Preparing for the First Week

Preparation is key:

During the first few weeks of school there is no such thing as "over prepared".

• Have your lesson plans written in extreme detail to make sure that you are consistent, not forgetting anything and establishing a good routine.
• Write out all the songs and finger plays you will be using- include more than you think you are going to need.
• Give some thought as to how you want your transitions to occur (with music, songs, special noises or props, etc) so that the children will begin to recognize them from the very first day.
• Prepare a picture schedule to refer to as you explain to the children what is coming next.

Classroom Organization

• In order to foster respect for classroom materials and proper usage and cleaning up procedures your classroom should be well organized. Each item or material should have a well labeled home.
• Classrooms should be neat, clean and organized. Chaotic and disorganized environments can be over stimulating and confusing for children.
• Make sure all shelves are explicitly labeled for each material with words and pictures.

Preparing Children for Success with Classroom Materials:

Remember, your children will not walk into your room and know the schedule, how to behave or how to use classroom materials. You will have to teach them each one of these.

• When children arrive anticipate their excitement and anxiety by having something simple for them to do. For example you can place paper and crayons at the table for them to draw pictures. Make sure the paper has the date on it and that there is plenty of extra. After the children are finished collect the artwork to hang in the room so they will immediately be part of the classroom- and then when you take them down add them to their portfolios.
• Don’t reveal ALL your secrets on the first day!
• It isn’t necessary to open every center on the first day. Each center needs to be explained by the teacher- what children can do in the center, how to use the materials, how to care for materials and how to put them away. This is too much for the first day- remember it’s all new to them. Just make sure there is enough available so that every child can be engaged and open more centers throughout the week as you are able to teach them.
• In order to keep them closed you can put a cloth over the shelves or turn them toward the wall.
• After all the centers have been open you can remind children of the proper location of the materials by playing scavenger hunt games during circle - have several items from different centers and the children have to identify where they belong and put them away. Or have items that the children need to locate and bring to you.

Classroom Schedule:

In order for children to feel safe and secure as well as to foster their independence it is important to follow a consistent schedule every day. If you anticipate having schedule changes it is good to create a picture schedule that you can manipulate for the children.

Classroom Rules:

• Use pictures for children to be able to "read" the rules on their own and refer to them without teacher assistance.
• Keep them simple and positive
• Model appropriate behaviors and ways of resolving conflict
• Review the classroom rules with children daily during the beginning of school and throughout the day whenever necessary.

Classroom Decorations:

Don’t waste precious wall real estate on useless wall decorations. While parent communication is an important part of the PreK Counts program it isn’t necessary to spend hours creating bulletin boards that only your parents will read. Create a clear and concise area for parent communication that is relevant and up to date. In order to ease a child’s transition to the classroom make sure that your classroom reflects the families, cultures and families unique needs. You can do this by incorporating family pictures into the classroom landscape, introducing more cozy homelike items and thinking about elements that you would want to be surrounded with during the day (fabric, baskets, nature, lighting, artwork, warm colors etc). Don’t forget that any item meant for children to refer to or interact with should be placed at children’s eye level.