No Digging Required: Treasures (Free Resources) for Supporting Each Child and Family[1]

Camille Catlett
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute

What kind of treasure do you want?

Something sent to you electronically?

The Right Stuff – monthly, birth through Grade 3, each issue focuses on a domain of development, Vermont

To subscribe, send an email with no message to

Past issues are available at

BabyTalk– monthly, birth to 36 months

To join the listserv, send an email with no message to

Past issues are archived at

Head Start Disability Services Newsletter

This monthly electronic newsletter provides good, free resources for supporting young children with disabilities and their families. Each month is organized around a different topic (e.g., April 2017 was Environment Modifications to Support Learning). Past issues are archived for easy access at Content has applicability well beyond Head Start settings. Sign up at

Natural Resources – weekly, birth through Grade 3

To subscribe, send an email with no message to

A few resources? A lot of resources?

Topic / A Few / A Lot
Approaches to Learning / Two pages of FREE resources for families and professionals
Organized by child age, from birth to Grade 3
/ FREE evidence, print, audiovisual, and online resources
Each entry specifies the ages of children for which it is relevant

Creative Arts
Language
Literacy
Mathematics
Moving, Growing, Being Healthy
Science
Social-Emotional Development
Family Engagement
Culture, Diversity and Equity
Children who are Dual Language Learners
Suspension-Expulsion
Inclusion
Play

Resources about the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS)?

  • Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS)
  • Vermont Early Learning Standards Introduction video
  • The Vermont Early Learning Standards – A Resource for Families
  • Using the Vermont Early Learning Standards to Support Each and Every Child’s Full Participation

Adaptations to Support Each Child’s Success? (pages 3-5)

Reading at Circle Time

Ideas for Supporting Social-Emotional Development? (page 6)

Five Mind Shifts Required to Create Positive Early Learning Climates

  • Video:
  • Infographic:

A Final Treasure: When it Comes to Difference, Children See Things Differently

Adaptations to Support Each Child’s Success

MUSIC

Making music is noisy, but remember,

it’s a joyful noise

Sing directions when children are not responding (listening). It is hard to feel frustrated when you (teachers) are singing!

Give everyone an activity to do based on their abilities

PLAY

Box of fabric scraps with dolls – they can wrap, tear, cut, etc. & make “clothes” without having to fit doll arms & legs into tight tubes of fabric

Skate board rollers make great heavy blocks that don’t tip over easily. (I have red clear ones 35 yrs old – “tuby blocks”

Dominos – rarely play, but they love to build!

Huge bamboo bubble wands with string. Super easy! (Google: Huge bubble Wand or go to learn how to make one yourself)

Snowball fight! Giant 6” white yarn pompons – can’t hurt & easy to catch & throw.

SNACK

Small pitcher so kids can practice pouring it themselves

Give only small amounts to the kiddos, to teach them how to ask for more.

LITERACY

Scholastic Book drives, involving families & centers. You even get a bonus of FREE BOOKS!

Torn books/pages can be used

  • for dictation
  • in art/collage projects
  • to emphasize the fun/importance of recycling

Glue plastic bread ties to book page corners to help with easy page turning

Ask a child who will benefit from something active to do during story time to be the “page turner”

Outdated See’s candy, Oriental Trading, Christmas toy, & food catalogs all make for great browsing and vocabulary development!

Use props to reinforce whatever the story is about

MOVEMENT

Play different types of music & work out our wiggles

GREAT on rainy days

Reggae, Native American Powwow, Drums, Rock, Slow, etc.

Combined with instruments equals a GOOD TIME!!

Do fitness & yoga moves with them, but make it FUN!

Remember, children behave appropriately to their development stage

TRANSITIONS

Schedule (Pictures) size for children to participate changing or identify next activity

Five-minute song for them to prepare for transitions

Transition items; something for them to carry to at the next location

Use a bell to signal that a transition is about to happen.

GROUP TIME

Use a “wiggle cushion” to help a child stay seated for circle time while still allowing them the movement they need

Stand while reading books/songs

Act out stories

Call it group time, instead of circle time

Clip boards made out of cardboard with chip clips on top. Children can lie down, draw, or scribble during group time.

A ball or other object to identify whose turn it is to speak. Toy microphones are awesome. So are princess or wizard wands.

Have a basket of quiet toys just for circle time.

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[1] This event is sponsored by the VT Agency of Education and Springfield College and supported by Vermont’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant. Handouts are at