Ashlee Hauber is my son's preschool teacher. And this is a BIG deal to me as a former preschool teacher and someone very adamant about learning through play -- I was very specific about where I wanted my kids to go.

She is 31 years old and has always dreamed about opening her own preschool and learned from USU about child development and early childhood.

She's in her 6th year!

Developmentally Appropriate Practice  

Knowing what is developmentally appropriate for each age group is SO key in helping kids enjoy learning and hitting milestones. 

Learning through Play vs. Worksheet

Learning through play is exploring within the context and learning what the academic skill actually means to them. While just doing worksheets or flashcards is memorization, a very basic skill. In each situation, a child may struggle to actually learn their letters, but the learning through play option is allowing them to learn SO much more than just recall. 

Parents can easily find online curriculums that teach all the academics to preschoolers, but why is preschool important?

• Hands-on play

• Pretend play

• Interaction with others

• Problem-solving

• Regulating emotions

• Friendships

What social and emotional benefits come from preschool?

The misconception is that school, in general, is all for academic experience, where, even if you homeschool your kids, you need to find a way to incorporate learning about other people, being with people who have differences from you, going out into the community.

If you don't expose kids to other people, there is so much that you’re holding back from them. It is more beneficial for them to learn how to interact with others, than anything else.

Real Life Experiences

Ashlee takes the kids on a field trip at the end of every two-week unit. Not only do the kids LOVE it, but they have the chance to apply what they are learning to the outside world.

It's so much easier for kids to RETAIN information when they are actually experiencing it and relating it to their life. 

How do you incorporate academics into play?

They will be immersed in letters, numbers, and the topic of the theme every single day through play. When they get to where they each need to be developmentally, they will start to understand the letters, numbers, and concepts.  

What I love about Ashlee's teaching philosophy.

Play-based learning for kids 3-5 is the academic option. It helps kids who are developmentally in so many different spots, access the material wherever they are at… and go from there. They are basically scaffolding themselves as they are learning.

Interview Break:

Charlie, what do you love about your preschool? "PLAY"

River, what do you love about your preschool? "The cars and I like playing"

Help, my kid won't sit still!

Guess what? It's not developmentally appropriate to expect your kid to sit still.

Preschoolers’ attention span is smaller than you think. If the teacher expects them to just SIT AND LISTEN -- they will last five minutes before hard behavior shows up. If they get them up and moving and interacting, then they last so much longer. Also, if the kids stop being receptive to what she has planned, then she stops and moves on.

With kids this young even if we have this AWESOME activity in mind and are trying to drag it out… we have to read their cues and make adjustments!

If you're interested in signing up for Kiddie Adventures, check out her website here.