tasks, or see if there's another teacher who would like to team up with you for larger goals.

via GIPHY

3. Goal setting works in the classroom too.

Whether it's for certain milestones for a child, behavior, classroom decoration, or something else, having an obtainable end goal can be helpful in keeping you focused.

So instead of stressing about the bulletin board and reorganizing the supply closet and replacing books in the library and rotating materials the block center *whew*

Set a goal for one task then set the rest aside and focus on getting goal number one completed first.

For example, if you know your kids are starting to get bored of the current materials, set a goal to reorganize the supply closet this week so you can see what toys you have, then make a goal next week to rotate the block center.

The same works for behavior management too. Instead of “get child to behave” Create a behavior plan with smaller goals like “child requests emotion chart when upset” and “child cleans up toys without resistance 2/4 times” and work on achieving those smaller goals.

4. Be honest about when you're receiving too much work.

If suddenly your director suggests adding a Christmas production on top of the Christmas parties, but you already feel like your classroom is transforming to crowd control, speak up.

Be professional, but be vocal and share when too much is being added to your plate.

If the projects are absolutely required ask for extra help or ways you can simplify the process (such as only learning 1 song instead of 3) or insist on the admin offering extra support to meet those goals.

State your case clearly.

You never want to approach the subject with "just because" as the supporting argument. Your leadership simply might not be aware of how much you already have planned and be willing to cut some extras off the task list if they can understand why.

Sometimes, the tasks you’re required to do like a 20-minute circle time for your 1’s classroom might not be developmentally appropriate, so can pointing back to data and best practices (“DAP” or developmentally appropriate practices) can further strengthen your case.

If you’re participating in a quality rating program like Quality First, GEEARS, you can point back to the measurement tools they use like ECERS or CLASS.

If you feel like you're bearing too much of the weight in the classroom as a result of a co-teacher not helping enough, sit down and discuss everyone's role in the classroom and how you two can better work together.

Avoid blaming and labeling. Objective statements like “I’ve done diapers 5 out of the 6 times all week” and focusing on how you perceived it “I feel like maybe I’ve taken on a bit too much of the diapering tasks and need help” can help keep the conversation from feeling accusatory.

5. And above all, to reduce the overwhelm, it's important that teachers offer themselves a lot of grace.

Everything doesn't have to be Pinterest perfect and some days there will be things left undone.

Sometimes “good enough” will be the standard we aim for and we may have to be okay with simplicity in lieu of elaborate but stressful projects.

Rest assured, you're a great teacher and your kids think so too.

Need some teacher friends who get the struggle? Join our Free Facebook community for early childhood educators.

Preschool Teacher Burnout is Running Rampant

Are you feeling like you might be losing your mind a teeny tiny bit?

Well, you’re not alone, because many, many educators are feeling the exact same way.

The Department Of Education measured that nearly 15% of the workforce is leaving or moving every year and that number is only growing.

Teachers are just tired.

Add on that early childhood educators are severely underpaid, underappreciated, and undervalued, and it can make anyone feel like throwing in the towel and walking away.

Preschool Teacher Burnout and how to prevent it -Early Childhood Educators Academy

So what's a teacher to do if they want to stay sane throughout the year?

There are many underlying, big-picture issues that need to be addressed, but those solutions will take time, advocacy, and funding.

And there’s no way to completely avoid the stress that comes in this particular field of work, but here are a few self-care tips to hopefully lower your blood pressure in the classroom in the meantime.

*note: these are tips teachers in the classroom can take, we have a separate post for directors and owners to take care of themselves and their staff!

Take care of yourself physically.

I'm no gym buff, so pumping a few weights isn't my personal go-to for stress relief, but something simple like taking walks, stretching, or anything to get you moving can help.

But taking care of yourself physically doesn’t only mean exercise.

Things like making sure you're getting enough sleep and eating are included.

Being in a room with 16 two-year-olds when you're only running on 4 hours of sleep and a granola bar is cause enough to make anyone feel a little loopy.

When you can, eat a proper meal and get some sleep. If not, grab some easy-to-go snacks and sit down with your kiddos for snack time and eat.

Also, be sure to make use of those sick days when you need them. It's tempting to try and power through when you "just have a little sneeze" but pushing your body when it needs rest is doing more harm than good (and spreading germs).

It’s not a sign of “work ethic” to push your body to it’s limit, and honestly it’s not the example we’d want to set for our children either.

Any healthy work environment will prioritize you getting the rest you need so you’re not forced to come to work with the flu. The truth is, it’s not your job as the teacher to be concerned about staffing and meeting ratio. If you’re not abusing and taking advantage of calling out, you should be calling in for health concerns.

Take your break and use it for you.

Teachers are notorious for using lunch breaks as errand runs and paperwork catch-up, essentially skipping their (often only) break altogether.

Take your break and enjoy it.

If you have to do a “working lunch” make sure you take your 15-minute break and use it outside of the classroom.

Unless there’s an actual emergency that only you can solve, there's very little reason to be working during the time you're supposed to be on break.  

Make your breaks a priority the same way you would do lesson plans or payroll. We make time for things we find important so make breaks important too.

That might mean skipping a butterfly craft because you didn’t cut out the wings on your break and that’s okay. Break out the plain paper and do some process art instead.

Prep for your day mentally.

You might spend a good 30+ minutes prepping your classroom materials before the day starts, but what about your mental state?

Take a few minutes before class to do some meditation or set some intentions/goals just to make sure you're in a positive mindset before the day begins.

Ask yourself a few reflective questions to see if there’s anything that might still be crowding your thoughts or mood, especially if you’re dealing with challenges in the classroom or if it’s been a hard week.

• What do you need to let go of to start the day off with a blank slate?

• What emotion keeps popping up that you should explore/address?

• Is there anything that’s been on your mind that you need to get off your chest?

• Are there any affirmations to help shift your negative mood if you’re in one or shift your perspective?

Speaking of affirmations, give yourself a pep talk.

That's right, you look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you're an awesome, goal-crushing, world-changing teacher— and this is your classroom and your students and success is the direction you're all headed in.

Especially if it's been stressful, reminding yourself that you are doing your best can help prevent that dragging, burnt-out feeling that happens when you can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Build a team with the people you see every day.

Yup, your co-workers. Get to know them and develop healthy, supportive relationships with one another, even across age groups.

You don’t necessarily have to be BFFs, but teamwork makes the dream work!

When you have a community of supportive co-workers you know you can rely on then it helps tremendously when it comes down to lowering stress levels and everyone helping each other out.

Ask for help!

Don't wait until you're at your absolute boiling point before seeking help with a child’s difficult behavior or trying to figure out how to communicate with a certain parent.

Reach out to other teachers, your director, an ECE coach, or see if you can tap into the teaching community's wealth of knowledge and experience.

Check out our awesome Facebook group of supportive preschool educators if you'd like to connect with others in case you need to reach out and get some feedback: Early Childhood Teacher Lounge

Seek out ongoing Professional Development

Even though you're required to do certain training, don't be afraid to branch out and seek extra training that matters to you.

When you feel properly equipped to do your job, you're less stressed out.

It doesn’t even have to be training for something typical like classroom management, it could be about something interesting you’d like to learn more about like sensory play or using puppets just to respark your joy and passion for teaching.

If you're looking for engaging training for early childhood educators check out our in-person workshops or professional development opportunities here.

Even a course on something hobby-related like using a Cricut can benefit your classroom.

Speaking of hobbies...do you have a life outside of the classroom?

Really, what's your personal self-care looking like at home too?

Do you do anything you enjoy? Are you dragging the stress from work home with you? Are you being well...happy?

An incredibly stressful life at home has its way of sneaking into your work life and vice versa, so it's important to make sure both are balanced so they're not poisoning the other.

Do more of the things that make you happy so you can come skipping into your classroom like a bright ray of educational sunshine!

Or at least with a smile.

When life gets rough, find “pockets of joy” and small things to celebrate to remind yourself not everything is negative. Some people have found keeping a gratitude journal or jar can be helpful. You can have a separate one for home and a second for your classroom (maybe even get the kids involved and have them write something they’re grateful for!)

Identify your triggers in the classroom.

There are certain things that can drive us up the wall.

Being aware of what these are and actively taking steps to address this can help take some burden off.

For example, if it’s overstimulating when a student keeps shouting your name, develop a system for how they can grab your attention without interrupting or shouting.

If you’re aware that excessive mess raises your anxiety levels, you can be more mindful about how this influences your interaction with your kids during free play.

Some things might not ever disappear but you can at least be proactive about reducing how much of a negative impact it has on your day or resolving it quicker.

And finally, make an emergency box.

Yup, an emergency box.

Just a cute little box you can stash away in the teacher’s cabinet for days when you're really just feeling overwhelmed.

You can fill the box with your favorite goodies and pick-me-ups like candy, words of encouragement, affirmation cards, funny memes, essential oils, and other mood boosters.

Fun fact: just the thought of having a treat for yourself hidden away and waiting for you can raise serotonin levels when you're stressed. That's not opinion, that's science ;)

So stash away a tiny treat and when you’re feeling a little worn down and remind yourself you have something awesome waiting for you on your next break.

Caring for you is really an essential part of running a smooth classroom.

A happy teacher makes for an overall better experience for the students. You're able to give more when you're taking care of yourself so take care of yourself!

Enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with other teachers!