Made for Pre-K

Are you curious about how students learn their letters when using The Creative Curriculum?

In my newest blog post, I share why we start with student names and simple activities that keep it fun and hands-on. 👋

You can check out the blog here:
https://www.madeforprek.com/blog/b/why-names-are-your-secret-weapon-in-preschool-and-how-to-use-them

What’s your favorite name activity for the beginning of the year?

Why Names are Your Secret Weapon in Preschool (and How to Use Them) Looking at your class list, wondering where to start with letter recognition? Or maybe you're on the hunt for a fresh way to kick off the school year with your preschoolers. Here's a tip: it's all about names.

The back-to-school resource you didn't know you needed

Our August coaching video just dropped, and it's all about starting the year strong with a focus on names.

Regardless of which teaching guide you're starting the year with, Beginning the Year, The First Six Weeks, F6W Guided Edition, or the new Pre-K edition, they all emphasize the importance of names.

Why Names?
- They're personal and meaningful
- They connect to a child's sense of self
- They help build community, affirm identity, and lay a literacy foundation

Some of the 10 fun name activities covered:
- Name songs and chants
- Name puzzles
- Class books and more!

Don't miss the new resources like guided edition real photo binders and labels, and the Monthly Limited Edition Phonogram Strips, exclusive to the Pre-K Prep Club.

Why haven’t you joined the Pre-K Prep Club yet? For $7/month, you have this and more.

It's a teacher-made selection of Creative Curriculum classroom-ready ideas and resources.

Whether you’re brand new to Creative Curriculum or want to spice things up for the new year, I got you!

Join Pre-K Prep Club here:
https://members.madeforprek.com/prekprepclub

Alright, this is it! 🤩

If you need guidance and direction on getting started with CC, this is your last chance to get it for free inside the Pre-K Prep Club.

🚀 The Jumpstart Challenge bonus expires tonight.

Who is it for? Preschool & Pre-K teachers using CC

What does it cost? The challenge is free with our $7/monthly membership, Pre-K Prep Club

What do I get? Over $96 worth of resources aligned to each challenge to save you time prepping and planning, video training, workbooks and private FB support group.

Will it be available after tomorrow? Yes! You can purchase The Jumpstart Challenge whenever you're ready for $49 from our website. But why wait.
https://members.madeforprek.com/prekprepclub

Creative Curriculum Challenge for Week 2: Daily Schedules is Live!

This week is all about drafting up our daily schedules with resources to support you along the way.

Real photos daily schedules cards for Preschool & Pre-K editions exclusive to the challenge, included. Thanks to member feedback, it comes in two orientations for vertical and horizontal schedules.
Come join us!

Join the Pre-K Prep Club Join the Pre-K Prep Club today

Check out our Pre-K Prep Club member wins!

We kicked off our Creative Curriculum monthly challenge this week with a Welcome and Mindset Reset.

Some resources that are getting a lot of attention are the Teacher Affirmation Cards and 6 Positive Messages for Our Classroom Posters.

Teachers are sharing classroom vision boards and ideas for using the resources.

They’re getting support as they prepare for a new school year with a new curriculum.

The challenge is something different than your usual PD or training, even if you’ve been using CC for a few years.

Check out what members are saying inside the Pre-K Prep Club. 💪🏽

Join us in the Pre-K Prep Club

https://members.madeforprek.com/prekprepclub

If you’re a Pre-K Prep Club member, you have access to all of these resources that have been recently added to the TPT shop. If you’re not sure where to find something, just ask, I’d be happy to help!

Real Photo Phonogram Cards aligned to the Creative Curriculum for Pre-K have just been added to the Pre-K Prep Club as a Limited Edition Monthly Drop.

You can also buy them in my TPT shop.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Real-Photos-Phonogram-Cards-for-Creative-Curriculum-Pre-K-and-Science-of-Reading-11655542

There is a color-coded version:
Vowels - yellow
Consonants - blue
Digraphs - red
Two Sounds - Green (optional)

And a version with all gray borders.

Includes a sound icon cheat sheet to help you and students reference what the 4 icons mean:

Stop - stop sign
Continuous - arrow
Voiced - talking head
Voiceless - no sound icon

Created as a visual tool to help students learn the language and diverse learners be able to access the curriculum through visual supports. But all students can benefit from the extra photos of mouth formations and sound keywords.

Many students will have to learn the keyword vocabulary along with the letter sounds, so having a visual cue is a way to scaffold their learning.

This isn't meant to replace auditory practice, but to enhance it and make it more engaging for those students who may need more. They come two to a page, but can be printed multiple to a page, so you can place them on a ring and have a small group set ready to go for next school year if your goal is to increase letter-sound connections.

Here are some other ideas...
-Multiple sets for matching game
-Sound wall/alphabet wall/word wall
-Charades, having students mimic the mouth formations or keywords
-Whole group/small group/individual sound/speech goals
-On a ring in the Library or Writing Center...
How do you see these being used?

Real Photo Phonogram Cards aligned with the Creative Curriculum phonogram cards.

Dropping tomorrow…👀

💌 New Blog Post!

Check out my first impressions of the new Creative Curriculum Pre-K edition and how it compares to the Preschool version.

https://www.madeforprek.com/blog/b/first-impressions-of-the-creative-curriculum-pre-k-edition

What else do you want to know about the Pre-K version?

Happy Seventh Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🎈🎈🎈

What a fun week it’s been! We’ve relaxed, organized, and empowered our classrooms together.

As we close out Teacher Appreciation Week, I'm excited to present you with one final gift and two surprise bonuses designed to celebrate and support your incredible dedication throughout the school year.
🎁 Your Final Gift: My Dream Vacation Planner
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation
My Dream Vacation Planner: Start your summer planning now!!!
Perfect for mapping out your ideal vacation, allowing you to visualize and organize your much-needed getaway.

Whether you’re planning a staycation or vacation, let’s make the most of it.

And I didn’t stop there.

Here are the surprises…

🥳 Surprise Bonus #1: 25% Off Pre-K Prep Shop

Enjoy a special discount in our Pre-K Prep Shop.
https://www.madeforprek.com/pre-k-prep-shop

Use code TEACHER25 at checkout to get the tools you need to prep faster to focus on what you love to do, both in and out of the classroom.

🍎 Surprise Bonus #2: FREE Gift with Any Purchase - SOR Magna Tiles Alphabet Mats

Join the Pre-K Prep Club
https://members.madeforprek.com/prekprepclub

or

make a Pre-K Prep Shop purchase until Sunday to receive your Gift set of Magna Tiles alphabet mats absolutely free.

These mats are great for fostering learning through play, making them a hit in any classroom setting.

Why all these gifts this week?

You’ve spent the year nurturing young minds, and now it’s time for us to nurture your spirit and your classroom. Whether it’s planning a relaxing break or enhancing your teaching resources, I’ve got you covered.

Thank you for your tireless dedication and the positive impact you make every day.

Enjoy these tokens of appreciation, and have a wonderful, restorative summer break.

Happy Sixth Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🌟

As the school year winds down, I know how chaotic and cluttered classrooms can become. That's why today's gift is specially designed to help you declutter, organize, and smoothly transition into summer.

🎁 Today’s Gift: Interest Areas End of the Year Planner
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

This planner is more than just a tool; it's your ultimate assistant for closing out the year with ease and efficiency. Packed with practical templates, it will guide you through organizing and packing up your classroom.

What’s Included:

Templates: Utilize these to systematically plan your packing and ensure nothing is overlooked.

Storage Labels: Label totes, boxes, and bins with provided signs for each interest area, making unpacking next year a breeze.

Decluttering Goals: Set achievable objectives with steps to help you minimize end-of-year stress.

Maintenance & Cleaning Checklists: Keep track of what needs cleaning, fixing, or replacing.

This planner is a roadmap to a successful and organized end of the school year.

It’s designed to help you:

Organize with Ease: Follow the structured templates to sort and store your teaching materials.

Label Effectively: Use the real photo signs to clearly mark everything, ensuring every item has its place.

Declutter Strategically: Achieve a cleaner, more organized space with targeted decluttering goals.

Begin using the planner now to avoid the last-minute rush.

Make packing a learning activity by involving your students in sorting and labeling. The water table can be a washing station as they wash toys to be stored.

Tomorrow is the final day of 7 Days of Appreciation for Creative Curriculum Preschool Teachers, and I've saved very special gifts for last.🤩

🎁 Teacher Appreciation Gifts!

Today, I released these fine motor mats with 3-step instruction cards to help you set up an activity using low-prep visuals and materials you probably already have in your classroom.

Make Letters with..
Playdough
Magnetic Chips
Mini Erasers

You can place these print-and-go mats in a plastic sleeve, which makes them easier to wipe clean and allows you to put them in a binder when you're done.

Don't forget to share the link with your teacher friends who would love these freebies!
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

Tag them so they don't miss out on the last gifts. 🍎

Happy Fifth Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🎈

This week, we’ve relaxed, planned, and expressed our gratitude. Today, let’s focus on enhancing your classroom with tools that support fine motor development and literacy—a fundamental part of early childhood education.

🎁 Today’s Gift: A-Z Fine Motor Mats with 3-Step Instruction Cards
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

Understanding the importance of fine motor skills in the development of young learners, I've created these mats and instruction cards to provide an engaging, hands-on way for your students to enhance these essential skills using materials like playdough, magnetic chips, and mini erasers.

What’s Included:
A-Z Fine Motor Mats: Each mat features letters with corresponding images to help reinforce phonetic sounds and vocabulary, from 'A for Ant to 'Z for Zebra.'

3-Step Instruction Cards: These cards offer simple steps for activities that encourage independent learning in small groups. They are perfect for station work or guided practice.

These materials are aligned with the Science of Reading to ensure they meet educational standards while being incredibly fun and interactive for children. They serve not just to build fine motor skills but also to integrate literacy and phonemic awareness.

Let students pick a letter they are curious about or assign them to reinforce specific learning objectives.

Practice phonetics by saying the sound of the letter, enhancing both letter recognition and auditory processing.

Students can form letters using playdough, place magnetic chips along the outlines, or arrange mini erasers to fill shapes, promoting creativity and motor skill precision.

By consistently integrating these activities into your interest areas and small groups, you’ll teach literacy skills and foster a tactile, multi-sensory learning environment that caters to diverse learning styles and needs.

I look forward to tomorrow’s gift, which helps to bring some organization to your classroom!

🎁 What's been your favorite gift so far?

Happy Fourth Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🌈

As we continue our journey of gratitude and support, I'm excited to present a gift today that speaks directly to the heart of your daily experiences as an educator.

🎁 Today’s Gift: Inspirations for Teaching - Daily Affirmation Cards for Preschool Teachers
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

Being a preschool teacher involves more than just teaching; it's about nurturing, inspiring, and overcoming big and small challenges on a daily basis. That's why I've curated a collection of affirmation cards—to give you daily reminders of your incredible impact and bolster your spirit even on tough days.

What’s included and how to use it:

20 Affirmation Cards: Each card is carefully crafted to encourage and empower you, reminding you of your ability to shape young minds positively.
Morning Grounding: Start your day with focus and positivity by selecting an affirmation that resonates with you. I like to choose a card at random as well. Do what feels right for you.
Challenging Moments: When times get tough, these cards remind you of your strengths and resilience.
Team Inspiration: Share these affirmations with colleagues to build a supportive community that thrives on mutual encouragement.
Reflective Practice: Use these cards to wind down and reflect on your day, recognizing your accomplishments.

These affirmation cards are more than just notes; they are a tool to help you navigate the daily pressures with grace and to remind you that what you do every day matters immensely—not just to your students but to the entire community.

This week is all about appreciating and empowering you, and I hope this gift helps your days shine brighter and reminds you of the sunny impact you have in your preschool classroom.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s gift—it will add another layer of joy and utility to your teaching toolkit!

Happy Third Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🌟

We've explored ways to help you relax and better manage your time. Today, I'm excited to give you something that will enrich your classroom and help foster a culture of gratitude among your students.

🎁 Today’s Gift: 'How Can We Say Thank You to People in Our Community' Real Photos Bundle
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

This mini-investigation bundle is designed to help your students explore and express gratitude towards different members of the school and local community. It's an excellent way for preschoolers to learn about appreciation and the positive impacts of saying "thank you."

What’s Included:

Real Photos: Bring the real world into your classroom with engaging visuals.
Vocabulary Cards: Help expand your students' language around gratitude.
Questions of the Day: Spark thoughtful discussions with the shared writing version.
Alphabet Cards: Integrate literacy with themes of thanks and community.
Number Cards: Incorporate counting and math into daily gratitude practices.

This bundle is part of the Creative Curriculum mini investigations found in the Cloud, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your lesson plans. It's not just about learning to say thank you; it's about understanding the impact of these two powerful words.

Encourage your students to think about who they are grateful for, from other teachers to community helpers, and express that gratitude creatively. This investigation makes the concept of thankfulness tangible and actionable.

So, explore the resources and watch your classroom transform into a hub of positivity and gratitude.

Looking forward to tomorrow's surprise, which will add even more sunshine to your classroom!

Happy Second Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🎉

I hope yesterday's gift provided a peaceful moment for you to recharge. Today, I’m excited to share something that complements our journey of appreciation and supports your incredible dedication in and out of the classroom.

🎁 Today’s Gift: The Balance Planner
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

A few weeks ago, I shared how various time management tools helped me with spring cleaning at home. Reflecting on this, I realized these tools' immense value for tidying up physical spaces and organizing our time and mental space.

The Balance Planner is not just a tool; it's a guide crafted specifically for you, the superhero in the classroom who has to juggle everything and still find time for themselves at the end of the day.

It’s designed to help you navigate the chaotic last days of the school year and beyond, empowering you with strategies for more effectively balancing your professional responsibilities and personal time.

Inside, you’ll find:

Prioritization techniques to focus on what truly matters each day.
Efficiency tips to streamline your workflow and minimize time wasted.
Customizable planning pages that cater to your unique teaching style and daily needs.

Why a planner?

Because knowing what’s ahead and having a plan to tackle it can significantly reduce stress and increase your daily joy and effectiveness. This planner is more than just a schedule keeper; it’s a roadmap to a more balanced life, giving you time for yourself.

So, take a moment to explore your new planner, set up your next week with intention, and remember, I’m here cheering you on every step of the way!

Stay excited for tomorrow’s surprise—it’s something that will bring a little extra gratitude to your classroom!

Happy First Day of Teacher Appreciation Week! 🎉

As we kick off this week, I want to take a moment each day to celebrate you—not just for your dedication and resilience but for the joy and wisdom you bring to your classroom every day.

To start off our 7 Days of Appreciation, I've prepared something special to help you unwind and relax.

🎁 Today's Gift: The Calm & Relax Coloring Book
https://members.madeforprek.com/teacher-appreciation

This isn't just any coloring book—it's a hand-picked collection of 60 calming elements designed with you in mind. Inside, you’ll find:

Birds – May their serene presence and sweet songs inspire tranquility.
Crystals – Each page, like each crystal, is unique, helping to harmonize and balance your environment.
Hanging Plants – Let these gentle green giants transport you to a peaceful oasis.

Why coloring? It's simple: coloring offers a quiet moment of creativity and mindfulness. Whether you have a few minutes during the day or a lazy Sunday afternoon, these pages are your passport to peace.

So grab your favorite colored pencils or markers, find a cozy nook, and let yourself enjoy a bit of artistic meditation. You've earned this moment of calm!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's surprise... 🥳

Get ready for Teacher Appreciation Week! 🍎

To make sure you feel extra appreciated for all your hard work this school year, the gifts start this Sunday! 💐

All the goodies will be shared inside our private Facebook group, so don’t forget to join the group to unlock your daily gifts. 🛍️

7 Days of Appreciation - Grab the link inside of our private Facebook group: Creative Curriculum Preschool Teachers

Ready for the weekend? 🥳

Getting Ready for Kindergarten Planner is live in the Pre-K Prep Shop!

https://www.madeforprek.com/product-details/product/6632c259741c47d62d731c20?ep_no=2

⭐ Here's what’s included in the Getting Ready for Kindergarten Planner:

✅ Digital and printable versions
✅ 3 Month Undated Planner May-July
✅ 6 Social-Emotional Tools

Table of Contents:
00 Getting Started
01 Focus Question 1
02 Focus Question 2
03 Focus Question 3
04 Reflect & Celebrate
05 End of the Year
06 Calendars
07 Assessments

Only $9 in the Pre-K Prep Shop or get it free when you sign up for the Pre-K Prep Club for $7/month.

Questions about the planner or social emotional tools included?

Let me know in the comments!

Summer Packets?

One of the many things on my to-do list towards the end of the year is to get the summer packets ready. The Getting Ready for Kindergarten teaching guide suggests sharing useful information with parents for the summer. Depending on the needs of your students, that looks different for everyone.

However, I make sure to include resources for Math and Literacy so they can continue practicing skills over the break. Because I have students of a range of abilities, from those still learning numbers to 10 to those who skip counting to 100, my packets are flexible enough to be differentiated.

I also know that students will surprise you one day, and it will click, and they will be ready to move on to the next level. That moment of growth may happen over break as they're playing with their families, so you want to make sure they are equipped with the tools to continue to challenge their child.

As a parent, I would also take into consideration how much I'm giving them because we don't want to overwhelm them into not even taking it out of the folder, either. It's a balance. And we can't always assume that parents know what to do with the materials we give them. It may be obvious to us, but not to them.
That's why I just released this bundle of Math & Literacy Family Games in the Pre-K Prep Club as a Limited Edition Monthly Drop for May. If you're curious about what's inside, let me give you a quick overview.

Math & Literacy Family Games includes

✅ Alphabet Cards & Charts
✅ Initial Sounds Sort
✅ Number Cards 1-30
✅ I’m Thinking of a Shape
✅ Shape Finders
✅ And more…

To make this practical for families, they are using the same materials in different ways, and the 3-step instruction Cards help them see how versatile the tools in their packet are. There are 10 instruction cards for Math and 10 instruction cards for Literacy.

As I was making these, I couldn't help but think how I could easily use this as a small group activity. I would place the 3-Step Instruction Card in a clear acrylic frame from Dollar Tree and the materials on the table.

The more visual support I can give the group to stay on task, the more successful they will be, the more independent they will be, the more I can concentrate on my group.

If you want the bundle but don't want to join Pre-K Prep Club for $7, no worries, I'm adding the Math & Literacy Family Games bundle to the Pre-K Prep Shop soon along with the Getting Ready for Kindergarten Planners. 💐

One of the biggest reasons why I love ending the year with the getting ready for kindergarten teaching guide is because it focuses on social emotional development.

As Early Childhood educators, we know how important it is for us to be intentional and deliberate about everything social emotional when it comes to our preschoolers.

We focused on social emotional learning when we started the first six weeks building our classroom community. It would only make sense to finish off the year in the same supportive way.

Introducing growth mindset cards for preschool students transitioning to kindergarten. Perfect for any preschool teacher to use throughout the day to open up their circle time before they start a story or anytime they want to bring some positive energy And growth mindset thinking to their classroom.

I’m excited to share that this is one of the new social emotional tools just added to the pre-K prep club as part of the getting ready for kindergarten, social-emotional tools, and resources to help them transition.

Let me know how you would use these mindset cards with your preschoolers as you finish off the school year.

🦾 Digital Gold Data Binder & Planner

Now available in the Pre-K Prep Shop!

If you’re a preschool teacher using Teaching Strategies Gold assessment, you might be feeling overwhelmed with collecting all that data for all the objectives.

I’ve been there! Especially at the beginning of my journey, it took a while to figure out my systems. I was treading water for a few years and hated that feeling. But it took a while to build my tools and strategies that worked for me. Lots of trial and error, when I didn’t have time to waste on errors.

That’s why I dedicate a whole lesson on setting up your assessment systems with Gold inside the Pre-K Prep Club. Assessment is what drives our daily instruction, so the more efficient we can be with our assessment systems, the more effective we can be at teaching and addressing our students needs.

I’ve tried so many ways to collect data over the years with Gold, and one thing about papers is that sometimes they end up at the bottom of a pile of things on my desk. And I find them when I no longer need them.

Trial and error led me to a digital option. I love taking notes with my iPad on GoodNotes, and prefer to download my PDFs and workbooks there over printing them. I created this digital data binder and planner because I could use the calendar for anecdotals or to note when my checkpoint due dates are throughout the year.

💫Swipe for all the details

This is a bonus inside the Pre-K Prep Club
for only $7/month 🙌🏼

Or

Shop the Digital Gold Data Binder & Planner
In the Pre-K Prep Shop 🛒

🍎 Tap link in bio for all the links!

☕️ New Blog Post All About Getting Ready For Kindergarten

Deciding how to end the school year can be challenging, especially when not all students head to kindergarten in the fall. Have you ever felt stuck on how to handle this transition smoothly?

Whether you're using this teaching guide for the first time or looking for a refresher, I’ve shared my experiences using "Getting Ready for Kindergarten" (GRFK) with both mixed-age groups (3-5s) and just the 4s.

🔗 Check out the blog for a week-by-week snapshot and get practical tips to ensure every child feels included in your transition discussions—even those returning as preschool leaders next year!

How do you include all students in end-of-year activities? Share your strategies below, and let’s help each other make the last weeks of school as enriching as possible!

https://www.madeforprek.com/blog/b/why-getting-ready-for-kindergarten-is-ideal-for-mixed-age-classrooms

Real Photos Games are live for the Gardening study!

I’m so pumped about this addition to the VIP Visual Vault & Pre-K Prep Shop.

When it comes to study games for preschoolers, it’s more than just practicing a skill, it’s about differentiating to meet students at their level.

That’s why each math and literacy game has varying levels to help teachers use the same activity to differentiate and scaffold instruction. Perfect for small groups!

NEW! Real Photos Games
🌱 Look & Find Mats (8.5 x 11 & 11 x 17)
🌱 Ten Frame Task Cards (1-10, 10-20)
🌱 Alphabet Task Cards (A-A,a-a, A-a, a-A)
🌱 Pattern Task Cards (AB, ABC, AAB, AABB)

VIP Visual Vault Members, you can find the Gardening games inside your member portal, in the Real Photos folder.

Tap the link in bio to checkout the pre-K Prep shop visual bundle for Gardening that includes all of these new games! 🌸



Which game is your favorite?

Real Photos Games are live for the Gardening study!

I’m so pumped about this addition to the VIP Visual Vault & Pre-K Prep Shop.

When it comes to study games for preschoolers, it’s more than just practicing a skill, it’s about differentiating to meet students at their level.

That’s why each math and literacy game has varying levels to help teachers use the same activity to differentiate and scaffold instruction during small groups.

Introducing Real Photos Gardening games…

🌱 Look & Find Mats (8.5 x 11 & 11 x 17)
🌱 Ten Frame Task Cards (1-10, 10-20)
🌱 Alphabet Task Cards (A-A,a-a, A-a, a-A)
🌱 Pattern Task Cards (AB, ABC, AAB, AABB)

Tap the link in bio to visit the Pre-K Prep Shop!

Which one would your students love?