Resource Books

Open the door to teaching infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds successfully with these 300 activities linked to the latest development in child development. Observe what your children are already doing, then give them varied opportunities to develop at their own pace. This book outlines a typical development sequence in ten domains: social/emotional, fine motor, gross motor, language, cognitive, sensory, nature, music and movement, creativity, and dramatic play. Chapters on appropriate curriculum development and creating a positive learning environment are also included. The activities offer children the opportunity to practice new skills in a developmentally appropriate way. Paperback. 296 pages.

With over 600 activities, The GIANT Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities is the result of a nationwide search for the most unique, fun, developmentally appropriate, and educational experiences for children. The activities included were selected as the best-of-the-best, and are organized by month for easy use by teachers. Teachers will love the creative ideas that span the traditional areas of the curriculum such as science, math, art, and music and movement, as well as the additional experiences including field trips, cooking, and holidays. Each activity includes instructions and a list of materials, plus possibilities for extending the activity further into the curriculum. Many also include lists of related children's books to further both literacy and imaginative play. 540 pages.

Get ready for fun! These new and classic games, each with a noncompetitive twist, are sure to get children up and moving. You'll find everything you need to know to play over 100 great games, including outside games, musical games, circle games, concept games, and cooperative games. Every game provides benefits for children by supporting cognitive, social/emotional, and physical development. Perfect for rainy days, sunny days, and every day, each game in this book offers heart rate raising, team-building, friend-filled fun! 144 pages.

Learn what makes boys tick (and run and jump and yell), and discover how to actively engage the boys in your early childhood classroom with simple effective strategies that support boys' learning. Using the latest brain research to explore and explain the differences in how boys and girls learn, 'Wired to Move' provides early childhood educators with facts and strategies to actively engage boys in an early childhood setting. It addresses the unique needs of African-American and Hispanic or Latino boys while offering guidance for encouraging family engagement and parent participation. Filled with practical strategies that teachers can easily implement in even the stickiest situations, it includes numerous resources including book lists, websites, and parent handouts to further assist parents and educators create a "boy-friendly" environment. Paperback.168 pages.

The movement to connect young children with nature continues to grow, as more parents and educators become passionate about bringing learning outdoors and letting children explore outside the bounds of traditional lessons. In the full-color Learning Is in Bloom, teachers and caregivers will find 40 hands-on activities effective in engaging young children in investigating nature, both indoors and outdoors, on the school grounds, and on excursions around the neighborhood. Through fostering a love of nature, the activities promote all areas of early childhood education and development. Readers will learn how to support child-directed explorations within all kinds of learning in a nature-rich setting, including: Science investigations, Mathematical thinking, Art explorations, and Literacy development.

This resource book is packed with opportunities to build confidence and to enhance language, coordination, social interactions, and problem-solving skills. A must-have for anyone caring for a child between the ages of two and three. Turn ordinary, everyday routines into fun learning experiences! 256 pages.

Best-selling, award-winning authors Pam Schiller and Clarissa Willis have teamed up to create this collection of 100 literacy lessons, designed to introduce children ages 3-6 to a variety of literacy concepts and build important literacy skills. Each of these simple, fun lessons offers adaptations for children with special needs, including: visual and hearing impairments, cognitive challenges, motor delays, speech/language delays, and emotional/behavior issues. The first page of each two-page lesson features a learning objective, a literacy activity, extension activities, a daily reflection, and vocabulary. The second page has adaptations specific to the literacy lesson for children with special needs.

With more than 125 activities, Science Adventures opens up a world of exploration through nature activities in urban, suburban, or rural settings. From Big Step Measuring and Rocks That Write to The Ant Restaurant and How Far Can You Squeeze a Squirt?, the engaging activities in Science Adventures make exploring the environment fun and easy! The authors have adapted the kindergarten science standards set by the National Academy of Sciences to make them developmentally appropriate for preschool children. Each chapter focuses on one of these standards, and the activities within each chapter progress from simple to more complex. Many of the activities feature suggestions for including families, adaptations for English language learners, modifications for children with special needs, or appropriate ways to use technology with young children. The activities also incorporate assessment components and ways to relate topics across curriculum areas.

Play is learning! But play in the early years is endangered by the emphasis on push-down academics, mounting parental expectations, and pressures on early childhood teachers to prepare young children for the rigors of kindergarten and beyond. With all of that, gains made by play experiences, including readiness skills and social-emotional development, have fallen away. Young children learn best through play. This book helps educators understand the different types of play and the rich opportunities offered through carefully planned time and environments designed for valuable pre-K play experiences. Paperback. 184 pages.

This uniquely comprehensive manual is a clear, easy-to-read handbook that provides specific guidelines for virtually every aspect of early childhood administration. Contents include: sample criteria, procedures for program development, schedules, applications, and evaluation forms. An invaluable tool for every child care facility manager.

If the timing is right, the learning that occurs in the first five years can be a gold mine, promoting valuable cognitive and physical development that lasts a lifetime. Boosting Brain Power provides 52 strategies - one for every week of the year - to help teachers stimulate healthy brain growth in young children. In addition to well-researched strategies, each snippet of information offers teachers evidence-based instructions for how to bring the concepts to life in the classroom. In this book, teachers will: be armed with the basics of how young brains grow and how children connect with the world, see how important attention, bonding, and communication are in these critical years, and explore new ways to boost children's existing growth and prime them for future learning.

Each booklet contains 6 observation sheets, 1 scoring summary sheet, and 8 note-taking pages, these are the forms needed to conduct the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS) Infant observation. These forms are part the infant version of the trusted, widely used CLASS® tool, the bestselling classroom observation tool that CLASS® Infant tool was developed for use with children from birth to 18 months and assesses 4 dimensions of teacher-child interactions: relational climate, teacher sensitivity, facilitated exploration, and early language support. Set of 5.

PreK & up. Self-directed, open-ended activities incorporating daily events and ordinary materials help children easily learn science and math. 246 pages.

Because their vocabularies haven't yet caught up with their thoughts and emotions, young children often struggle to communicate. Sign language can help them express themselves effectively to adults and peers--without the emotional outbursts caused by frustration! This book features the latest research to equip educators and caregivers with the tools and resources to teach young learners how to effectively communicate. Paperback. 208 pages.

Create readers while creating art! Contains activities that reinforce letter recognition and pre-reading skills. 160 pages.

Did you know that emotions boost our memory? Or that small muscle exercises help the brain develop? Early experiences contribute to the structure of the brain and its capacities. The quality, quantity, and consistency of stimulation will determine, to a large extent, the number of brain synapses that are formed and how those connections will function. This is true for both cognitive and emotional development, and the effect is lifelong. Start Smart offers simple, straightforward ways to boost brain power with active exploration, repetition, sensory exploration, and direct experience. Revised to reflect the latest research about how children learn, the new edition of this classic bestseller offers explanations on how and why these activities help the brain develop. 160 pages. Paperback.

The engaging, exciting introduction to early math concepts will be a sure-fire hit with young children. They can go on geometric shape hunts, measure with pompoms, or find the missing numbers. Includes activities that relate to the National Standards in the back of the book. 208 pages.

Parents and caregivers often seek ways to stimulate their little learners, but don't know where to start. While many conveniences have come our way in the digital age, none has made the process of guiding children through their years of growth and development any quicker, easier or less complex. Fun Baby Learning Games brings a new approach to having fun and learning: incorporate theory and research-backed activities in a fun and engaging way, help your infant or toddler nurture his/her skills and reach emerging milestones, foster development in one or more of the five areas of development - cognitive, motor, social/emotional, language, and self-esteem. Age focus: birth to 3 years. 240 pages.

50 great ways to create with lace, string, fabric, glue, and other simple materials. Encourage children to experience the joy of exploration and discovery with this view series by MaryAnn Kohl. Make art fun and accessible to children of all ages with these creative, easy-to-do activities! Paperback. 64 pages.

Take your children beyond the ordinary and into the amazing world of art! Children will explore and create with activities such as hair dryer painting, lawn prints, and face and body paint recipes. Paperback. 132 pages.

Children discover the magic of science as they learn about their bodies. Over 280 instantaneous activities and ideas promote skills such as observation, inference and prediction. A vital resource for developing a basic foundation in scientific concepts.

Contains over 600 activities written by teachers illustrating new ways to use everyday items to create fresh exciting projects. Also includes management techniques and helpful tips for working with kindergarteners. 640 pages.

Most preschool teachers have musical instruments in their classrooms, but may not realize they can use them for science explorations. In this book, discover 100 activities that let children ages 3-6 explore the science of music and sound using materials easy to find for a preschool classroom. Children will use their bodies to create sounds, explore the relationship between size and pitch, investigate how tempo affects the way we listen to sounds, create musical instruments, and much more. From the drops of rainwater to the tinkling of wind chimes, the science of sound is all around. You will indulge young children's curiosity and engage them in scientific inquiry as they explore, listen, observe, experiment, think, and discuss different kinds of sounds and the tools for making them. Paperback. 200 pages.

What do children need to learn first? Their ABCs? Their numbers? As it turns out, the "what" children need to develop is their social intelligence and emotional intelligence, the essential building blocks for all future learning. Best-selling author Pam Schiller provides information, activities, and experiences that develop the seven skills children need in order to become successful learners. These include the ability to relate to and play with others, express feelings, and understand how others feel. Strengthen the foundation children need to become successful learners with the seven key components in this practical, easy-to-use book! The Seven Key Components for School Readiness and Success: Confidence, Curiosity, Intentionality, Self-Control, Relationships, Cooperation, and Communication. Paperback. 128 pages.