Allison McDonald

Bainbridge Island, United States

Founder and Writer at No Time For Flash Cards

Teacher. Author. Runner. Fan of glitter and skittles. Play is learning and reading is a basic need. B.Ed, M.S Early Childhood and Family Development. She/her

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Articles

Spring Scavenger Hunt Printable

4 weeks ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

I don’t think homework is appropriate for children before middle school.
Bug Activities That Match Eric Carle Books

1 month ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

It’s no surprise that I am a child of the 70s and 80s, and a teacher of the 90s-present love Eric Carle books. They hold precious childhood memories and have been launching pads for countless preschool learning activities in my classrooms for decades. These bug activities that match Eric Carle books are perfect for spring and are just a few of the educational activities for Eric Carle books I have to share with you. Check out my Eric Carle-inspired activity archive and extra resource pack here.
Small Group Games and Activities For Preschool & PreK

1 month ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

Small group activities for PreK shouldn’t be an extra or add-on component to your curriculum. Small group learning is a powerful tool for teaching specific concepts, working on targeted skill development, and building relationships with your students. More than anything, it is also an imperative tool for differentiating instruction and assessment. These small group games and activities for preschool and PreK are well worth adding to your lesson plans.
Spring Lesson Plans For Preschoolers!

1 month ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

I love Spring. Yesterday, on the playground, I was chatting with one of my preschoolers, and we listed all the things we love about spring! I can’t wait to teach my students all about plants, flowers, animal life cycles, and more. Get ready to teach preschool this Spring with these amazing and developmentally appropriate spring lesson plans.
Free Choice Art Activities for Preschoolers

1 month ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

Independent art activities are a vital part of your daily routine at preschool. Preschoolers should have access to art materials and some invitations to create, curated by the adults to support students’ creativity and a secondary goal of working on specific skills. My hope is that I will work myself out of a job, and after creating fun invitations, my students will be able to look at the materials available and create on their own.
10 FREE printables for preschool & PreK

2 months ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

Giving away a lot for free is not a great business strategy, but I know how tight classroom budgets are right now. Along with my book Everyday Preschool In The Classroom I use these printables in my prek class all the time and wanted to make sure you have them too. Here are 10 of my favorite free printables for preschool & PreK teachers: 10 FREE printables for your preschool or PreK Class 1. Letter recognition letter search – I use this all the time! 2.
Initial Sound Bingo Game - FREE DOWNLOAD

2 months ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

The best way to teach specific skills in an early childhood education classroom is in a small group or one-on-one setting. The reason basically comes down to the fact that you will have a very wide range of abilities in any group of preschoolers. This is why differentiation is key. This initial sound bingo game has two versions, and even with two versions, this may not be right for your PreK class, but that’s OK. Teach the child in front of you.
Printable Shape Game For Preschool

2 months ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

This is a simple game like all the simple preschool learning activities I have in my books. Everyday Preschool ( for parents) and Everyday Preschool In The Classroom aren’t fancy, but they work! Infact when I give trainings for teachers about math this printable is the one I get the most requests for! This shape game is targeted at preschoolers to play independently or with a friend.
Valentine's Day Alphabet Activities

2 months ago | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

Using holidays and celebrations to add novelty to learning basics like letter recognition is a tried and true teaching method. Some things like letter and number recognition need practice and repeated exposure to stick and an excellent way to make that practice fun and playful is to add in themes your students or kiddos at home are excited about. It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day – use these ideas and your theme, whatever it may be, to match them with the students you are teaching.
Super Simple Pocket Chart Letter Recognition Activity

Jan 23, 2025 | notimeforflashcards.com | Allison McDonald

This pocket chart letter recognition activity is so simple, and I share simple preschool ideas like this over on my Instagram page all the time, but I wanted to share it here as well so no one misses it! One of the most powerful tools for learning letters is children’s names. Use their names as much as you can as a tool for learning! Young children are super self-focused, as they should be, so use that innate focus for learning.