Early childhood educators know how important it is to choose the right materials to include in your preschool classroom. There are so many options, and often your budget won't stretch cover everything you'd like to include. With this guide, discover ideas for both familiar and new play materials and how they not only support the cognitive, physical, and social and emotional development of children ages 3 to 5 but also meet the diverse needs of individual children. With a thoughtful selection of appropriate materials, you can enhance the quality of your classroom and create an accessible, inclusive, and equity-based environment.
About the Author: Lisa Mufson Bresson, MEd, is an early childhood author, coach, and consultant with Beyond Boundaries, LLC, specializing in the areas of inquiry-based learning, quality classroom environments, and early childhood leadership. Previously, she was the program manager for Grow NJ Kids, New Jersey's statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for early childhood programs. She taught in urban public preschool settings for over a decade. While in district, she also served on the Committee for Staff Development, mentoring and coaching novice teachers.
Lisa is coauthor of NAEYC's bestselling book Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children's Thinking. She has been a contributing author to Teaching Young Children, NAEYC's magazine for preschool teachers, for over 10 years and currently serves on the publication's advisory panel. She frequently presents at local, state, and national conferences.
Lisa is the proud mother of two adult sons, Levi and Jacob. She and her husband Jason live in Sharon, Connecticut, and are both enthusiastic travelers and adventure seekers.
Megan King, MEd, is an early childhood specialist and preschool teacher at Passaic Public Schools in Passaic, NJ. She holds degrees from Ramapo College of New Jersey and William Paterson University, including an MEd focusing on early childhood education. Megan has been working and learning with children and their families for more than 15 years.
A past New Jersey Governor's Educator of the Year Award recipient for her school, she has served and continues to serve on several advisory boards, including the NJ Council for Teaching and Learning, the NAEYC-PBS Ready to Learn Advisory Board, and the TYC Editorial Advisory Panel. Megan has shared her expertise on making and makerspaces in the preschool classroom through several articles, presentations, a chapter in the NAEYC book Big Questions for Young Minds, and activities in a STEM book published by HighScope. Using her knowledge and enthusiasm for early childhood, Megan advocates for quality early childhood education policy through her role as Chairperson of the Early Childhood Educator's Caucus to the National Education Association.
Megan lives in West Caldwell, New Jersey, with her family and enjoys cozying up with a good book and her dog Boone.
