Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast

If assessment season makes you want to shut your laptop and disappear for a while… you’re not alone. In this episode, let me break down why traditional assessment methods feel so exhausting! But more importantly, let me give you a better way to do it.
You’ll learn a simpler, more effective approach that saves time, reduces stress for your students, and gives you data you can actually use to guide your teaching.
Topics Discussed:
Why assessing everything at the beginning of the year doesn’t work
What to assess at the beginning, middle, and end of the year
The “Storybook Method” for structuring assessment periods
Why re-assessment is the missing piece most teachers skip
How to use assessment data to actually guide instruction

Related Resources:
Assessment and Portfolio Resources

Connect with Ashley
Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast
Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!
As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.
Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

What if the loudest, most chaotic corner of your classroom is actually where the deepest learning is happening?
In this episode, we’re rethinking dramatic play and breaking the myth that it’s “just pretending.” Because when you take a closer look, you’ll see children building language, social skills, literacy, and real-world understanding through play.
If you’ve ever felt pressure to replace play with more structured academics, this episode will help you see why dramatic play deserves a permanent place in your classroom.
Topics Discussed:
Skill Building in Dramatic Play
Why engagement is naturally higher in play-based centers
How to set up your dramatic play area with intention

Related Resources:
Dramatic Play Bundle

Related Blogposts and Episodes:
The Importance of Changing out Play Centers

Connect with Ashley
Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast
Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!
As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.
Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

Spring brings a noticeable shift in energy and it can leave even the most well-run classrooms feeling a little chaotic. But here’s the good news: you don’t need a full reset to fix it.
In this episode, we’re talking about how to refresh your preschool classroom in simple, manageable ways that actually work - without adding more to your plate.
Because the goal isn’t to start over. It’s to work smarter with what you already have.
Topics Discussed:
Why spring behavior shifts are normal (and not a sign something is “wrong”)
Why “new but familiar” is the key to better learning
Simple ways to update your centers without extra prep
Why a plants theme is the easiest way to bring spring into your classroom

Related Resources:
Spring Resources that are done for you!

Connect with Ashley
Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast
Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!
As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.
Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

What does science look like in a preschool classroom?
It’s not worksheets.
It’s a child running across the grass with a kite they built themselves! They built it, tested it and discovered that it works!
In this episode, we’re talking about how to move beyond “cute” spring activities and into meaningful science that actually builds cognitive skills.
Topics Discussed:
What real science looks like in preschool
Why spring is the perfect time for science
Centers vs. STEM Challenges
The thinking skills hiding in spring science
How to make spring science simple

Related Resources:
Science Centers + STEM Challenges Bundle

Connect with Ashley
Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast
Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!
As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.
Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com

In this episode, we’re talking about the common "recognition trap" in early childhood education and why stopping at identification can limit deeper learning. You’ll learn a simple four-stage framework you can use to guide children from basic familiarity with a concept all the way to meaningful application.
Let's bring clarity and calmness back to your planning!
Topics Discussed:
Why recognition is the starting line, not the finish line
The difference between naming and true recognition
The four stages of preschool skill development
The framework and how it supports differentiation
Simple ways to get started

Related Resources:
Skill-Based File Folder Games

Connect with Ashley
Follow on Instagram @lovelycommotion
Join the Lovely Preschool Teachers Facebook Group

More About the Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast
Are you a busy preschool teacher who loves gaining new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration for your classroom? The Lovely Preschool Teachers Podcast is here to help you up your confidence in educating early learners in a quick, actionable way!
As an early educator who is still in the classroom, Ashley Rives will share the ins and outs of how she runs her classroom in a play-based, child-centered way. Each week, expect a new episode focused on actionable strategies to level up your abilities and confidence as a preschool teacher.
Ashley Rives is an early educator with over 17 years of experience and a strong passion to help teachers implement child-centered learning in preschool classrooms all over the world. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelycommotion or learn more at the Lovely Commotion Preschool Resources website: www.lovelycommotion.com