Encouraging Self-Awareness and Personal Space

October 8, 2019

Teaching children about personal space and fostering self-regulation is arguably an early childhood educator’s most important job. Research tells us that children with strong social-emotional skills have more positive relationships, are happier, and are more successful academically than children who exhibit social/emotional difficulties. Children who are mentally healthy are generally more self-aware, that is, they understand their own thoughts, feelings, and actions, and how those things affect other people. The more self-aware you are, the more you understand your impact on other people. How, then, do we help young children begin to think about boundaries and self-reflect? How can we support them in naming their emotions and overcoming challenges? Here are 6 simple activities to get you started:

30 Transition Time Tips

October 1, 2019

Transitions are necessary throughout the day. If you’ve been an early childhood educator for even a short amount of time, you’ve probably realized that transitions are not easy for some children in your care.

Listen to Your Quiet Child

September 18, 2019

A preschool classroom is usually full of colors, scribbles, toys, children playing and sharing, but most of all. . . a lot of noise. Over the course of the school year, a teacher gets to know each of her students—their noises, voices, laughs, and cries. There is always a particular voice, a more outgoing child, one who arrives with a hug and leaves with a smile on his face. Or, there’s the child who loves to play with lots of friends, and the one who plays with many toys at the same time because fun shouldn’t have limits!

Storytime Spotlight: September Reads

September 5, 2019

One of the most exciting updates to the FunShine Express curriculum this year was the additional books included in the Fireflies and Buttercups programs. The children’s books are consistently ranked highly on our customer survey as a favorite component. This year we made some changes in order to include an additional book to help you expand your classroom library!

FunShine Staff Favorites: Materials, Projects, and More!

August 28, 2019

Each winter, the FunShine team gathers to plan the new curriculum year. At that time, we discuss customer feedback, our themes, purchasing art materials and books, and of course, any curriculum redesigns. We are regularly immersed in planning, writing, designing, and editing. When we’re busy, it’s hard to find time to discuss what we love about our work. In addition to the many new features you’ll see in our curricula this year, we wanted to share a few of our favorite components with you. Read below to learn more about why we love what we do and what makes our work exciting!

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