You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.
A little too busy?
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Hey Reader! How do the next two weeks look for you? Special events are popping up. There are extra projects to finish, family gatherings to plan, and a growing list of things to do before the end of the year. And that’s just outside the classroom! What about IN your classroom? These holiday seasons can bring excitement, but also added stress and more chaotic. Children may be more energetic, routines get disrupted, and teachers feel the pressure to make everything extra special. Here are 3 tips to help you create a memorable season that you’ll actually enjoy and that benefits the children in your care. 1. Take care of yourself, too. When you’re stressed and exhausted, it affects the children—and coworkers—around you. Give yourself permission to let go of a few extras. You don’t have to do every project, attend every event, or make everything picture-perfect. A calm, present teacher is far more valuable than one who is stretched too thin! 2. Keep familiar routines. Special activities and celebrations are fun, but too many changes can leave young children feeling unsettled. Keep your usual routines as consistent as possible, even when the schedule needs to flex. Familiar rhythms help children feel safe, secure, and ready to learn. 3. Focus on what matters most. You don’t have to do it all to make this season meaningful. Choose one or two priorities for your classroom and let the rest go. Keep activities developmentally appropriate, and remember that children learn more when they get to participate than when adults do all the work to create an adorable finished product! As the you notice the pressure building, look for simple opportunities to nurture wonder, practice kindness, build relationships, and help children experience God’s love in everyday moments. You don’t have to make every day extraordinary. Sometimes, the most meaningful gift we give children is a peaceful place to learn, play, and belong. Cheering you on this week! -Your ECCN team P.S. If you don't want to receive these weekly emails anymore, no hard feelings. Click HERE to be removed from this list. (You'll still receive other emails from us based on past preferences.)
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Early Childhood Christian Network
You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.
Hey Reader! Beyond VeggieTales and Goldfish Bible stories, worship songs, and fun activities all have a place in early childhood ministry. Children need to hear the stories of Jesus and learn about God’s character. But information alone isn’t the whole picture. Children also need opportunities to experience God—to develop a sense of wonder, curiosity, and connection with the One who loves them. Think about the difference between telling children that God created the world and helping them...
Hey Reader! You know the moment. You look at the clock and realize you have 5 or 10 more minutes until the next part of your schedule. The children are getting restless. You’re tired. And whatever you had planned is already finished (or maybe the lesson just fell a little flatter than you’d hoped)! What do you do? Instead of scrambling for something new, keep a few no-prep or almost-no-prep activities in your back pocket (or a list on your clipboard). These aren't meant to replace your...
Hey Reader! “You need to clean up. Now. Because I said so.” Sometimes that is exactly what we want to say, isn’t it? And sometimes, that simple command turns a small transition into a full-blown power struggle. Young children spend much of their day having decisions made for them. What they wear, when and what they eat, where they go, when they clean up, what activity comes next, and where they sit are often adult decisions. So it can be powerful (and SO helpful to your own sanity) to give...