Bringing Project-Based Learning to Preschool

Young children’s natural curiosity lends itself well

to PBL—and with the right supports, these
projects can be extremely effective.
By Ralicia Preisinger
May 16, 2022

nilimage / iStock

Project-based learning (PBL) provides an interesting

challenge for preschool teachers because it extends
beyond early-childhood education mainstays such as
teacher-directed themed crafts and short daily lessons.

PBL, which focuses on children learning through

investigating a topic or answering a question, is an
involved process that could last for as long as the children
show interest. Facilitating PBL is easier when teachers
pick something to explore based on the children’s interests
and implement their ideas in the project. When children
are engaged in the process, they naturally develop skills
they can apply later in life.

YOUNG FILMMAKERS
While teaching preschool in Seattle, my co-teacher and I
observed some children playing cats and dogs in the
drama area. We sat with that small group of children and
talked about their play. The children expressed that they
wanted to make cat and dog masks.

To honor their request, we propped up real pictures of cats

and dogs and gave the children a variety of materials.
While we filmed the children with their masks, they asked
to make a movie! At first, I didn’t know how to make that
happen, which led to the question, “How do we make a
movie?”

During free choice, we pulled the small group of children

for 15 minutes a day and asked them for ideas. They made
the script and chose the film location outside. They even
picked the title, A Dog’s Story: A Dog’s Life. The sessions
grew longer as the children worked on their costumes and
did rehearsals.

After two weeks of prepping, filming day finally came. We

put a camera on a tripod, and the children took turns
filming. They acted out their scenes and said their lines,
which we read aloud and they repeated. I put together the
final scenes with their choice of music. The children made
movie premier posters and wrote invitations for families.
They picked the snacks and set up the viewing area.

From an adult’s viewpoint, it was quite a bizarre movie

with an odd plot of masked children jumping out of bushes
and saying funny things. The ending was everyone on all
fours meowing and barking. However, the children were so
proud when their families came and watched the movie.
Our final step was to create a learning story showing how
we touched on all learning domains (math, literacy,
language, social and emotional, drama, etc.).

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4 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE PBL IN PRESCHOOL
1. Teachers create the opportunities. One way to start
setting up PBL is to create a classroom culture of
innovation. A teacher’s viewpoint on children’s capabilities
is important. The children are inventors, architects, actors,
artists, scientists, or engineers. They are capable of doing
amazing things with the right space, materials, tools, and
time, which is why creating indoor and outdoor spaces
with a variety of open materials is so crucial.

2. Observe the children to find your topic or

question. Once the environment is established, a teacher
needs to intentionally watch and listen. This can be during
large group, free choice, and outside time. It’s capturing
an experience, seeing recurring play, or noticing a
comment. How can we make our hot wheels go faster?
How do birds make nests? How do you make a rocket
ship?

3. Teachers are the project managers. Once a teacher

picks a question or topic, they need to see themselves as
a facilitator and organizer of the children’s plans. Young
children have minimal experience and limited access to
resources, materials, and information. They’re still learning
how to get along with others. Teachers will need to model
the process and maybe even take on some of the work
that’s outside of preschool students’ abilities, such as
conducting online research and using tools like glue guns.

4. Children generate the ideas. To start the project, the

teachers can have an open discussion on the topic and
 write down all the children’s responses. What do we
know? What do we want to know? How will we learn it?
What steps do we need to take? What materials do we
need? If the children are stumped, it’s OK to make
suggestions for them to consider. Posting the children’s
ideas shows them that their thoughts and concepts have
value. The teacher’s next job is to make the children’s
plans come to life—no matter how it may look at the end!

We tend to think PBL is better suited for older children, but

preschool-age children are very capable. They just need
opportunity. Children are eager to be a part of something
big by creating things and solving problems. As a teacher
models project planning, they show children how to work
as a team, create a plan, and execute collaborative ideas.
The focus should be on the process rather than the final
product. Our dog movie may not be Academy Award
worthy, but the skills and confidence gained by the
children were the true gift. It will always be one of my
favorite (and most hilarious) moments in teaching.
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 Pre-K

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PLAY & RECESS

Across Grade Levels, Should Learning Be a Lot

More Playful?
Denmark has fully embraced playful
learning in its K–12 schools. We visited two
schools to see the pedagogical approach in
action.
By Paige Tutt
September 14, 2023

As the sun peeks over the horizon in Vorbasse,

Denmark—well before the first bell—seventh-grade
teacher Nicolaj Bech is reviewing his class opener
and the day’s learning objectives with Maria Astrup
Bendixen.

Astrup Bendixen isn't your typical instructional

coach. She's a playful learning coordinator, and her
job is to work with teachers like Bech to make his
lessons, and learning generally, more joyful and
engaging for the kids he teaches.
Read Full Story

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING (PBL)

A Pen Pal Project for Elementary School

Young children can develop their literacy
skills as they experience the excitement of
receiving their own mail.
By Michelle Hart Bram
September 1, 2023
I initially started the College Pen Pal project to
promote authentic writing opportunities and
increase motivation among my students, but the
project blossomed into real relationships and
honest conversations between students with over a
decade of age difference. Nothing made my
students more excited than pulling out a bright new
envelope that contained a handwritten note from a
college student. Each time new letters arrived, I
was amazed by my students’ organic conversations,
from discussing the importance of legible
handwriting to marveling at having the same
Halloween costume as a “big kid.”

Establishing authentic project-based learning

allowed my students to build connections beyond
the classroom. While reading stories of their pen
pals in college, my second graders began to see
this educational path as a route they could also
take. Pen pal writing increased my students’
positive self-image and confidence as they
developed relationships with positive role models
through writing.
Read Full Story

ADMINISTRATION & LEADERSHIP

Redefining What High School Is Supposed to

Look Like
From restorative grading to paid
internships, an equity-centered approach to
education creates rich learning
opportunities for all students.
By Brittany R. Collins
September 26, 2023
Transforming high school education for the future
requires systems thinking—homing in on all
elements of the learning experience, from
instruction to assessment, curricula to professional
development.

For a principal, this means being attuned to how

various pedagogical approaches intersect, overlap,
or complement one another in service of a larger
vision. For Mark Erlenwein , principal of Staten
Island Technical High School (SITHS)—a specialized
public school serving students deemed “gifted and
talented” across the five boroughs of New York City
—that larger vision is equitable, responsive
education.
Read Full Story
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

Celebrating Linguistic Diversity in Your

Classroom
A fun and meaningful activity can help early
elementary students appreciate the
different languages in their backgrounds.
By Bianca Starck
September 26, 2023

Language diversity has never been more real in

classrooms around the world. With globalization
comes increased mobility, and the language of
instruction may not be the one our students choose
when they think; speak to their parents,
grandparents, and friends; watch TV; read; and
listen to music. Acknowledging our students’
language backgrounds and experiences can be
powerful: Not only does it contribute to fostering a
sense of belonging, but also it supports learners in
building their self-identity and celebrating each
other’s differences. The question is: How can we do
it in a meaningful and engaging way?

I’ve found that students can use language as a way

to create a portrait of themselves. In my class, I
have students make language portraits . Language
portraits can come in different shapes and sizes,
such as posters, collages, questionnaires, journals,
and even poetry. The more creativity involved, the
more likely students are to be engaged and share
their narratives!
Read Full Story

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Teaching Young Learners to Connect With Nature

Teachers can guide pre-K students to
understand and appreciate nature by
discussing and documenting their
observations.
By Julie Hunter
September 26, 2023
When young children spend time in natural
environments, their cognitive, social and emotional,
and communication skills improve . Connecting with
nature expands brain development, promotes social
interaction, and provides an environment conducive
for imaginary play, discovery, wonder, and
effortless curiosity.

As educators, we want to provide the necessary

avenues that young children require to develop into
happy, empathetic, kind individuals. Nature is full of
awe-inspiring beauty, and we simply need to take
advantage of the opportunity of exposing children
to its boundless experiences. Nature provokes
children into action to formulate their own ideas
and self-guided investigations. When children are
fully immersed and exposed to experiences with
nature, they’re given an open invitation for free
adventure.
Read Full Story

TEACHER WELLNESS

How to Nurture Your Joy in Teaching

Teachers can find enjoyment at work
without ignoring real challenges, and doing
so may help them and their students
continue to learn and grow.
By Christina Torres Cawdery
September 25, 2023

“There’s this spark of joy where everything feels

possible.” I said this to a friend over a decade ago
when, after I spoke about being a first-year teacher,
they asked why I was going to stay in the
classroom.

As with many teachers, my first year was rife with

my failures. So, when my friend gently prompted
me to think about why I was staying, I was
surprised by how easily I remembered moments of
joy: a student writing a great paragraph or a
communal reaction over a short-story twist. When
these moments happened, my heart would burst
with joy, and they far outweighed the struggles I
faced. Eleven years later, I’m still chasing that
spark.
Read Full Story

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Using Nature Haiku to Build Community

Teachers can foster a sense of community
by having students share a photo and poem
in this low-stakes writing exercise.
By Suzanne Caines
September 25, 2023
A few years ago, during a wonderful summer of
hiking in the Pacific Northwest, I found myself
writing haiku to caption some of my nature photos
on Instagram. This little practice—which I
termed Insta-Ku—became the perfect way for me to
enjoy and share my passion for nature and my love
of language.

Because I am a teacher, it wasn’t long before it

occurred to me that Insta-Ku might be a fun and
meaningful activity for my high school English
students. This activity became an easy way for me
to learn a little about my students and to share a
little about myself. It also reflects my central goal
of bringing attention and mindfulness to every class
activity, and it’s a creative, engaging and low-
stakes writing assignment that gets my students
thinking and talking.
Read Full Story

SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)

12 Ways To Help Students Identify Their

Emotions
A toolkit of teacher-tested ideas to help
build students’ ability to understand and
express their feelings.
By Andrew Boryga
September 22, 2023

The ability to identify emotions in ourselves and

others, talk about them, and find ways to deal with
them in appropriate ways, is an important
competency that’s closely connected to academic
outcomes, says Maurice Elias , a professor of
psychology at Rutgers University.

While there tends to be a greater focus on

emotional literacy in elementary school, by the time
kids reach middle and high school, they’re “figuring
out who they are and how they want to show up in
the world,” Phyllis Fagell, a middle school counselor
and author of the book Middle School Matters tells
Edutopia . It is during these transitional, formative
years that students—with still-maturing brains and
the emotional swings that come with adolescence—
need tools to understand and cope with their
complex feelings. “The payoff is that kids will
actually be in the right headspace to learn the
content,” Fagell argues.