Cooperative play gives children a joyful way to practice teamwork—and gives families and educators a shared window into children’s interests, strengths, and relationships. The Community and Family Engagement in Childcare course can help you turn those everyday play moments into more incl... How Can Cooperative Play Build Stronger Partnerships with Families?
Families deserve more than “She had a good day”—they want to understand what their child explored, practiced, and discovered. Build practical skills with ChildCareEd’s Let’s Talk: Effective Communication, which focuses on responsive communication and productive family r... How Can Child Care Providers Share Meaningful Classroom Observations With Families?
Young children do not need to memorize number symbols before they can make sense of quantity. With a handful of fall leaves, educators can help preschoolers see, touch, match, and explain what “more,” “fewer,” and “the same” mean; the Early Mathematics Through Pla... How Can Preschoolers Learn More, Fewer, and Equal Without Rushing Into Numbers?
Can a friendly haunted town turn map-reading into meaningful learning? For children ages 5–7, designing a Halloween neighborhood can make landmarks, symbols, routes, and spatial relationships concrete and memorable. Try ChildCareEd’s Haunted Neighborhood Map Quest for ready-to-use route-... Can Halloween Activities Help Kindergarteners Learn Directions and Map Skills?
When children wonder why last year’s leaves have disappeared, they are ready for a lively investigation of nature’s recycling system. Try a forest-floor inquiry with [Creating the Natural Outdoor Classroom] and [Building Early Science Foundations] to strengthen your ability to design mea... What Happens to Fallen Leaves? Exploring Decomposition With Young Children
When a four-year-old spots three leaves at a glance, they are doing more than naming a number: they are building number sense. Try the printable Colorful Fall Leaves: Quick-Look Quantity Cards for Ages 4–5 for a brief, playful classroom invitation, and explore Early Mathematics Through Play to... How Can Preschoolers Recognize Small Quantities Without Counting Every Object?
A child spots a tiny creature and asks, “Is it a bug?” That question can open the door to careful observation, early classification, and a lasting sense of wonder about nature. Explore Basic Science in Early Childhood to strengthen your approach to inquiry-based lessons, and consider Cre... How Can Educators Help Young Children Tell Insects from Spiders?
When reminders turn brushing into a daily standoff, playful practice can help preschoolers approach oral care with more confidence and curiosity. Use the Monster Teeth Mission activity kit to turn brushing, sorting, and counting into hands-on learning; for a deeper foundation in planning engaging, a... How Can Child Care Providers Make Dental Health Lessons Fun for Preschoolers Who Resist Brushing?
Autumn learning does not have to stop when the class comes inside—or be confined to a sensory bin. A guided texture hunt followed by child-led collage can help preschoolers notice, compare, and describe the world around them while strengthening observation, language, and creative skills. For p... How Can Child Care Providers Bring Autumn Indoors Through Texture Hunts and Open-Ended Art?
A simple board game can turn a rainy afternoon into a lively practice ground for number sense, visual attention, rule-following, and flexible problem-solving. Explore ChildCareEd’s Early Mathematics Through Play to build practical strategies for making math meaningful through games, routines, ... What Can Preschool Board Games Teach Beyond Taking Turns?