As an Experience Early Learning Blog Ambassador, we receive the Experience Early Learning preschool curriculum in exchange for sharing our honest and authentic stories resulting from our personal experiences. As always, our opinions on amazing things for children are 100% our own. Keep in mind that all preschoolers do things in their own time and on their own terms. What one is ready for, another might not be. Please use your best judgement when planning activities for your children.
Today meant wrapping up our winter preschool theme with a lesson about Icebergs.
Each month, Experience Early Learning (formerly Mother Goose Time) includes a few reflection activities at the end of our theme.
I shared a postcard creative art activity last week and wanted to share the portfolio creative art activity today.
These reflection ideas are a wonderful way to encourage preschoolers to practice important pre-writing and communication skills as well as becoming more self-aware, and gaining a better understanding of the passing of time.
Today the children each received a portfolio memory page and their art supply boxes.
Invite children to look through their work samples from the month.
Encourage each child to select his or her favorite work sample and make it in a special way.
Take turns showing and telling about favorite memories and experiences from this month's thematic study.
We sat together in small groups and took turns talking, writing, and drawing about our favorite memories and experience from this month's thematic study.
Today's observation question was: Did the child describe an event from the past? Did he or she express their preferences?
Not only was this activity a great way to review everything that we've learned this month, but it's also perfect for encouraging lots of early learning standards including creative thinking and fine motor skills along with working together as a group and of course we're practicing our memory skills too.
And the best part is how excited the preschoolers get about sharing what they're learning with us! It's nothing less than amazing to see all of those connections come to life.
By the end of the thematic study when we sit down to do these activities, the children have learned so much about the month's topics and the portfolio activities are the perfect testament to that.
Don't forget to stop back next week to see what we're up to as we started learning all about dinosaurs!
