George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Prekindergarten

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

  • Empowering Families for Distance Learning in Early Childhood

    Prekindergarten teachers can collaborate with families to ensure that young students engage in the hands-on learning experiences they need.
    Roisleen Todd

  • 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

  • Making the Most of Compost

    Don’t throw that banana peel in the trash! Use a school compost bin to foster project-based learning across subjects and grade levels.
    Christopher Weber

  • 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 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Activities That Prime the Brain for Learning

    Brain breaks and focused attention practices help students feel relaxed and alert and ready to learn.
    Lori Desautels

  • Starting the Day With a Calming Routine

    Exercises that help young students who’ve experienced trauma transition into the school day in a relaxed and ready state.
    Lori Desautels

  • 60-Second Strategy: Respectful Touch

    A simple activity can help preschoolers better understand boundaries and learn to be gentle when it comes to physical contact.