K-2 Primary

Explore and share tips, strategies, and resources for helping students develop in elementary school grades K-2.

There has been an error with the video.
Staying Connected Through Morning Message Videos
Recording short, fun videos for your students every day can help build community and consistency during distance learning.
Setting Up Easy Access to Digital Content in Elementary School
QR codes help children avoid technological mishaps and provide an easy way to incorporate student choice in the classroom.
Justine Bruyère
Keeping Kindergartners Engaged in Distance Learning
Personalizing lessons and giving brain breaks can help young students stay engaged during short synchronous sessions.
Ruth Calkins
There has been an error with the video.
The Sensory Room: Helping Students With Autism Focus and Learn
Imagine a safe space where students with autism can go to calm their bodies and then get back to the business of learning.
Is it Time to Drop ‘Finding the Main Idea’ and Teach Reading in a New Way?
Some schools are changing the way they teach reading—based on research that shows background knowledge is more critical to comprehension than general skills like ‘finding the main idea.’
Holly Korbey
Why Ages 2-7 Matter So Much for Brain Development
Rich experiences—from play to the arts and relationships—fundamentally shape a young child’s development.
Rishi Sriram
How to Help Students Get Used to Masks
In many places, students returning to school buildings will be required to wear masks. These strategies can help elementary students adjust.
Lori Desautels
Why Learning at Home Should Be More Self-Directed—and Less Structured
On March 18, 2020, Simone Kern tweeted that simply “recreating schools at home” passes up a golden opportunity to engage kids in authentic, self-directed learning.
Simone Kern
Using Morning Messages to Start the Day in Distance Learning
The morning message is a popular way to help elementary students transition into school—and it can be adapted for home learning.
Lisa Walton
There has been an error with the video.
Making Students Feel Safe
A trauma-informed approach ensures that students feel safe, supported, and nurtured—to improve their chances of academic success.
Mo Willems on the Lost Art of Being Silly
The author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus! chats with us about creativity, drawing as empathy, and letting kids “do 51 percent of the work.”
Emily Kaplan
How to Teach Handwriting—and Why It Matters
Teaching young students how to write by hand before moving on to keyboarding can help improve their reading fluency as well.
Brooke MacKenzie
There has been an error with the video.
A Daily Support System for Students
Students who need extra social and emotional support have a quick check-in with an adult at the start and end of each day.
There has been an error with the video.
60-Second Strategy: Pom-Pom Jar
Explicitly teaching and celebrating kindness is a simple yet powerful way to build a positive classroom culture.
What’s Lost When We Rush Kids Through Childhood
The author of "The Importance of Being Little" on the costs of our collective failure to see the world through the eyes of children.
Emily Kaplan

K-2 Primary

.css-1enhq53:hover{background-color:#d1ecfa;}Staying Connected Through Morning Message Videos

.css-1sk4066:hover{background:#d1ecfa;}Setting Up Easy Access to Digital Content in Elementary School

Staying Connected Through Morning Message Videos

Setting Up Easy Access to Digital Content in Elementary School