Not Just ABCs

Once, I had a parent start lecturing me for not teaching her two-year-old the ABCs more. “He can recognize his name,” she argued. “He does all kind of academic things at home. You should be doing more here.” Never mind that this child, nor most of the two-year-olds in my care, showed any signs of text recognition in my room. I “should be” teaching academics.

Not Just ABCs is an outgrowth of my response to the parent. Children at the age of two and three do not need to be learning their ABCs or their numbers. They’ll have thirteen years of school for that! While they will pick up some on the way, they should be learning about the world, which is what they care about anyway. What animals have babies in their bellies versus which lay eggs. What is the difference between a car and a semi-truck and a monster truck. What is a cloud. Does snow ever go away?

What makes it harder at this age is, if one googles toddler activities, you do not get much that they can actually do. Toddler crafts might involve a complicated boat mosaic that–if they do it–will look nothing like a boat. Or a handprint craft that involves no real participation on their part.

Not Just ABCS solves all of those challenges. Each full lesson offers:

Ten books chosen specifically for toddlers’ short attention spans and their visual acuity.
Four crafts designed for toddlers to do themselves (with supervision).
Games to encourage large muscle grown and for transition times.
Add-ons to create new and exciting learning spaces while encouraging learning.
Songs for dancing (and learning).
Coloring pages
Easy, printable PDF downloads, so you can print and save. (Trust me; I made these for printing.)

So whether you are a stay-at-home parent looking to create a stronger learning environment for your children, or a childcare teacher looking for some ideas for your classroom Not Just ABCs is the way to go.

What is needed when you start discipline.

August 5, 2019 by Abigail at Not Just ABCs

Discipline is one of the biggest things that I think new teachers struggle with. Part of it is because policy and licensing tie our hands. Part of it is I don’t think new teachers know how to do it. (Or they abuse it but that’s a different post.) So I’m going to give you a… Read more
Book Review – There’s a Monster in Your Book!

August 1, 2019 by Abigail at Not Just ABCs

Oh my goodness! This is the most stinking adorable book I might have ever read! First off, the monster is absolutely adorable. Look at him! He’s adorable! Secondly, it’s just a fun book. This is an interactive book. Basic premise: there is a monster in your book–eating the pages. So not okay. So you (and… Read more