So I have offered to use my lunch time for an hour or so a week to volunteer at a local preschool to teach them music. I’m very excited to have a little time to still teach. I can build my own lessons, I won’t have any paper work to do, and I can just focus on having  fun and teaching fundamental music skills to the adorable little guys. The greatest part of all of this is that it won’t take away from my day job, if anything it will enhance it. As I set time aside to prepare some resources to bring in, I remember what I discovered teaching PreK a few years ago (YES, I actually have experience teaching PreK!) keeping them moving, but keep it simple. Chants are  fantastic especially to help with those who are working on their speech, and lots and lots of story telling! I still have a lot to learn about PreK, but I’m excited to take a little time out of my busy schedule each week to be able to explore more.

Quaver Resources-  Now Quaver is a K-6 resource and curriculum (soon to be K-8) but this doesn’t mean I can’t take some of the easy materials and use them with PreK classes to start introducing the concepts they’ll actually be learning in Kindergarten, I just used my teacher way of thinking and took a look at what was there and planned for PreK minds instead of Kindergarten.  I created two folders in my Resource Manager and labeled them PreK Activities and PreK Songs and added a lot of ClassPlay songs, movement activities, and interactive material that I’ll be using with the students to enhance my short little lessons. They won’t take up my whole class, just add a level of engagement and fun to the lesson.

Pinterest-   Click Here to Visit my PreK Pinterest board I started this to gain some fun activities to bring to teach the students about music. Nothing huge, just new movement activities, games, and fun things to make to amp up the learning. Reply in the comment section of this post if you would like to be added as a contributor to this board!

iPod Touch- One of my most important parts to my new set of tricks. I took an old iPod touch I had lying around (I always taught with my school one last year It never left my side,) and restored it new to be able to load it with just the things I could use for this. My top 3 playlists that always go with me to every teaching device are:

• Greg and Steve- a duo that sings perfect movement songs for little students.
• Hap Palmer- His songs are simple, fun, and interactive. I used several of his pieces each year and they were begged for again and again.
• 101 Children Songs- A playlist I found at a book clearance sale. This playlist holds many folk and recognizable teaching songs for PreK-Kindergarten.

My Top 5 Apps I always add to any teaching iDevice and now have on this old iPod Touch:

• Pocket Wavepad (Free)-  A great and easy to use recording app. It is always so easy to get this app open and record the students singing so they can her themselves later, or you can send home to parents or even give to the Class Teacher.

• Freeze Dance ( .99)- It takes any song on your iPod and turns it into a game of freeze dance. You set the parameters and the app starts and stops the song for you. This eliminates the students trying to see you pressing a button because even you don’t know when it’s going to stop.
• More CowBell ( Free)- Who DOESN’T need more cowbell? So easy to keep the beat!
• Virtuoso ( Free)- I know I won’t have access to a piano where I am, if I need a pitch there it is.
• Hand Drums ( .99)- Another great way to keep the beat or even introduce the students to what the percussion instruments sound like.

What resources do you have for your PreK classes, I’d love to have some more!