Educators are creative, so coming up with activities is not the issue. The issue is: Can educators justify the chosen activity pedagogically? What do the children learn from this?

Start from the National Curriculum Framework

The starting point in most countries is the National Education Policy and National Curriculum Framework which defines the desired teaching and learning approach and important terms that are the basis of quality educational activities:

CURRICULUM = The main guide for educators. The curriculum defines the essential contents for teaching so that every child has opportunities for diverse learning experiences. Educators should use all the areas in their teaching equally. Curriculum = learning areas + learning objectives.

LEARNING AREAS = Guide educators when planning and implementing activities together with the children. Wide entities. Choose the learning area you want to focus on during the specific activity or project.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES = The starting point for creating activities. Choose the learning objectives you want to go for in this specific activity or project. 1-3 learning objectives per activity is enough.

CHILD-CENTERED ACTIVITIES = Children are the starting point and the ultimate reason for creating activities. The activities should be based on children's interests, capabilities, needs, and/or developmental stages.

Why do the activities need a pedagogical base?

Advance lesson planning is the main step in securing quality learning. Every educator can come up with nice activities for children – for example, “Let’s take finger paints and paint! That is fun!”.

Educators are creative, so coming up with activities is not the issue. The issue is: Can educators justify the chosen activity pedagogically? Why is that activity useful for the children? What do the children learn from this?

Doing nice activities one after the other is fun and makes the days go by. Children probably enjoy and families get to see nice crafts – but these types of activities do not have a pedagogical base behind them. These nice little activities come and go, but they serve no real purpose if the educator does not think of the reason why she or he is organizing that activity. 

This is why Kindiedays has created a complete set of engaging lesson plans for you to save planning time and resources. And at the same time support children's learning in a way you can be proud of.

There has been a long-time debate in Early Childhood Education (ECE) about whether direct instruction or free play has more benefits for children's learning and development.

In recent years a shift toward “play-based learning” is gaining increasing support. It is an approach that combines the benefits of play and traditional teaching, particularly in an Early Childhood Education setting. "Play-based learning" is like an umbrella that holds together all similar educational approaches, including guided play.

According to a study Can guidance during play enhance children’s learning and development in educational contexts? guided play has three fundamental characteristics that provide an optimal learning experience for children in ECE.

Top3 Elements for Guided Play

One of the best, cheapest, and most effective ways to keep children healthy, is to teach them how to wash hands properly. Children need to learn to take care of their hygiene from early on. Washing hands frequently is one of the best habits a child can learn - and this habit will never be out of fashion whatever the age or season!

When children should wash their hands?

Here are some situations when it is recommended to wash hands. Children should wash their hands always when...

• arriving to daycare
• coming home
• before eating
• after being to the toilet
• after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• hands are visibly dirty

These are some simple guidelines that stop germs from spreading for example from bus to daycare or from supermarket to home. And of course, adults should follow all these guidelines as well.

Soap, soap, more soap!

First of all, the most important thing when washing hands is soap! Without bubbles, the germs are not going to vanish that easily.

It is not that important, whether the water is cold or hot - the main focus should be on the soapy water.

Also, even hand sanitizer does not kill all kinds of bacteria and viruses, for example, certain diarrhea-causing viruses. Therefore soap is the key! When hands are washed efficiently with soap, it is highly effective at killing most germs and pathogens.

All About Me -lesson plan sample

How to wash your hands properly?

Attachment means a whole lot to small children. The first and the most important attachment relationship is formed with the child's parent.

When the child grows up, also other important adults come into the child's life - for example educators. Therefore attachment is also a very important aspect to take care of in early childhood education.

If children feel safe and nurtured, it affects their overall well-being positively. Providing children with affection is a prerequisite for the healthy development of the brain, self-confidence, and the ability to form relationships in life.

In early childhood education, the stability of staff is very important when creating early attachment with children. Also, a calm, predictable, and regular daily schedule helps children feel safe.

The Circle of Security

The Circle of Security is a visual map of attachment. The “father” of the attachment theory is John Bowlby.

"Intimate attachments to other human beings are the hub around which a person's life revolves, not only as an infant or a toddler or a schoolchild but throughout adolescence and years of maturity as well, and on into old age. From these intimate attachments a person draws strength and enjoyment of life and, through what he contributes, gives strength and enjoyment to others. These are matters about which current science and traditional wisdom are at one."

Bowlby, J. (1980) Attachment and Loss: Volume 1. Attachment. Basic Books: New York.

Figure 1: The Circle of Security for the toddler and preschool years.

Guest post from Kindiedays partner MoovKids                                     

"Over the past few years, I have noticed a remarkable decline in the physical capabilities of the children who start classes with me. I am talking about their general body awareness, core strength, overall muscle tone, flexibility, and even the ability to follow verbal instructions about physical movement", says Darlene Koskinen the founder and CEO of MoovKids.

The challenge

The demanding workload and responsibility that teachers have to reach curriculum goals means that movement is not always considered a priority in early-years environments. It is not uncommon to find that children who have learning difficulties may also have poor body coordination. This is incredibly worrying, as it is through play and movement exploration that children become normal self-regulated people who are a joy to be with. Physical literacy should come first through regular movement and academic learning will naturally follow.

There is also increasing pressure on our children to learn to read and write before their brains and bodies are ready. Premature academic learning also affects their social and emotional well being, too. Sitting still for long periods is not natural for young children. Indeed, children learn best when they are having fun.

A new approach is needed