Elevating Early Childhood

Do You Need to Add Directed Drawing to Your Pre-K Curriculum?

What does it take to teach preschool children how to draw? I get asked this question a lot, so I thought why not share my answer with all my listeners? Yes guys, you've guessed it, it's another "Calm Down Corner Special" episode! If you've ever wondered "Is directed drawing right for my class?", then this episode is the right one for you. A few years ago, directed drawing became a trend on the internet, and as a result, many pre-k educators started asking themselves if they should be addi...

How to Set Up Your Preschool Library Center (On a Shoestring Budget!)

Do your kids love visiting your preschool library center? For many pre-k teachers, getting children interested in books and reading can be very difficult. And there are various reasons why that is so... The kids aren’t interested… They’re mistreating the books... And very often, we’re not given the adequate resources to create a proper classroom library! So in this week’s episode, I’m going to provide a solution for each of these challenges and share some proven practices for creating a...

My First 10 Days of School Tips and Lesson Plans for Your Preschool Classroom

Every single year, I get questions about the first days of school. And so, I thought, why not have an episode about it? After all, that first day of school is a pretty big deal, not just for the students, but also for professional educators like you. That is why I’ve created a free printable lesson plan to go along with the episode! I’ll also explain how to use it, so make sure you listen all the way through! But, did you know? It's not just the first day of school that's crucial, it's ac...

My Favorite Emotions and Feelings Activities and Games for Preschool

In today's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I will be discussing something every professional educator needs to use in their classroom: Emotions and feelings activities for preschoolers. As we all know, social skills are not innate. They're learned and honed through life, and of course, the earlier you start, the more social intelligence and emotional literacy you acquire. This is why emotions and feelings activities are crucial.  In order to learn social skills, children have to fir...

My Top 3 Tips for the Perfect Calm Down Cozy Corner

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another “Calm Down Corner” special.  In this week’s episode, I’ll be answering a couple of burning questions from some of my listeners, and also offering some tips on how to use your calm down cozy corner in the most effective way. You see, many professional educators set up calm down corners (or Zen zones or calming areas) and find out —sometimes the hard way— that they’re not working as well as they wanted them to. Why does that happen? Simply becaus...

Focus Wall in Preschool and Pre-K: Top 5 Myths Dispelled + BEST Alternatives!

Are focus walls REALLY an effective teaching tool for preschool and pre-k? Find out on our first ever “Calm Down Corner” episode of our podcast! As early childhood professionals, we’re frequently exposed to misinformation about educating young children. Inappropriate, unfounded practices are being shared on the internet left and right.  Shiny, buzzwordy—and completely opposite to how kids learn! Not only are they ineffective, but they’re also a massive source of stress and anxiety for tea...

My Favorite Alphabet Activities: How to Teach Letters to Kids Using Printable Alphabet Games

Have you ever entered your email address to download a freebie...and then been disappointed by what you got? I know I have plenty of times!  When you’re trying to find new ideas for your classroom, freebies can be very helpful. But it can also go in another direction—one where you catch yourself thinking... “Huh? That’s it? I could’ve Googled that!” So when I create freebies and bundles, I’m particularly mindful of trying to provide the very best resources and in plentiful fashion.  And ...

Top 5 Methods for Improving Learning Centers In Preschools and Pre-K (+ FREE Learning Center Guide)

Time young children spend in learning centers is precious for their development. And yet, it’s one of those strictly school-related activities, which is why we must do our very best to set them up for success. Creating a successful learning center requires lots of strategic planning and effort. There are many questions you need to answer first, including… How many centers should you create?  How long should the center time be?  What are the centers going to be about?  How will your stud...

How True Early Childhood Professionals Make Learning Fun (Despite Boring Educational Programs)

Have you ever encountered an educational program so boring you knew right away it wasn't going to work? One that is so dry and anti-fun the only thing it could do effectively was put children to sleep? Throughout my career, I've had plenty of less-than-fortunate encounters with these types of programs. Some were so awful they literally drove teachers to quit their jobs!  Luckily, if proven, research-based teaching methods guide your approach—NOTHING can stand in your way.  Not even a drea...

From Complainer to Changemaker: How to Become a More Confident Early Childhood Teacher

Early childhood teachers have it pretty rough. We face all sorts of indignities daily without even getting a hint of the respect we deserve as professional educators. We’re constantly looked down upon, whether it’s coming from the parents of our students, administrators, or even our own peers! With all that going on, it’s easy to drift into negative thinking, which can lead you down a destructive path. And if you go down that road long enough, you’re running the risk of becoming a complain...

How to Teach Letters of the Alphabet to Preschoolers: Why We Need to Teach Smarter - NOT Harder

One of the biggest challenges teachers face with teaching the alphabet is getting the letters to stick. You spend weeks teaching, following your curriculum, doing everything by the book. Everything seems to be going great - the kiddos are getting it! And then... Poof! They forget all of it! As if you’ve never even mentioned it before! Has this ever happened to you? Because it’s happened to me plenty of times. When I was a young student teacher, I had an opportunity to shadow a kindergarte...

What Makes Truly Great Teachers? Lessons From a Life In Early Childhood Education

Welcome to our first-ever episode of Elevating Early Childhood! I’m Vanessa Levin, and I help pre-k, preschool, and kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more!  Have you ever encountered a problem in your classroom you weren’t sure how to solve? Maybe you’ve felt alone, isolated from your colleagues, not knowing who to turn to for help? These were the biggest challenges I’ve faced when I was starting out as an early childhood teacher. I spent years fantasizing about crea...

Welcome To Elevating Early Childhood Podcast!