Using Affirmations to Develop a Growth Mindset for Children

Learn how to use affirmations to build a growth mindset for children with my easy classroom routines, examples, and resources to boost student confidence and resilience.

Phonemic Awareness Game - Cross the River

Explicit TeachingJanelle McArdle13 February 2020literacy, phonics, phonological awareness, playbased, reading, writingComment

Weekly Timetable for My Play-based Classroom

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle McArdle29 January 2020investigations, literacy, maths, planning, playbased, provocations, play based Comments

Kid-friendly Classroom Plants

Classroom EnvironmentJanelle13 January 2020early childhood, environment as the third teacher Comments

How to Make a Wet Felted Play Mat

InvestigationsJanelle McArdle14 August 2019handmade, play based, sensory, small world Comments

Setting Up A Tinkering Space for Your Classroom

Create a purposeful and engaging tinkering space in your early years classroom with this practical guide. Learn what a tinkering space is, how to set one up, and why it supports STEM, problem-solving, and creativity in young children.

A Provocation to Explore Procedural Texts

InvestigationsJanelle1 October 2018fine motor, investigations, literacy, maths, play based, provocations, reading, science, social and emotional, writing

Easy STEAM Activities for Kindergarten

Explicit Teaching, InvestigationsJanelle27 September 2018investigations, maths, play based, provocations, scienceComment

The 10 Essential Areas of A Play Based Classroom

Ready to transform your classroom for play-based learning? This detailed blog post outlines the 10 essential areas you need to create engaging and educational spaces for your students to learn through play.

How to Teach Phonics with Play Dough

Learn how to teach phonics with play dough in a play-based classroom through sensory play experiences. Enhance literacy and learning with props and phonics playdough mats for engaging and effective teaching.

How to Teach Phonemic Awareness - Tips and Activities

Learn how to teach phonemic awareness effectively and enhance early reading skills. In this blog post you’ll get strategies and activities for isolating, blending, and segmenting phonemes to use with your young students.

Explicit TeachingJanelle20 July 2018literacy, phonics, phonological awareness, reading, writing, phonemic awarenessComment

Number Playdough Flowers— An Easy Number Provocation

InvestigationsJanelle8 July 2018literacy, living things, loose parts, maths, play based, provocations, science, sensory, playdoughComment

Use CVC Sentences to Develop Decoding Fluency in Reading

Discover how CVC sentences can boost decoding fluency and help beginning readers become confident, fluent readers. Learn practical strategies, research insights, and tips for using CVC Flip Sentences in your classroom today!

Open-ended Questions Promote Higher Order Thinking

Find out how open-ended questions for kids can foster higher order thinking. Discover practical tips, sample questions, and how to use these powerful tools to boost critical thinking and student confidence in your classroom.

Using Weather Gnomes to Teach the Year 1 ACARA Science Curriculum

Discover how to use weather gnomes to teach Year 1 students about weather patterns and seasonal changes in line with the ACARA Science Curriculum.

InvestigationsJanelle4 July 2016handmade, play based, provocations, science, weather, year 1, ACARA, Australian curriculumComment

Teaching Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness

Discover essential strategies for teaching phonological and phonemic awareness in early childhood education. This guide outlines the developmental stages and suggests practical teaching ideas and engaging activities to develop these important early literacy skills in preschool and kindergarten children.

Explicit TeachingJanelle19 June 2016literacy, phonics, phonological awareness, reading, writing, phonemic awarenessComment

Writing Provocations - How to Motivate a Child to Write

Discover 7 Reggio writing provocation ideas that will inspire and motivate even the most reluctant child to write. Learn how to get your students to love writing and download my free writing printables to help your students succeed!

InvestigationsJanelle6 June 2016literacy, phonics, play based, provocations, writingComment

Green Goop for the letter Gg

InvestigationsJanelle14 May 2016literacy, phonics, play based, provocations, sensoryComment

Blog - My 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!