Froebel's Theory of Play for Early Childhood Education

Discover the transformative power of Friedrich Froebel’s Theory of Play in early childhood education. Learn how his principles align with the EYLF and ACARA, and get practical tips for creating an effective play-based learning environment.

InvestigationsJanelle McArdle12 August 2024play theory, froebel play theory, kindergarten, early childhoodComment

Activities for Teaching Syllables and Phonological Awareness

Teach syllables and phonological awareness with these engaging activities for kindergarten and preschool children. Teaching syllables is so much more than clapping the beats in words! I’ve got a selection of hands-on games and activities your students will love. They will master blending and segmenting syllables in no time.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle4 March 2024phonological awareness, literacy, kindergarten, preschool, teaching syllablesComment

9 Christmas Games for the Classroom - fun and easy

Check out these easy prep Christmas games for the classroom and celebrate the holiday season with your students. You will love these fun and easy prep Christmas games. They are perfect for younger kids in preschool, kindergarten and first grade.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle13 November 2023Christmas, kindergarten, preschool, grade one, first grade, gamesComment

9 Tactile Learning Activities for the Kindergarten Classroom

Understand precisely what tactile learning is and discover how you can use this learning style in kindergarten to boost student engagement and effectively teach your curriculum learning intentions.

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle6 November 2023sensory play, tactile learning, kindergarten, kindergarten classroom, hands-on learning, play based learningComment

Benefit of Block Play in Preschool and Beyond

Discover all the wonderful benefits of block play in this blog post. From cognitive development to essential life skills, block play is a must-have activity in early childhood education.

InvestigationsJanelle McArdle30 October 2023block play, wooden blocks, preschool, kindergarten, play based learning, play based classroomComment

Jumbled Up Sentences - An Easy Way to Help Beginning Writers

Discover how jumbled up sentences can enhance literacy instruction in kindergarten or grade one classrooms. This evidence-based activity boosts sentence structure and enriches writing skills in a fun and productive way!

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle23 October 2023jumbled up sentences, beginning writers, early literacy, reading, writing, kindergarten, grade 1, first gradeComment

Playdough Activities for Kindergarten Sensory Maths Play

This blog post is a comprehensive guide on playdough activities for kindergarten focusing on sensory maths play. Find out my 10 favourite playdough math activities and discover some invaluable playdough resources for your kindergarten classroom.

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle3 October 2023playdough, kindergarten, preschool, play based learning, sensory play, mathsComment

5 Best CVC Words Activities and Games for Kindergarten

Discover the 5 best CVC words activities in this informative blog post. Learn what CVC words are, why they're essential for early literacy, and the best ways to teach them. These tried and tested activities will make learning CVC words a joy for your students.

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle28 August 2023cvc, cvc words, cvc words activities, kindergarten, early literacy, reading strategies, science of reading decoding strategies Comments

12 Effective Strategies for Teaching Phonemic Awareness

Looking for the most effective strategies for teaching phonemic awareness? Discover how to get your students to reach their reading benchmarks and have success learning to read and write in this blog post. Hint: You’ll need to know the latest Science of Reading research and use it to effectively teach phonemic awareness to your kids!

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle14 August 2023phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, strategies for teaching phonemic awareness, kindergarten, preschool, reading strategies, science of readingComment

Should We Teach the Kindergarten First 100 Sight Words?

Discover the latest Science of Reading research on teaching the kindergarten first 100 sight words. Enhance your sight word instruction and download my free sight word lists and tools to boost your students' reading fluency and confidence.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle10 July 2023sight words, kindergarten, early literacy, reading, reading strategies, science of readingComment

9 Hands-on Maths Number Activities for Kindergarten

Looking for some hands-on maths number activities for kindergarten? In this blog post, we will look at the Australian math curriculum, and I’ll give you 9 engaging activities on numbers for kindergarten kids that will help you teach the Number and Algebra strand of the ACARA mathematics curriculum.

Investigations, Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle3 July 2023math provocations, maths, hands-on learning, hands-on math activities, hands-on number activities, number activities, kindergartenComment

Decodable Sentences with CVC Words for Kindergarten

Decodable sentences with CVC words play a vital role in laying the foundation for early reading and writing development. Discover just how important CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) words are and download a comprehensive list of CVC words along with 20 matching sentences for your classroom. You will also find nine effective reading activities that will boost your student's decoding and reading comprehension skills in this blog post.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle26 June 2023cvc, cvc words, decodable sentences, kindergarten, literacy Comment

Science of Reading Decoding Strategies with CVC Words

Discover the best reading decoding strategies you need to be using in your classroom according to the Science of Reading research and learn the best practices for teaching CVC words in your classroom.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle26 June 2023cvc, cvc words, science of reading, science of reading decoding strategies, reading strategies, kindergarten, literacy, reading, decodingComment

The Rotation Schema

Are your students spinning, twirling, and turning objects or even themselves? They are exploring the rotation schema. This blog post explores the rotation play schema in detail and gives you 46 engaging activities you can use to support the rotation play schema in your classroom.

InvestigationsJanelle McArdle23 February 2023play schema, play based learning, schemas, rotation schema, schema play, early childhood, early years, child development, developmental play, hands-on learning, kindergarten, prepComment

Investigation Area Ideas for the Start of School

Are you looking for some simple yet highly engaging investigation areas and learning invitations to start the school year? In this blog post, you’ll discover a heap of Investigation area ideas for the start of school. These tried and tested learning invitations are my go-to setups year after year, so you’ll be sure to find some that you can use in your classroom too.

Investigations, Classroom EnvironmentJanelle McArdle15 January 2023investigations, investigative play, learning invitation, kindergarten, first grade, grade one, starting school, foundation stage, back to school, play based classroom, play based learning, classroom setup, investigation areaComment

The Orientation Schema

In this blog post, you will learn all about the orientation schema and why it needs to be supported in your classroom. You’ll also discover several hands-on playful activities that will help you to support this interesting play schema.

InvestigationsJanelle McArdle16 November 2022play schema, orientation schema, kindergarten, prep, preschool, first grade, grade 1, early years, early childhood, child development, play based learning, play based classroom, play based Comment

How to Write Open Ended Math Questions

If you are wondering how to write open-ended math questions so you can improve your math instruction, this blog post is for you. Discover everything you need to know before you even start writing and then follow my 3 easy steps on how to write the best open-ended math problems.

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle31 October 2022maths, open ended, open-ended math questions, open ended questions, kindergarten, grade 1, first grade, early years math, teaching math, math problems, problem solving, teachingComment

The Transforming Schema

The transforming schema is all about change and how things transform in substance or appearance. If you have children in your classroom mixing sand with water or drawing and painting on their bodies, you might have children developing their transformation schema. This blog post will explain exactly what this play schema is and give you a heap of playful hands-on activities to support it.

InvestigationsJanelle McArdle17 October 2022play schema, play based learning, play based classroom, developmental play, child development, transforming schema, schema play, kindergarten, grade one, grade 1, preschool, hands-on learning, investigative playComment

Blog - Life in a Play Based Classroom

I’m Janelle and I’m here to help you implement an engaging, play based curriculum

that STILL has your children meeting academic standards and benchmarks!