George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Prekindergarten

Explore and share tips, strategies, and resources for helping students develop in prekindergarten.

  • Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education

    Four ways to validate and affirm young students’ cultures in meaningful ways, which can boost their engagement and motivation.
    Amanda Armstrong

  • 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 Create a Calm Learning Environment for Preschoolers

    Simple elements like lighting, tone of voice, and routines can help young children feel calm and ready to learn.
    Elaine Heiskell

  • 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

  • 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 Children Process Grief and Loss Through Play

    Young children will likely process the tumultuous events of 2020 in the only way they know how—through play. Here’s how adults can be supportive.
    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

  • 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

  • Time to Play: More State Laws Require Recess

    Unstructured playtime is making a comeback in schools as frustrated teachers, parents, and advocacy groups demand legislative action.
    Brittany Shammas

  • Bringing a Dog to School

    A veteran teacher and administrator makes the case for having a therapy dog in elementary school.
    Shari Feeney

  • At Playtime, Open Fields and Trees Beat Seesaws and Monkey Bars

    New research suggests that natural elements like mud, sticks, and trees might unlock the imaginative power of play—beating out purpose-built spaces like the neighborhood playground.
    Stephen Merrill

  • Demonstrating Self-Regulation With Tone of Voice

    When teachers model self-regulation by using a voice that is calm, neutral, and assertive, they help students feel cared for—and ready to learn.

  • 7 Tips for Managing Distance Learning in Preschool

    A preschool education director shares what her school is doing to keep kids’ screen time to a minimum while fostering play-based learning at home.
    Melanie Muskin

  • 22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels

    Suggestions from teachers who are working to offer students at every grade level book choices that represent their lives.
    Tom Berger

  • How Sesame Street’s Muppets Became Revolutionaries

    Now celebrating its 50th year of broadcasting, Sesame Street remains committed to pushing the boundaries for social change.
    Stephen Merrill