As preschool children’s mathematical development is already in progress, high-quality early childhood education should involve math activities. We share with you a very popular blog post by teacher trainer Astrid Cornelis (Thomas More), published earlier on the Flemish blog Kleutergewijs. Subitizing is the ability to immediately see how many there are, without counting. In preschool,…

Do you like to dive into your personal library and bring out the book jewels in your preschool classroom? By storytelling, reading aloud in the classroom, and providing pupils with a stimulating book corner, you are already enhancing their reading competencies and motivation. But did you know you can go much further? As a ECE…

This message was written by Sarah Sierens and Kristel Detollenaere, language specialists in the teacher training at HOGENT. They found inspiration at Foyer VZW, Freinetschool De Mandala and the Boekenkaravaan of De Schoolbrug during the project Little Children – Great Opportunities.  In a previous blog post, you could read an answer to two questions that…

This message was written by Sarah Sierens and Kristel Detollenaere, language specialists in the teacher training at HOGENT. They found inspiration at Foyer VZW, Freinetschool De Mandala and the Boekenkaravaan of De Schoolbrug during the project Little Children – Great Opportunities.  Early Childhood Education in 2021 is a mirror of society: a rich mix of…

Why explore nature with your ECEC group? Exposure to neighborhood green space during childhood may have a protective effect on mental health as an adult. We reblog this research update, written by science writer Meeri Kim and published on the BOLD blog. Although more than half of the world’s population live in cities, urban living…

This blog message was written by teacher trainers Helena Taelman & Marlies Algoet (Belgium, ODISEE) Meals can offer excellent opportunities for language stimulation, according to current research.  How can we savor every bit of it in the family context and in the ECE setting?   Enjoy your meal in the family circle! In a family,…

This blog post was contributed by teacher trainers Marlies Algoet, Thijs Eeckhout & Helena Taelman (ODISEE) Flemish preschool classrooms contain a relatively high number of multilingual preschoolers from families with a low socioeconomic status. These children may benefit from high-quality educational activities that focus on STEM (short for “Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics”) because preschool science activities are cognitively…

This blog message was contributed by Astrid Cornelis (Thomas More).  Can poverty get under your skin? It certainly can. Preschool teachers, however, can help to diminish high stress levels in young children of low socioeconomic status. Arts-based activities – including dance, drama, music, and visual arts – seem to be particularly suited to this purpose….

This blog message was contributed by Astrid Cornelis (Thomas More).  What if a 5-year-old asks this question? Flutter the question? Or wait a minute… Explain that viruses can make us sick or catch a cold? Admit you don’t quite know it yourself? Catch a picture book? Nowadays, you can easily find good tips on how…

This blog post was written by Liesbeth Van Dael (Thomas More). A brief blog post for all ECEC professionals who take a step in the dark these days. How to organize some sort of distance learning? Which alternative ways to have contact with your preschoolers now and then? On the one hand, there are already…