10 Tips for Supporting Student Mental Heath Needs

Many students today are struggling with mental health challenges that impact their participation in learning. Here are some specific strategies and visuals to support mental health wellness for students.

5 Social Skill Lessons for use in Remote Learning

Adapting to Remote Learning, Distance Learning, or Telepractice has been quite a challenge! Using the LessonPix PowerPoint Download and Add-In features, we created lesson activities to teach social skills online. (FYI: You can also use these ideas in Google Slides with the new LessonPix Play Tools.)

5 TO-DOs for Back To School

There are 5 things that every teacher or SLP must do to prepare for back-to school; and LessonPix can make it easy and great!

5 To-Do's for Distance Learning

Here are 5 things that can do to prepare for back-to school, "distance learning style". And, LessonPix can make it easy and great!

6 Areas of Teaching Literacy Skills with LessonPix

Learning to read and write is critical for independence and success in life.

7 Effective Strategies for the General Education Classroom and How LessonPix Can Help

Classroom teachers use evidence-based interventions to ensure all students be taught to high academic standards. This article addresses 8 key components of a quality general education classroom and how LessonPix can help improve learning outcomes.

9 Ways to Promote Social Interactions with LessonPix

The Social Environment encompasses relationships and interactions between children/ teachers; teacher/ teacher; family/ school. Children need to build trusting relationships with the adults so they can be confident in their explorations and risk taking.

Alphabet Activities

Let's play with the alphabet and letters sounds! The building blocks to written language is the alphabet, and there are so many alphabet games and toys. Activities include letter names (alphabet knowledge), letter sounds (phonemic awareness), and letter forms (writing).

A Step Ahead: Beginning the Year with Proactive Discipline

Teachers need to begin every school year by examining the many facets of their classroom learning environment in order to take a proactive look in preventing discipline problems.

Blocks Center With Core

Core words can be integrated within a blocks center area in an early childhood classroom.

Building Community

The beginning of the year is a time for building a sense of community in the classroom. Here are a few theme ideas for building the classroom community.

Categorizing and Themes

Create materials using pictures from a theme or category to help promote language and acquisition of new vocabulary.

Center Time With Core

Center time is a rich learning time where children explore and practice. Here are ways to embed core in common learning centers.

Choice Cards

Children can feel empowered when given choices throughout their day. Choice cards are picture cards used to offer a choice between 2 or more items. These cards can be used with young children or children with special needs, such as autism or communication delays.

Classroom Jobs

There are many jobs students can do to take responsibility for their classroom.

Classroom Rules

At the beginning of the year, most teachers discuss and brainstorm a list of classroom rules and compile them into a set of 4-6 rules to display in the classroom. There are some important points to keep in mind as you and your class work through this beginning of the year ritual.

Community Helpers Thematic Unit

Community helpers is a common theme for early childhood classrooms. As students share and learn about themselves and their classmates, they expand to look at their school neighborhood and the helpers who work nearby. LessonPix provides a wealth of resources in our Sharing Center for this fun unit.

Core

Resources and information about core vocabulary.

Core Vocabulary Storybooks

Ideas of how to use storybooks to teach Core Vocabulary.

Creating the UDL Early Childhood Classroom: Part 1 The Physical Environment

The basis of every early childhood program is the learning environment; the physical, social-emotional, and temporal spaces where children will interact, grow and develop. This article will explore how the physical environment supports every child’s ability to learn.

Creating the UDL Early Childhood Classroom: Part 2 The Social-Emotional Environment

The basis of every early childhood program is the learning environment; the physical, social-emotional, and temporal spaces where children will interact, grow and develop. This article will explore how the social-emotional environment supports every child’s ability to learn.

Creating the UDL Early Childhood Classroom: Part 3 The Temporal Environment

The basis of every early childhood program is the learning environment; the physical, social-emotional, and temporal spaces where children will interact, grow and develop. This article will explore how the temporal environment supports every child’s ability to learn.

Dramatic Play With Core Vocabulary

There are many fun ways to model core communication in the Dramatic Play Center within the Early Childhood Inclusive Classroom.

Emergent Literacy Instruction: Building Alphabet Knowledge with ABC Books

Alphabet books are a simple yet powerful way to build alphabet knowledge. Choose alphabet books with different themes to engage learners with varied interests.

Engaging with Student Interests

Pairing students' interest with learning and behavior goals makes learning fun and improves student outcomes. LessonPix offers themed templates to customize learning for individual interests and needs.

First Then Boards

First Then Boards are used in a visual strategy to help children learn new skills, manage challenging behaviors, or follow a simple schedule.

I Know an Old Lady...

Books and ideas based on the stories and songs of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a....

It All Begins With Core Vocabulary

This overview of core vocabulary provides many resources for instruction with core.

Labeling the Classroom

Labeling a classroom helps expose children to a print-rich environment as well as provides organization so students know where everything belongs.

Learning with Animals

We love animals! This article shares fun activities to learn to read, write, and spell using simple 3 and 4 letter animals names. Ideas for learning centers and playing with sounds.

LessonPix to Support Students in Underrepresented Groups

Effective teachers use evidence-based interventions to ensure all students are taught to high academic standards. These interventions respond to students' social, emotional, and academic needs and advance equity within underrepresented student subgroups.

Lesson Plan: The Mitten-Story Characters and Sequence

Lesson Plan for early childhood classrooms to teach characters, story sequence, and details from the story the Mitten. 

Letter and Letter Sounds

Ideas for teaching "Letter of the Day" and letter sounds.

Literacy Center with Core Vocabulary

Here are some core vocabulary ideas for the Literacy / Language Center in an early childhood classroom.

Literacy For All with Readtopia and LessonPix

Utilize your LessonPix tools with Readtopia to support Literacy for all learners. Readtopia from Don Johnston, Inc is a comprehensive instructional program designed for educators who work with upper elementary, middle, and high school students with complex disabilities.

Literacy-Teaching about Characters

Students can use LessonPix materials to identify and learn about characters.

Make Learning Fun!

According to research, using games in teaching can help increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks.

Math Center with Core Vocabulary

The math center can be a great place to embed core vocabuary and promote working with peers.

Math Materials in LessonPix

Visuals and Learning games are powerful learning tools for all areas of the curriculum, and math is no exception. Here are sample visuals for Mathematics instruction.

Memory Game for Teachers

Teachers can create "Memory Games" to teach concepts, promote language, and make learning fun.

My Friends Bingo

LessonPix allows members to upload their own photos and clip art easily to use in their materials.

Order Train

One of my most common curriculum visuals is my Order Train: a series of 3 mats that show beginning, middle, and end.

Picture Cards for Communication

Create standard-sized Picture Cards for communication using systems such as the Picture Exchange Communication System™ or PECS™.  We offer a variety of sizes to meet your needs.

Scavenger Hunt

Create a Scavenger Hunt game with LessonPix to encourage early literacy in young children.

Science Center

Ideas on how to create or enhance an Early Childhood Science Center.

Science Center Items

Here is a list of various items that may be included or rotated in a science center.

Science Center with Core Vocabulary

The science center provides great opportunities for questions and comments with core vocabulary.

Sight Words! Activities to Build Speed and Fluency in Reading

Sight words are all the words that can be read immediately, on sight, without having to use decoding strategies. This article shared activities and resources for teaching sight words to early readers.

Social Skills Instruction

There are many forms of visuals supports used to teach social skills. This article shows some examples of visuals from our Sharing Center.

Storybook Activities: Room on the Broom

Playing with stories increases imagination, vocabulary, comprehension, and love of books! Here are some activities to play with concepts from the story Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Supporting English Language Learners with LessonPix

Teaching English in the classroom to students who have limited English language understanding can be challenging. Over 10 percent of students in the United States are English Language Learners (ELLs), and this number is increasing. As teachers try to respond to the needs of these students, here are a few basic best practices that might help.

Talking Core with Different Levels of Communicators

To plan for core instructions, we divide student populations of communicators into 3 categories: fluent, beginning, and emerging.

The Art Center with Core Vocabulary

Here are Ideas to use core vocabulary within the art center.

The Evolution of Printables

Are worksheets appropriate in an early childhood classroom? A look at the evolution and appropriateness of worksheets.

Theme Boxes for the Science Center

Ideas for Theme boxes, which can be rotated in a center to keep it fresh and motivating.

The Smart Alternative to Boardmaker® software

Your district or practice can save thousands and will truly love LessonPix, the smart alternative to Boardmaker® software.

The Write Stuff: Writing and Spelling with LessonPix

Create custom writing and spelling templates with numerous choices of templates and pictures. This article shares some samples of various writing and spelling activities for young learners.

Using Reflective and Tell Me Questions as a Part of Shared Reading Instruction

Shared Reading is an evidence-based practice that focuses on the interactions between adults and learners as they read with the purpose of building language and literacy skills.

Using visuals to follow directions: My Lego Ladybug

Using visuals to follow directions: building a Lego Ladybug.

Virtual Backgrounds

Making custom virtual backgrounds is a great way to include visual supports in your remote learning. This article uses PowerPoint to create a background custom to your needs.

Visual Schedules

A visual schedule can help special education teachers prepare their students to be ready to learn.

Visuals in Special Education

Visual Picture Cards are a great way to communicate expectations and reinforce learning visually.

Ways to Greet Others

Greetings are an important life skill to connect with others. This article shares ideas of ways to greet and how to teach greetings. Getting kids ready to learn starts with activating their social connectedness- greet them with a warm hello and show genuine care.

What Is Core Vocabulary?

Core Vocab is a small yet powerful set of words that is the building blocks of all communication. Learn more on what is core and find resources to help promote core vocabulary instruction.

Word Families

Word Families are a group of words that have a common group of letters with the same sound. Playing with word families help build phonemic awareness and decoding skills for reading.

Word Walls Made Easy

Word Walls are a commons tool used in many classrooms today. LessonPix has a Material called, "Picture and Word Cards" that allow you to create cards for the word wall.