Elevating Early Childhood
Vanessa Levin
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Top 10 Elevating Early Childhood Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Elevating Early Childhood episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Elevating Early Childhood for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Elevating Early Childhood episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
My First 10 Days of School Tips and Lesson Plans for Your Preschool Classroom
Elevating Early Childhood
08/02/21 • 24 min
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 actually the first ten days, and you should be focusing on them as much as you can.
Why is that?
Simply because those first ten days of school will set you and your students up for a successful year. And who doesn't want that?
So, how do you make sure they go as smoothly as possible?
Join me now to discover the answer to that question (and a few tips you can use to help yourself and your students transition smoothly into the school year).
Let's dive in!
Key Takeaways:
Focusing on the first ten days of school is important (00:00)
First, let's start with a quick story (00:56)
Tip #1: Always go for quality over quantity (03:38)
Tip #2: Less is more (04:27)
Tip #3: No product art in the first ten days (06:28)
Tip #4: Ignore the teacher next door (08:02)
Tip #5: Troubleshooting (10:26)
Why the first ten days of school are sacred (12:53)
Check out my free First 10 Days of School Lessons Plans (17:20)
Use engaging, fun books in those first ten days (19:54)
Additional Resources:
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my membership program “Teaching Trailblazers”.
Get our free First 10 Day of School Lesson Plan here.
Get your 2021 Soar to Success Summit pass here.
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Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
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Onward & Upward!
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
How to Teach Letters of the Alphabet to Preschoolers: Why We Need to Teach Smarter - NOT Harder
Elevating Early Childhood
06/29/21 • 13 min
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 kindergarten teacher following the Letter of the Week curriculum. Remember—this was a long time ago, so back then, it was considered a perfectly suitable way of teaching children the alphabet.
And after just several weeks of working there, it became clear just how ineffective this method was. The kids struggled to retain what they’ve learned, and some didn’t know any letters whatsoever!
Luckily, these days we know better!
Children do NOT learn the alphabet linearly, from A to Z. It is a global process that requires a lot more than rigid schedules, worksheets, and a funny letter P-themed costume.
So in this episode, I will share an excellent method for teaching children the alphabet, which is fun, effective, and backed by research.
Let’s dive in!
Key Takeaways:
Why the letters of the alphabet CAN’T be taught in 26 days (or even weeks)? (00:00)
The biggest challenge teachers face when teaching young children the alphabet (00:41)
How I learned firsthand that the Letter of the Week curriculum is highly ineffective (02:19)
Why teachers need to teach smarter and not harder? (04:42)
How do young children learn to identify letters? (06:18)
How to teach letters of the alphabet in a way that’s, fun, effective, and backed by research (08:20)
Additional Resources:
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here:
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers” here:
https://www.pre-kpages.com/teach-smarter-book/
Learn more about my membership program “Teaching Trailblazers” here:
https://bit.ly/join-teaching-trailblazers
Get my FREE guide on how to teach letters of the alphabet to young children here:
https://www.pre-kpages.com/how-to-teach-the-alphabet
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Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
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Onward & Upward!
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
What Makes Truly Great Teachers? Lessons From a Life In Early Childhood Education
Elevating Early Childhood
06/29/21 • 8 min
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 creating a place where teachers could exchange classroom experiences, give out tips, share successful practices, and support each other in tough times.
Starting Pre-K Pages helped me turn those dreams into reality, gathering a following of more than a million early childhood professionals who share a desire to be and do better.
It warms my heart to see so many teachers feel supported by the community I’ve created!
Still, it’s been quite the journey getting there, and for this episode, I’d like to share some of the most important moments of my career with you.
I’ve had the opportunity to work and teach all across America - even internationally. And each one of those experiences has taught me a valuable lesson, making me the teacher and the person I am today.
Come! Let me tell you all about it!
Key Takeaways:
The key to becoming a more successful teacher in 2021 and beyond (00:00)
My journey from teaching English in Seoul, South Korea to creating Pre-K Pages (00:31)
How I conquered the biggest problems most teachers faced and still thrived (01:31)
How the power of community made teaching easier, more fun, and more fulfilling (03:23)
How resistance to change improved my teaching (and other parts of my life, too) (04:13)
The origin story of Pre-K Pages and why it has become the best place for teachers all over the world (05:20)
Additional Resources:
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here:
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers” here:
https://www.pre-kpages.com/teach-smarter-book/
Learn more about my membership program “Teaching Trailblazers” here:
https://bit.ly/join-teaching-trailblazers
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Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
--
Onward & Upward!
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
Welcome To Elevating Early Childhood Podcast!
Elevating Early Childhood
03/19/21 • 3 min
How to Say “No” to Preschoolers Without Meltdowns
Elevating Early Childhood
01/23/23 • 33 min
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’s hard.
But as you know if you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, it’s not impossible!
Every preschool classroom problem has a solution. Yes, even this one.
And to discuss this, the brilliant Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green is back on the podcast for a second episode of the Behavior Bites series.
Today, she’ll be sharing with us why those meltdowns happen, how to prevent them, and what to do in case one of your students decides to go full Hulk anyway.
Are you ready?
Let’s dive in!
Key Takeaways:
How to say “no” to your students without meltdowns (00:00)
Why children hate being told the word “No” (02:52)
Why we need to teach children to deal with their emotions (07:48)
How to say “no” without saying “no” (11:38)
A real life example (17:13)
The tools you can use to avoid meltdowns (24:09)
A quick review (29:22)
Additional Resources:
Got a burning question for Vanessa? Get your answer on the Elevating Early Childhood podcast here.
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.
Learn more about Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green’s work here.
Follow Training U To Succeed on Instagram here.
Follow Training U To Succeed on Facebook here.
Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
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Onward & Upward!
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Disclaimer:
Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.
As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.
You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
What to Do When Your Students Wander Around the Classroom and Dump Toys
Elevating Early Childhood
01/16/23 • 33 min
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 them.
The truth is, this is a fairly typical scenario in the early childhood classroom.
The question then is: Why oh why do toddlers (and preschoolers) do that?
And most importantly, how can you teach them not to do it?
To answer this question, I’ve invited the brilliant Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green.
If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while (thank you for that), then you know this isn’t the first time I’ve had Carolyn over.
And this won’t be the last either!
Listen in as she and I try to answer the age old question: Why do toddlers do what they do?
Are you ready?
Let’s dive in!
Key Takeaways:
Why do toddlers wander around the classroom and dump toys? (00:00)
Dumping is a milestone (06:33)
This behavior is totally... okay! (09:36)
How to support your students through this stage (11:37)
Advice from Carolyn (17:02)
How Carolyn introduces centers to her students (20:54)
Additional Resources:
Got a burning question for Vanessa? Get your answer on the Elevating Early Childhood podcast here.
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.
Learn more about Dr. Carolyn Bobb-Green’s work here.
Follow Training U To Succeed on Instagram here.
Follow Training U To Succeed on Facebook here.
Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
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Onward & Upward!
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Disclaimer:
Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.
As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.
You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
Help! All My Students Want to Go to the Same Center!
Elevating Early Childhood
01/09/23 • 26 min
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 and roses. And sometimes, it’s just really, really hard.
One of the issues many pre-k teachers struggle with is what to do when all their students want to go to the same center at the same time!
As you know already, some centers are simply more popular than others (like the dramatic play center, for example), so it makes sense that everyone wants to participate in it.
When that’s not possible, you may have to limit the number of students in a center.
How do you do that?
Tune in now to find out!
Key Takeaways:
What to do when your students want to go to the same center (00:00)
How I manage my classroom (00:56)
How to get students interested in other centers (03:22)
What if your class only meets a few days a week? (08:10)
What to do when there are too many kids in one center (10:09)
A few practical tips for you (14:23)
Additional Resources:
Got a burning question for Vanessa? Get your answer on the Elevating Early Childhood podcast here.
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.
Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
--
Onward & Upward!
--
Disclaimer:
Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.
As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.
You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
How to Teach Preschool Students Literacy Skills
Elevating Early Childhood
01/02/23 • 12 min
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, most of the time, it’s truly not. And so, deciding which skill to start with can give even the most seasoned preschool educators a headache.
But, lucky for you, this is exactly what I’ll be discussing in this week’s episode of Elevating Early Childhood.
Tune in now and learn all you need to know about teaching literacy skills in preschool and which one to start with.
Are you ready?
Let’s dive in!
Key Takeaways:
Letters, names, and sounds: Which comes first? (00:00)
Learning the alphabet is not a linear process (03:48)
One recommendation you need to follow (06:46)
Answering the second part of the question (08:04)
Additional Resources:
Got a burning question for Vanessa? Get your answer on the Elevating Early Childhood podcast here.
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.
Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
--
Onward & Upward!
--
Disclaimer:
Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.
As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.
You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
[Encore] My Top 5 Small Group Counting Activities for Preschool
Elevating Early Childhood
12/19/22 • 31 min
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, because that's exactly what I'm discussing today.
As you know, math doesn't come easily to everyone. Some children have real difficulties with it, while others find it super fun and easy, almost like solving a puzzle game.
However, the math activities I'm sharing with you today are an exception, because all your preschool students will love them. They're fun and engaging, and they make math as simple as it can be!
So, are you ready?
Let's dive in!
Key Takeaways:
Fun math activities for your preschool classroom (00:00)
Has this ever happened to you? (02:17)
Target finds always help! (04:04)
"No prep, please," you said? (09:28)
Ice-cube trays for the rescue (13:07)
Make it super fun! (17:55)
Keep it simple (21:48)
The magic number (24:58)
Additional Resources:
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.
For bear caves, click here.
Want to buy colorful lunch trays? Click here.
Get foam dice here.
Click here for gator grabbers.
In need of a pocket cube? Click here.
Grab some mini-erasers here.
Listen to episode 24 here.
Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
--
Onward & Upward!
--
Disclaimer:
Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.
As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.
You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
How to Set Up Your Preschool Library Center (On a Shoestring Budget!)
Elevating Early Childhood
08/09/21 • 22 min
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 an exceptional preschool library center your kids will adore.
By applying these techniques, you’ll teach your kids to love books and handle them properly while designing an inviting and organized classroom library.
And you can do all of it on a shoestring budget!
All that and more on this week’s episode of Elevating Early Childhood!
Key Takeaways:
Do your kids love going to your preschool classroom’s library center? (00:00)
The most common library center challenges for pre-k teachers (00:51)
Why children mistreat books (and how to teach them not to) (02:13)
How to teach preschool children to love books and reading (06:27)
Is having too many books in your preschool library center a bad thing? (11:01)
The secret to making your preschool library center more inviting (11:53)
An excellent system for teaching kids how to put books back where they belong (13:31)
How many books should your preschool library center have? (15:19)
Best methods for creating a fantastic library center on a low budget (17:37)
Resources to help you create a top-notch library center! (blog post + book-handling skills kit + learning centers essential guide) (21:00)
Additional Resources:
Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.
Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.
Learn more about my membership program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.
Get your 2021 Soar to Success Summit pass here.
Check out our Preschool Classroom Library Center blog.
Get our Book Handling Skills Kit here.
Download our FREE Center Essentials Guide.
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Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.
--
Onward & Upward!
Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers
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FAQ
How many episodes does Elevating Early Childhood have?
Elevating Early Childhood currently has 116 episodes available.
What topics does Elevating Early Childhood cover?
The podcast is about Education For Kids, Early Childhood Education, Kids & Family, How To, Podcasts and Education.
What is the most popular episode on Elevating Early Childhood?
The episode title 'Preschool Writing Center Do's and Don'ts for the Beginning of the Year' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Elevating Early Childhood?
The average episode length on Elevating Early Childhood is 26 minutes.
How often are episodes of Elevating Early Childhood released?
Episodes of Elevating Early Childhood are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Elevating Early Childhood?
The first episode of Elevating Early Childhood was released on Mar 19, 2021.
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