Musically Minded

Finland begins formal reading instruction around age 7 — yet its students consistently demonstrate strong literacy outcomes and high levels of well-being.

That isn’t accidental.
It’s developmental alignment.

Before formal reading demands increase, Finnish early childhood classrooms focus heavily on:

• Oral language development
• Play-based learning
• Movement and motor integration
• Self-regulation
• Executive function
• Social problem-solving

These are not “soft skills.”
They are the neurological prerequisites for literacy.

When we rush seat time before those systems are organized, we often see:

• Disengagement during large group
• Behavior challenges
• Surface-level phonics without language depth
• Teacher burnout

Strong literacy is not built by accelerating output.
It is built by strengthening the brain systems that support reading.

The real question for us isn’t:
“How do we get children reading sooner?”

It’s:
“Are our Tier 1 practices aligned with how the PreK brain develops literacy?”

Large group instruction is often where this alignment either strengthens — or fractures.

When circle time is structured for regulation, movement, rhythm, and interaction, literacy grows naturally.

When it becomes extended seat time, we often manage behavior instead of building readers.

If we want long-term literacy outcomes, we have to build the foundation first.

That’s not lowering expectations.
That’s sequencing them correctly.

Love music and love kids?

Then join our team!

Learn more: https://www.indeed.com/job/early-childhood-music-teacher-06bb48e2b8deb5e0

With so much on our plate as educators, we can sometimes forget that it's the little things that are going to make the biggest difference in the lives of the children in our classroom.

Research shows that observing an act of kindness can make in someone want to pay that kindness forward?

As educators, we are constantly observed by our students. This means we have a high level of responsibility to model the behaviors that we want to see in them. When it comes to kindness, find ways throughout your day,

Circle time is a great time to demonstrate kindness. It can be as simple as moving over to allow a child to have more room. Know that your kindness is being observed.

In the end, a lot of people, little and big, just need someone to be kind to them today.

Tell us in the comments how you showed or witnessed kindness in your classroom this week!