There are many online resources for preschool teachers looking for ideas, strategies, and information. If you know of an excellent online resource that helps you with your teaching, share it with our community of preschool teachers by sending us an e-mail at tyc@naeyc.org.
Featured Links
Head Start Body Start Toolbox This online toolbox offers a variety of resources to help preschool educators promote children’s physical activity and healthy eating. It is updated monthly and offers radio programs, activity ideas (which are aligned with Head Start Outcomes), and a physical activity calendar in English and Spanish to share with parents.
International Children’s Digital Library The International Children’s Digital Library is an online collection of high-quality children’s books from around the world that can be read online. It was created to make sure all children have access to books from their culture and in their home language. This free collection includes thousands of books available in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. Users can search for books by topic, child’s age, or language.
General Preschool Resources
Young Children offers a selection of online articles from NAEYC’s journal for early childhood educators, Young Children. Preschool teachers will be especially interested in the Reading Chair and Guidance Matters columns offered in each issue.
Born Learning is a public engagement campaign to help parents, caregivers, and communities create quality learning opportunities for children. The Web site contains parent education materials, information on child development, video clips, and a newsletter.
Growing Ideas Tipsheets these printable tip sheets address many topics, including daily transitions, social skills, inclusion, and early literacy.
The Illinois Early Learning Project Web site offers printable tip sheets for caregivers and parents, plus a frequently asked questions section.
The Innovative Teacher Project is designed for early childhood educators who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach and issues related to this approach in the United States.
The National Network for Child Care shares information about children and child care. Preschool teachers will find practical information and resources useful to their work.
MenTeach offers news, research, information, an online community, and an e-mail newsletter about supporting and increasing the number of men in the early childhood field.
PBS Teachers offers an area for early childhood educators as well as resources by subject and grade level. After selecting a topic and entering the grade level (pre–K is among the choices), teachers will find a list of related children’s books, Web sites, classroom ideas, and lesson plans.
The Project Approach Web site outlines a set of teaching strategies in which teachers guide children through in-depth studies of real world topics. The Web site contains information about the project approach as well as many examples of projects.
The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies has created a series of Growing Ideas tip sheets for early childhood professionals. Topics covered include aggression, friendships, assessment, and more.
TRUCE, Toy Action Guides can help adults make informed choices about toys. TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment) is a national group of educators concerned about how children's entertainment and toys are affecting the play and behavior of children in classrooms.
Creative Arts
Mama Lisa’s World offers a large collection of children’s songs and nursery rhymes from around the world. Lyrics are in English and the original language, and some songs include MP3s. Search for music by country or continent.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Museum Kids offers interactive online features about a variety of artists. Preschool teachers can find art activities ideas related to the artists work, information about each artist’s approach, and online photos of each artist's work.
The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature provides art activity ideas related to a selection of illustrated children’s books.
Health, Fitness, Nutrition, and Safety
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides information and policy statements on obesity, fitness, and nutrition along with many other child health topics.
Fit Source, from the National Child Care Information Center, offers educators a variety of physical activity and nutrition resources, including links to activities, lesson plans, healthy recipes, information for parents, and many other downloadable tools to help programs incorporate physical activity and nutrition.
MyPyramid.gov features the revised food guide pyramid and information on how it works. The site includes information on the different food groups, tips, and resources. Enter your vital statistics and create an individualized food plan.
PE Central offers the latest information about teaching health and physical education, including homemade equipment ideas, lessons and activities, articles, resources, and videos.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unsafe products. Click on “Recalls and Product Safety News” to find information on over 4,000 product recalls and recall alerts using the various searches on this page.
Language arts
Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site offers a collection of book reviews, with ideas on how to use them in the classroom and activities about particular curriculum areas or themes as well as professional topics.
International Reading Association serves educators who teach reading to learners of all ages. The Web site includes links to journals,Web resources, and special interest groups on a variety of topics concerning learning to read and to write. The Early Learners area contains information for preschool teachers.
Just One More Book! is a podcast which celebrates and promotes children’s books. Episodes can be played on the Web site or downloaded to an audio device. The Web site also features listener-submitted book reviews and interviews with authors, illustrators, and literacy experts.
Mother Goose Programs offers ideas, reading lists and book programs to inspire teachers to integrate reading books into explorations of math, science, and other topics.
The Official Eric Carle Web Site includes information about this best-loved children's author and his books, instructions for creating collage illustrations, and the Caterpillar Exhange Bulletin Board, a place for teachers to share ideas with each other.
PBS Kids Island offers free reading games and activities for preschoolers, along with resources and literacy activities for parents and teachers.
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) offers a variety of reading readiness programs and resources. Programs on this extensive Web site include community-based and family literacy programs, strategies and advice for educators and parents, and activities for children.
Reading Rockets offers information and activities to families, teachers, and other educators to help young children learn to read, including research-based strategies to help kids who struggle, techniques for teaching effectively, and resources about boosting reading comprehension. The site offers a free template that teachers can download and customize to create their own classroom newsletters.
WordWorld is the companion Web site to the PBS series WordWorld, a computer animated show for preschoolers. The Web site features interactive games for children along with information for parents and teachers.
Math
Illuminations, from the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, offers information on standards, activities, ideas and math resources.
Math and Literature Idea Bank offers resources and book lists for using literature to teach mathematics.
Mathematical Perspectives Teacher Center provides pre-K to grade 6 math educators with tools, strategies, and assessments.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics provides guidance and resources for approaches toward mathematics, standards, and more. Search for preschool in the search box to find the most relevant information.
Science and Social Studies
Green Hour was developed by The National Wildlife Federation to inspire parents and children to spend at least an hour exploring and playing outdoors every day. The Web site includes outdoor activities ideas to share with parents or adapt for the school setting.
National Geographic Education's Web site allows teachers to search for maps, photos, facts, and more—plus find links for educator favorites.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Early Years Blog Looking for some fresh science ideas for your preschool classroom? Check out this blog from the National Science Teachers Association. Blog posts offer activities, ideas, resources, and strategies for teaching science in the early childhood years.
What’s the Big Idea? is a book program created by the National Science Foundation that includes books and materials focusing on the big ideas in science and math for children ages 3 to 7.
Resources in English and Spanish/Recursos en inglés y en español
American Academy of Pediatrics Literacy Toolkit is a Web-based resources that offers strategies and tools that teachers can use to encourage families to read with their children. The site includes handouts in Spanish and English, information about selecting quality books, book lists, and links to other literacy resources in a variety of languages.
Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents/Centro Barahona para el Estudio de Libros Infantiles y Juveniles en Español offers a searchable database of over 10,000 recommended children’s books in Spanish and English. Look for special lists that highlight magazines, sing-alongs, and award-winning books for Spanish-speaking children.
Born Learning contains parent education materials, information on child development, video clips, and a newsletter.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Head Lice Information offers information in Spanish and English on prevention, control, and treatment of head lice.
Colorín Colorado provides activities, information, and advice about teaching reading to English-language learners. The site includes printable tip sheets (available in 11 languages), Webcasts, podcasts, e-newsletters, and other resources.
KCET’s A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa are television series and accompanying Web sites for everyone who cares for young children. Both shows and websites share ways to guide children’s cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and language and literacy development.
Our Book By Us!/Nuestro Libro ¡Hecho Por Nosotros! written in English and Spanish, this new book is available as a free download from the Web site of the National Writing Project. Caregivers and families can use it to support preschool children’s literacy development.The book includes tips for adults and activity pages for children to express their thoughts about their families and experiences.
Social/Emotional
Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior promotes the use of evidence-based practice to meet the needs of young children who have, or are at risk for, challenging behavior. Teachers will find useful information in the resources section.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is a national center focused on strengthening the capacity of child care and Head Start programs to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children. Teachers will find many useful resources in the resources/practical strategies category.
Family Communications Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Parents and Teachers covers topics like sharing, understanding differences, and addressing children’s fears. Teachers can sign up for the e-mail newsletter, Family Communications Neighborhood News.
Playing for Keeps shares information and the latest research on play with parents and professionals. The site contains resources on the value of pay for educators and to share with parents.
Working with Families
American Academy of Pediatrics Literacy Toolkit is a Web-based resources that offers strategies and tools that teachers can use to encourage families to read with their children. The site includes handouts in Spanish and English, information about selecting quality books, book lists, and links to other literacy resources in a variety of languages.
For Families,from NAEYC, offers resources and information to support families in their early childhood education and parenting needs
Especially for Parents, from the U.S. Department of Education, provides numerous resources educators can share with parents, including a tool kit for Hispanic families.
