In 2022, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research branch of the U.S. Department of Education, released the educator’s practice guide Preparing Young Children for School. The practice guide includes seven recommendations identified by a panel of early childhood education experts using a review of 15 years of rigorous research. It shares guidance to help educators plan and implement developmentally appropriate learning experiences to ensure that young children have a strong foundation when entering elementary school. It also includes practical, research-based suggestions to maximize learning opportunities for children in the areas of social-emotional learning, executive function, mathematics, and literacy. In addition, the practice guide offers information and activities that educators can share with families for use with their children.

Below is a brief outline of each recommendation with example approaches and activities for early childhood educators to consider for use in their own settings. (For additional information about the seven recommendations and examples of implementation, access the full practice guide, Preparing Young Children for School.)  

1. Focus on social-emotional skills.

Young children who learn social-emotional skills may be better able to maintain positive relationships, exhibit self-regulation, and learn to deal more successfully with challenging situations. Early childhood educators can intentionally set up learning experiences that support children’s social-emotional development. For example, educators can introduce texts that address the array of emotions children experience. The books When Sophie Gets Angry, by Molly Bang, and I Was So Mad, by Mercer Mayer, are just two examples of children’s literature that introduce characters who experience feelings of anger. Educators can help children connect their emotions with those of the characters and talk about ways to stay calm, such as taking deep breaths. Educators can explore a variety of emotions using words and facial expressions, creating art that depicts feelings, and practicing as well as discussing ways children can regulate their emotions.

2. Strengthen children’s executive function skills.

Examples of executive function skills include paying attention, following directions, and thinking flexibly. Educators can intentionally support the development of children’s executive function, which helps children to focus and learn with engaging, playful games. For example, games that ask children to respond (or not respond) to a cue (visual, oral, or musical) can help them practice following directions and give them opportunities to think flexibly in a fun way. Educators can begin with a game like Red Light/Green Light and adapt the rules when children are ready by replacing stopping and going with different actions, using colors other than red and green, and reversing the rules (“Stop when you see green; go when you see red”).

3. Build children’s understanding of mathematical ideas.

Children’s natural curiosity often helps them to develop early mathematical ideas. Through intentional activities, educators can help children develop a deeper understanding of math concepts. Educators can engage children in brief discussions about math topics and then follow these discussions with interactive, hands-on activities. For example, they can discuss length using counting cubes to measure objects. Afterward, children can go on a measurement scavenger hunt to find objects that are the same length as a certain number of cubes. To extend this activity, educators can ask children to find objects of varying lengths and draw them for study and comparison.

4. Engage children in conversations about mathematical ideas.

Children need multiple opportunities to hear and use mathematical language to understand and integrate math-related words and ideas into their vocabulary. Children who understand mathematical words may be better prepared for later math experiences. After educators introduce math words and their meanings, they can intentionally find opportunities for young children to use those words at other points throughout the day. For example, during snack time, educators and children can explore size and quantity while using words such as bigger, smaller, more, or fewer, investigate how many or how much of a snack food they have, and compare the sizes of different snack foods.

5. Develop children’s vocabulary knowledge.

The vocabulary children acquire when they are 3, 4, and 5 years old plays a pivotal role in their future language and reading development and other content-area learning. Key to this development is multiple and repeated opportunities for children to use new words during planned activities that intentionally integrate discussions and materials tied to their interests. When children engage in conversation while using new vocabulary, they can connect the meanings of those words to what they know and have experienced. For example, when learning the meaning of the word silent, educators can provide examples of the word and then ask children to share about a time they were silent. Educators can also plan activities that allow children to explore their interests while using the language they are learning. For example, if a child were interested in marine life, a teacher could introduce marine-related terminology, such as wave, shore, fin, or gills, and then provide stuffed marine animals and costumes in the dramatic play area or art supplies for creating an oceanic scene in the art area.

6. Build children’s knowledge of letters and sounds.

Awareness of letter sounds may help prepare children to learn to read. By learning letter sounds along with letter names, children are better prepared to recognize and decode each sound in written words. To help children practice identifying letters and their corresponding sounds, educators can provide them with hands-on activities that intentionally relate letters to their sounds. For example, educators can display objects beginning with the letter B, such as blocks, balls, and bags. They can then draw the letter B, say the letter name, make the /b/ sound, and explain the connection between the object, letter, and sound. Afterward, they can invite children to focus on the /b/ sound as they pronounce the name of each object on their own. Educators can also strengthen children’s development of letter-sound associations through memorable in-class experiences. For example, during snack time, educators can offer different types of apples to children while talking about the letter A and encouraging them to practice the /a/ sound. Then they can each vote on which apple they liked best.  

7. Use shared book reading.

Shared book reading is when educators read a book aloud and ask children to participate by either saying parts of the story or answering questions. This way of reading may help build children’s world knowledge and promote a range of early literacy skills. Before reading a book, educators can help prepare children to understand the topic by discussing what the book is about and asking what children already know or have experienced related to the topic. While reading the book, educators can actively engage children by periodically asking them questions about the text, topic, or story. If children can answer questions without difficulty, educators can increase the complexity of their questions and ask children to provide justifications for their answers. Educators can also read the same book with children multiple times and have a different purpose for each reading. For example, educators can point out and discuss vocabulary words when reading a book for the first time. During a second reading, they can review the vocabulary and discuss a letter and its sound(s). When rereading the story a third time, children can discuss what the story is about and retell it using their own words.