Ever thought preschool assessments were just tedious paperwork? Think again! Discover the surprising benefits that can transform your classroom and make a lasting impact on your students' growth. Today, we're diving into 5 reasons why assessments might just be your new best friend!

Topics Discussed:

• What is the purpose of preschool assessments
• 5 Benefits of preschool assessments
• Plus, the FREE Assessment Guide you've been looking for

Related Resources:

• FREE Assessment Guide
• 2 Year Old Assessment
• 3 Year Old Assessment
• Pre-K Assessment

Related Blogposts/Episodes:

• Episode 112: Using Assessment Data to Plan Lessons
• Episode 83: Analyzing Preschool Assessment Data
• Episode 82: Our New Assessment Approach in Preschool

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

Small group time shouldn't feel stressful! In fact, with a clear plan in place it can be extremely effective. Small groups build confidence, increase engagement, and can help us with targeted instruction for our students. But small group time only works if it's done right! In this episode, let's talk about the most common small group mistakes and how we can fix them!

Topics Discussed:

• Why small group time is beneficial
• 9 small group mistakes and how we can fix them
• The done-for-you solution to small group planning

Related Resources:

• Small Group Binder

Related Blogposts/Episodes:

• Episode #31: How to Effectively Group Preschoolers for Small Group
• Episode #35: 5 Reasons to Have Preschool Small Group
• Episode #37: Preschool Small Group Activity Ideas
• Episode #39: My Top Tips for Preschool Small Group
• Episode #38: Organizing Your Preschool Small Groups

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

Bookmaking is a great way to encourage writing in your preschool classroom! Providing blank books and encouraging your students to fill them with their stories, thoughts, and feelings allows them to expand their storytelling and gives purpose to their marks and drawing. Tune in to episode 118 to hear why bookmaking is important, what emergent writing looks like and how and where we can add bookmaking in our own classrooms!

Topics Discussed:

• What is bookmaking and what are the benefits of introducing it to your students
• How to incorporate and encourage bookmaking in your classroom
• What emergent writing looks like

Related Resources:

• FREE Literacy Training: 3 Mistakes to Avoid to Rock Literacy in your Preschool Classroom
• Book: Already Ready by Katie Wood Ray & Matt Glover (affiliate link)

Related Blogposts/Episodes:

• You may also like this episode: Teaching Young Children How Reading Works (Episode 117)

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

Teaching young children how reading works is a great way to boost confidence and lay the foundation for when it is time for them to actually begin reading! They are aware that they don't yet know how to read and sometimes this can cause frustration. By using 'literary touchpoints' we can help encourage them and a future love of reading!

Topics Discussed:

• Why it is important to teach young children how reading works
• 7 key skills for teaching how reading works
• Tips on how and when to incorporate literacy touchpoints

Related Resources:

• FREE Literacy Training: 3 Mistakes to Avoid to Rock Literacy in your Preschool Classroom
• Book: Already Ready by Katie Wood Ray & Matt Glover (affiliate link)

Related Blogposts/Episodes:

• You may also like this episode about ways to teach emergent literacy skills! (Ep 91)
• Preschool Calendar and Why We Still Use It (Ep 111)

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

In this episode, we are talking about sensory bins! Sensory bins are an essential part of any preschool classroom. They give our preschoolers a chance to use their senses to explore and learn. Changing out the classroom sensory bin can help create fresh new ideas and opportunities for discovery! If you need some tips, tricks, and ideas on how to make sensory bins both fun and educational ...tune in!

Topics Discussed:

• Benefits of sensory bins
• What to include in a sensory bin

Related Resources:

• FREE Sensory Tub Materials List

Related Blogposts/Episodes:

• Blogpost with photos

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

In this episode, we’re diving into shared reading—what it is, why it’s so powerful for preschoolers, and how you can use pocket charts to make your shared reading sessions engaging and effective. Plus, learn how our Winter Shared Reading Pocket Chart Activities can help you combine literacy learning with seasonal fun.

Tune in!

Topics Discussed:

• What is shared reading? Why is it important?
• 3 reasons why pocket charts are perfect for shared reading.
• How to use my Winter Shared Reading Pocket Chart Activities

Related Resources:

• Winter Shared Reading Resources

Related Resources:

• Winter Shared Reading Blogpost

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

In this episode, I'll explain why and how I use loose parts to encourage open-ended imaginative play in our block center. With a variety of loose parts, an organized and inviting setup, and a balance between structure and freedom, your block center can become a space where imagination and creativity thrive!

Tune in!

Topics Discussed:

• What is Open-Ended Play?
• 5 Strategies for Setting Up a Block Center for Open-Ended Play
• Benefits of Loose Parts for Creative Play

Related Resources:

• Amazon List for the Block Center

Related Resources:

• Blog Post (with photos)

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

If managing challenging behaviors has ever left you feeling frustrated or stuck in a cycle of reminders, time-outs, or power struggles, then this episode is for you! We’re going to talk about how 'If-Instead' thinking helps you look deeper into behaviors, avoid conflict, and focus on teaching the social-emotional skills our preschoolers so desperately need.

Tune in!

Topics Discussed:

• What is If Instead Thinking?
• Preventing Power Struggles using If Instead Thinking
• Creating a Calm and Nurturing Environment
• How to use If Instead Thinking Daily

Related Resources:

• Social Emotional Learning Guide

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

Assessment isn't just about ticking boxes or assigning grades. By analyzing assessment results, teachers can tailor their instruction to meet the specific needs of the children that are in their class right now.

Many times teachers take time to complete assessments and document observations and then the process stops there.

Deciding HOW to use the results of the assessment to create opportunities for learning those missing skills is the most important step!

Tune in and hear how I actually use the data I've collected!

Topics Discussed:

• Assessment types
• Analyzing assessment results
• Using assessment results
• Monitoring progress

Assessment Resources:

• Blogpost: Our New Assessment Approach in Preschool
• Blogpost:  Analyzing Assessment Data (includes a tool to help you identify which skills are needed class-wide
• Blogpost: Making Assessment Engaging
• FREE Assessment Guide

 Small Group Resources

• Blogpost: How to Effectively Group Preschoolers for Small Group
• Blogpost: My Top Tips for Small Group
• Blogpost: Preschool Small Group Activities
• Blogpost: Organizing Preschool Small Group

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

Are you a preschool teacher that still does daily calendar at circle time?

It seems like the newest trend in early education is to say ‘so long’ to calendars in the classroom. The traditional calendar is either being replaced by a linear calendar or no calendar at all. But why?

We know that young children don’t quite understand the concept of time in days, months and years. We know this to be true because to a preschooler everything happened yesterday!

But, the thing is we don’t use our calendar just for looking at the concept of time. I use it as a quick, fun way for us to reinforce and practice some skills. Plus, it’s a great way to start laying the foundation for the concept of time by relating events on the calendar back to something important to students.

Want to know more about how I use calendar time to practice important skills?

Stay tuned!

Topics Discussed:

• Skills that the preschool calendar helps us to practice
• How a preschool calendar can help us lay the foundation for future use
• How I use the calendar in my classroom

Resources Mentioned:

• Calendar Cards for Preschool - Patterning and Holidays Included | TPT

Related Episodes or Blogposts:

• Blogpost: Why we Still Use Calendar at Circle Time

Connect with Ashley

• Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
• Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!

As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.

Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com