Inside: I’ve put together all the toddler and preschool virtual learning activities and printables that I’ve done since school closures. A great resource for educators who are teaching online!
If you are in the position of preschool virtual teaching, as I am, you need resources!
When I started this online teaching journey in spring 2020, I had no idea where to begin.
Yes, I’d been a teacher in the classroom for over 20 years.
But online?
No experience whatsoever.
I got no training.
I literally was told we would be moving from in-person teaching due to the pandemic to online teaching.
I had to learn along the way.
I decided to share my online teaching journey with all of you – from my mistakes to my victories.
Scroll down to find what I’ve been doing!
As I create more Zoom meetings with my students I will update this page.
Table of Contents
Connecting with Students During School Closures – Winter 2021
By now I’ve been doing online teaching for many months.
This page will be dedicated to 2021 online classes.
If you’d like to see what I did in 2020, check out these pages:
Spring 2020 Virtual Teaching Resources
Fall 2020 Virtual Teaching Resources (including Christmas)
Zoom Meetings – A Few Tidbits
Do not be afraid to use the mute button! This is especially true while reading books. While I want to hear each child, sometimes the feedback is too distracting not just for me, but for the children as well. I tell our families that if there is excessive noise in their house, feel free to hit the mute button.
- We email the families a link to get into the Zoom meetings and the children wait in the “waiting room” so we can invite them in one at a time.
- Once all of the children have arrived (or when you feel it’s time to start), we move into the meeting.
- I do not rush these meetings. I take my time, pausing to look directly at them with a warm smile.
- As soon as the children arrive, I welcome them all and let them know how good it is to see them!
- Then, we begin.
- These meetings are about 25-35 minutes long and I do not rush it. I cannot emphasize enough that you do not need to rush through your meeting.
At the start of each week, I send an email home to our families outlining what we will be doing that week, letting them know which props their children will need.
If children have a hard time sitting, some families have found that sitting their children at the kitchen table with a snack really helps.
I told the families that if their children just weren’t into it, I completely understood if they needed to leave the meeting.
However, I also tell them that it’s okay if their children want to move around during the meeting.
This is a young age group (2 and young 3 year olds) and their attention spans are much shorter than preschoolers.
Video Set Up
I keep my set-up rather simple.
I have my laptop, my bluetooth speaker, my schedule, and my props ready to go.
See how I set up my simple virtual teaching area here:
January 2021
Outline:
- Week #1 – Snow and Ice
- Week #2 – Snowmen
- Week #3 – Winter Clothing
- Week #4 – Winter Bears
January Music Playlist
⭐️ See my January playlist here!
Take Home Packets
Every 2 weeks we put together a packet that includes props they can hold during our meetings, as well as activities they can do on their own time.
Take Home Packets for Weeks #1 and #2:
Take Home Packets for Weeks #2 and #3:
Hot Cocoa Color Page (Part of This Packet)
Week #1 – Snow and Ice – Tuesday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
What we did:
Good Morning Song
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
Book: Millions of Snowflakes
Book: Snow Kisses
Song: Snowflakes, Snowflakes
Song: I’m a Little Snowflake
Prop to Hold: Snowflake Sticks
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
Goodbye Song
Week #1 – Snow and Ice – Thursday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
What we did:
Book: Ten Sparkly Snowflakes
- You can find the snowflakes in our Winter Counting Props Pack
Book: Little Bea and the Snowy Day
Song: Snowflakes, Snowflakes
Song: I’m a Little Snowflake
Song: Open, Shut Them
Prop to Hold: Snowflake Sticks
Week #2 – Snow and Snowmen – Tuesday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Book: The Itsy Bitsy Snowman
Book: Little Snowman
Song: I’m a Little Snowman
Song: Five Little Snowmen
Prop to Hold: Snowman Sticks
Rhyme: 10 Little Snowflakes
- You can find the snowflakes in our Winter Counting Props Pack
Prop to Hold: Snowflake Sticks
Week #2 – Snow and Snowmen – Thursday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Book: Biscuit’s Snowy Day
Book: Colors in the Cold
- We used this free printable.
Song: I’m a Little Snowman
Song: Five Little Snowmen
Prop to Hold: Snowman Sticks
Song: I’m a Little Snowflake
Prop to Hold: Snowflake Sticks
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
Week #3 – Winter Clothing – Tuesday
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Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Book: Amy Loves the Snow
Book: Will You Wear a Blue Hat?
Prop to Hold: Mitten Sticks
Song: I Wake Up My Hands
Song: Mitten Colors
- Prop: Colored Mittens
Song: Hot Chocolate
- Prop: Numbered Hot Cocoa Mugs (Part of our Winter Counting Packet)
Fingerplay: I Have a Cup of Hot Cocoa
Song: Snowflakes, Snowflakes
Prop to Hold: Snowflake Sticks
Song: Shake My Sillies Out
Week #3 – Winter Clothing – Thursday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Book: Let It Snow
Book: Red Mittens
Activity: Count 5 Mittens
- Prop: Numbered Mittens (Part of our Winter Counting Packet)
Song: Mitten Colors
- Prop: Colored Mittens
Song: Hot Chocolate
- Prop: Numbered Hot Cocoa Mugs (Part of our Winter Counting Packet)
Fingerplay: I Have a Cup of Hot Cocoa
Song: Shake My Sillies Out
Week #4 – Winter Bears – Tuesday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Book: Baby Bear Sees Blue
Song: Where is Hibernating Bear?
Prop to Hold: Bear Sticks
Book: Old Bear
Song: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Sharing: The children can bring a favorite teddy bear to our meeting.
Song: I Stamp
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
Week #4 – Winter Bears – Thursday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Book: Where, Oh Where, is Baby Bear?
Song: Where is Hibernating Bear?
Prop to Hold: Bear Sticks
Song: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Song: The Color Song
- Prop: Colored Mittens
Sharing: The children can bring a favorite teddy bear to our meeting.
Song: I Stamp
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
February 2021
Valentines Day and Transportation
Outline:
- Week #1 – Valentine’s Day (Props: Heart Sticks)
- Week #2 – Valentine’s Day (Props: Heart Sticks)
- Week #3 – Transportation (Props: Car Sticks)
- Week #4 – Transportation (Props: Car Sticks)
Take Home Packets for Weeks 1 and 2 (Valentines):
- Heart Prop (Tape to Popsicle Stick)
- Heavy Paper Cut Into Heart Shape (Using This Template) – Will provide small pieces such as pom poms and tissue paper squares that they can glue on top.
- Matching Hearts Activity
- Heart Mat (To Be Used As a Color Page)
Take Home Packets for Weeks 3 and 4 (Transportation):
- Bus Prop (From This Packet)
- Car Prop (From This Packet)
Please check back, as I will be adding details soon. Make sure to check these resources:
- February Themes and Activities
- Valentine’s Day Books I Will Be Reading
- Valentine’s Day Song Playlist
Week #1 – Valentines – Tuesday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Props: Heart Sticks
Book: I Love You Every Day
Song: Skidamarink
Book: Where is Love, Biscuit?
Song: Valentines Are Made to Share
- Prop: I cut out the yellow, blue and red hearts from this printable.)
Song: Five Valentines to Give Away
- Prop: Numbered Valentine Hearts (Get the free printable here.)
Song: If You Love Me and You Know It
Song: Monkeys on the Bed
- Using the Five Little Monkeys Prop (from our Song & Rhyme Props Packet)
Week #1 – Valentines – Thursday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Props: Heart Sticks
Book: I Love You, Spot
Book: Ten Little Kisses
- Prop: Numbered Valentine Hearts (Get the free printable here.)
Song: Valentines Are Made to Share
Song: Five Valentines to Give Away
- Prop: Numbered Valentine Hearts (Get the free printable here.)
Song: Everybody Clap
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
Week #2 – Valentines – Tuesday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Props: Heart Sticks
Book: Biscuit’s Valentine’s Day
Book: Where Is Baby’s Valentine?
Song: Five Valentines to Give Away
- Prop: Numbered Valentine Hearts (Get the free printable here.)
Song: Five Little Hearts
- Prop: Numbered Valentine Hearts (Get the free printable here.)
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
- Using Props From Our Song & Rhymes Packet
- Talk About Feelings Using This Feelings Printable
Week #2 – Valentines – Thursday
Props: Heart Sticks
Book: Llama Llama I Love You
Book: Peppa’s Valentine’s Day
Song: Five Little Hearts
- Prop: Numbered Valentine Hearts (Get the free printable here.)
Song: Skidamarink
Activity: Valentine Hearts Matching (Using this free printable.)
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
- Using Props From Our Song & Rhymes Packet
- Talk About Feelings Using This Feelings Printable
Song: If You Love Me and You Know It
Week #3 – Transportation – Tuesday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Car Prop and Numbered Cars (From This Packet)
Book: Vroom, Vroom, Trucks!
Book: Pop-Up Peekaboo! Things That Go
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
- Bus Prop (From This Packet)
Song: Driving Around In My Little Car
- Using Plain Color Cars From This Packet
Song: Five Little Cars
- Using Numbered Cars From This Packet
Song: I’m Driving In My Car
Week #3 – Transportation – Thursday
Watch the video here! (This video includes snippets of our actual meeting.)
Car Prop and Numbered Cars (From This Packet)
Book: Vroom
Book: Planes
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
- Bus Prop (From This Packet)
Song: Driving Around In My Little Car
- Using Plain Color Cars From This Packet
Song: I’m Driving In My Car
Song: Let’s Be Planes!
Song: Five Little Airplanes
- Using These Planes Taped to Popsicle Sticks
Week #4 – Transportation – Tuesday
Car Prop and Numbered Cars (From This Packet)
Book: Machines at Work
Book: Little Blue Boat
Song: 10 Little Sailboats
- Prop: Ten Sailboats Attached to a Magnetic Board (From This Printable)
Song: Let’s Be Planes!
Song: Five Little Airplanes
- Using These Planes Taped to Popsicle Sticks
Song: Fire Truck
Week #4 – Transportation – Thursday
Car Prop and Numbered Cars (From This Packet)
Book: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car
Book: I Love Trains!
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
- Bus Prop (From This Packet)
Song: Here’s a Little Choo Choo Train
Song: Driving Around In My Little Car
- Using Plain Color Cars From This Packet
Song: Five Little Cars
- Using Numbered Cars From This Packet
Song: I’m Driving In My Car
March 2021
Outline:
- Week #1 – Rainbows
- Week #2 – Rainbows/St. Patrick’s Day
- Week #3 – St. Patrick’s Day
- Week #4 – Spring Break for My Preschool
- Week #5 – Easter
St. Patrick’s Day and Rainbows Song Playlist
Week #1 – Rainbows – Tuesday
Book: My Rainbow Surprise
Song: I Can Sing a Rainbow
Song: Colors of the Rainbow
Week #1 – Rainbows – Thursday
Book: Hello, Rainbow
Song: I Can Sing a Rainbow
Song: Colors of the Rainbow
Week #2 – Rainbows/St. Patrick’s Day – Tuesday
Prop: Shamrock Sticks
Book: Pop-Up Peekaboo! Unicorn
Song: A Rainbow Cheer
Week #2 – Rainbows/St. Patrick’s Day – Thursday
Prop: Shamrock Sticks
Book: The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun
Song: Five Little Leprechauns Jumping on the Bed
Song: Shamrock Shake
Week #4 – St. Patrick’s Day – Tuesday
Prop: Shamrock Sticks
Book: Little Lucky Leprechaun
Song: Five Little Leprechauns Jumping on the Bed
Song: Shamrock Shake
Week #4 – St. Patrick’s Day – Thursday
Book: Little Owl’s Colors
Song: A Rainbow Cheer
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What my readers are saying after watching the distance learning videos:
“Thank you so much for what you do. I am a Itinerant special education teacher … our district has started school remotely. I came across your YouTube channel and was glued ! I was feeling very anxious but was able to find hope in your videos. I love the way you explain what your doing and why. I’m beginning to use more props in my videos because of you , I’m feeling a bit more confidant . Thank you , please continue to do what you do, you are helping many of us , please know that. I’m looking forward to following you.”
Toddler and Preschool Lesson Plans
I am so excited to be one of the talented creators of these toddler and preschool lesson plans!
Each themed packet contains easy-to-prep activities that cover a variety of skills.
We’ve done the work for you!
For more information, click on the graphics below:
