Latest Lesson plan Podcast Episodes

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

What to Do When Parents Don’t Want Their Child to Participate in Holiday Classroom Activities

Elevating Early Childhood - February 27, 2023 10:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Friends, I have a question for you: Have you ever had a parent request that their child not participate in holiday activities in your classroom?  If you've taught for any length of time, chances are you've encountered this issue before.  But what can you do about it? And how do you deal with i...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

The Stories We Tell Ourselves with Alexis Shepard, The Afroeducator

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - February 26, 2023 15:00 - 34 minutes
Extended show notes:  https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/56 Today we are talking to Alexis Shepard, also known as the AfroEducator.  Alexis shares with us her story of leaving the classroom, and her vision for how educators can change the stories that they are telling themselves to cre...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

What to Do When Parents Bring Up Bullying

Elevating Early Childhood - February 20, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
In the last two episodes, Dan St. Romain and I sat down and discussed everything from how to teach your students to become more independent to how to get them not to interrupt you during small group time. Today, he and I will be tackling another hot topic: What to do when a parent tells you the...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Want More Independent Students? Do This, Not That!

Elevating Early Childhood - February 13, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
In last week’s episode, Dan St. Romain and I discussed how to teach children not to interrupt you during small group time. Something Dan and I really focused on during that conversation was the importance of teaching preschool-aged children to be independent the right way. Well, today, Dan and...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

How to Reduce Interruptions During Small Group Time

Elevating Early Childhood - February 06, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
It’s no secret that small group time can be challenging, even for the most seasoned early childhood teachers. Why is that? Simply because it’s not always easy to manage the other students while working with small groups, which means the possibilities for interruption can be… infinite.  But wh...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

The Art of Redirecting Preschoolers: What, Why, and How

Elevating Early Childhood - January 30, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Many early childhood teachers feel like a broken record. They’re always saying “no” and “no hitting” and “use your words,” etc… If you’ve been teaching preschool for a while, then you know that every day can be like a battlefield (full of cute children, yes, but a battlefield nonetheless).  Ou...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

How to Say “No” to Preschoolers Without Meltdowns

Elevating Early Childhood - January 23, 2023 10:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Friends, I have a question for you: Do you ever dread saying no to your students because you’re worried they might have a full on meltdown? I get you, I’ve been there too.  Trying to say “no” to a child without having them throw a temper tantrum is a whoooole lot of work. In simpler words, it...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

Strive for Happiness in Education with Rob Dunlop

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - January 21, 2023 13:00 - 33 minutes
Extended show notes:  https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/55 Hey Designers, In this episode, we get to talk to Rob Dunlop, the author of Strive for Happiness in Education. Rob and I talk about how to rekindle the love for teaching and education, and how to move past the fear of losing...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

What to Do When Your Students Wander Around the Classroom and Dump Toys

Elevating Early Childhood - January 16, 2023 10:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
If you’ve ever wondered why your students wander around the classroom and just… dump their toys on the floor, then you’re not alone! Let's face it, we've all had children in our classrooms wandering aimlessly from center to center pulling tubs of toys off the shelves without ever playing with t...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Help! All My Students Want to Go to the Same Center!

Elevating Early Childhood - January 09, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
If you’ve ever taught young children (and my bet is you have, since you’re listening to this podcast) then you’ve probably had your fair share of daily fires to put out. I feel you, I’ve been there too.  It’s no secret that the daily life of an early childhood educator isn’t always sunshine an...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

How to Teach Preschool Students Literacy Skills

Elevating Early Childhood - January 02, 2023 10:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Teaching young children literacy skills can be tricky. They’re such an important skill that it can become downright intimidating to teach them to your students. Which one do you even start with? Letters? Letter names? Or letter sounds? Sometimes, the answer to that question seems obvious. But,...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

Teach Happier This School Year with Suzanne Dailey

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - December 28, 2022 19:00 - 18 minutes
Extended show notes:  https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/54 Hey Designers, In this episode, you will notice that I had a cold, so I don’t quite sound like myself. But, I was so excited to talk to  Suzanne Dailey about her new book Teach Happier This School Year. Suzanne and I met at...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

[Encore] My Top 5 Small Group Counting Activities for Preschool

Elevating Early Childhood - December 19, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Elevating Early Childhood! Before we start, let me ask you a quick question: Do your preschool or pre-k students need help learning how to count and develop number sense? If your answer is "YES!" then you've come to the right place, becaus...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

The Secret to Feeling Confident in Every Area of Your Life.

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - December 14, 2022 18:00 - 11 minutes
Show notes: https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/53 Hey designers, Today I’m going to give you some action steps that are going to help you start feeling confident in an area of your life.   Check out the extended shownotes at  https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/53 For an intr...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

The Best Winter Activities for Your Preschool Classroom

Elevating Early Childhood - December 12, 2022 10:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Does this sound familiar to you?  While everyone else is out singing carols and decking the halls, you are barely keeping your head above water, because you're trying to do all that plus prep all of your lessons and activities for the first week back after winter break. Just thinking about thi...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Managing Temper Tantrums in the Preschool Classroom

Elevating Early Childhood - December 05, 2022 10:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Let me ask you this question. Have you ever had a child in your classroom get upset when they didn't get their own way?  If your answer is “yes” (and I’m sure it is), then this episode is for you! Why is that? Simply because in it, I’ll be discussing why kids may throw fits when they don't ge...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Amazon Favs for Your Preschool Learning Centers

Elevating Early Childhood - November 23, 2022 08:30 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
If you’re anything like me, then you love a good deal (and truth is, who doesn’t?) Which is why this is such an exciting time of the year. As someone who looooves a good deal, Cyber Monday is one of my favorite ways to find good deals on new materials for my classroom centers. Even the ones t...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Teaching Preschoolers to Manage Their Boredom

Elevating Early Childhood - November 21, 2022 10:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty certain hearing a student say “I’m boooooored!!” is every preschool teacher’s nightmare. I’ve been through this before, as have you, I’m sure. And, because of that, I know you can imagine the panic in every teacher’s head when those cursed words are utter...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

How to Get Your Preschool Students Excited About Your Less Popular Classroom Centers

Elevating Early Childhood - November 14, 2022 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Imagine with me: You’ve got your preschool classroom all set up. The centers are stocked and ready to be used, full of materials you’ve purchased or made yourself.  Everything is the best it could be, and you just can’t wait for your students to use and enjoy every single center in the classroo...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

12 Creative Thanksgiving Ideas To Spice Up Your Classroom This November

Elevating Early Childhood - November 07, 2022 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Are you looking for ways to make things more fun and engaging in your classroom this November? If so, you're in luck because in today's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I'll be sharing 12 fun, exciting, engaging, and developmentally appropriate ways to spice things up this Thanksgiving. F...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

Skip the Mid-Life Crisis. Change Your Life Now

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - November 04, 2022 09:00 - 8 minutes
Show notes: https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/52 Hey designers, Today I’m going to give you some action steps that are going to help you skip having a midlife crisis and start to change your life now. For an introduction to the LEADER mindset for designing a life, you love to wake u...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Preschool Thanksgiving Activities: 4 Steps Towards Inclusivity

Elevating Early Childhood - October 31, 2022 09:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Whether you love pumpkin pie and turkey, or you dread family get-togethers, one thing's for sure, Thanksgiving is almost here!  What does this mean for early childhood teachers like you and me? Well simply… the dreaded extra work. Being a preschool teacher can be challenging on the best of da...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Engaging Restless Preschoolers With Fall Songs, Books, and Games

Elevating Early Childhood - October 24, 2022 09:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Are you still struggling to get your little ones to sit still and pay attention? Or maybe you're wondering how you're ever going to teach them anything at this pace? Well then, I’ve got the solution for you! Today, I’ll be sharing with you the best preschool activities for a fall theme to keep...

Kickin' It New School with Jimmy Leonard artwork

Why The Great Teacher Resignation Is Not the End of Education

Kickin' It New School with Jimmy Leonard - October 22, 2022 16:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratings
Teachers are quitting like it's going out of style (and, well, maybe it is). As The Great Teacher Resignation continues, it can definitely feel like public schools are doomed. But learning  isn't! Join in as Jimmy unpacks the most significant paradigm shift in education of the last century, argu...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

Work Life Balance Is A Lie...Try This Instead

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - October 21, 2022 20:00 - 10 minutes
Show notes: https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/51 Hey designers, Today I’m going to give you some action steps that are going to help you create a feeling of balance in your life. For an introduction to the LEADER mindset for designing a life, you love to wake up to.  Check out Proje...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Top 10 Must-Haves for Your Preschool Art Center

Elevating Early Childhood - October 17, 2022 09:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
If you’re a preschool teacher, chances are you probably have an art center in your classroom. After all, art is a quintessential part of the preschool curriculum. It’s a great way to help children develop their imagination and creativity and work on their fine motor skills. And in order to do ...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Process Art vs. Product Art: Which Is Better for Your Preschool Students?

Elevating Early Childhood - October 10, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Every pre-k teacher knows it, making art is a big part of preschool. It’s a great way for the children to be creative, enrich their imagination, and develop their fine motor skills in a fun and enjoyable manner. However, making sure your students are creating the right kind of art is important...

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore artwork

Action = Joy: How to Stop Procrastinating & Take Action

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore - October 07, 2022 04:00 - 12 minutes
Show notes: https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/50 Hey designers, Today I’m going to give you some action steps that are going to help you stop procrastinating and take action. For an introduction to the LEADER mindset for designing a life, you love to wake up to.  Check out Project Y...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

What to Do About Kids Who Bite?

Elevating Early Childhood - October 03, 2022 09:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
Hello everyone and welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood. Now, a quick warning before you start listening, this episode’s got a bit of a bite to it (pun intended)! This, friends, is because today, we’re discussing children who bite. Most younger preschool classrooms...

Elevating Early Childhood artwork

Preschool Classroom Centers: To Combine or Not to Combine?

Elevating Early Childhood - September 26, 2022 09:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 234 ratings
If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of educational centers you’re supposed to have in your preschool classroom, then you’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves facing a dilemma when setting up centers in our classroom: Should we have a separate area for each center? Or can some be combin...

Related Lesson plan Topics