20 Best Books On Early Childhood Education
Classroom layout, an individual’s mind, culture, peers, environment all play a role in the early developmental years. If you are an early childhood educator in this century, you must understand the importance of keeping up with modern models of education. It is also important to grasp the value of trying out alternatives when the mold does not fit your unique bunch of learners.
Early childhood education remains an exciting sector that continues to evolve and develop. In some instances, educators must be flexible to hearken sideways or back to discover lesser-known strategies of working with little ones.
Decades ago in countries such as Hungary, Russia, and Italy, early childhood educators employed great strategies that were handy in child development. Some of those inspiring insights can still be used in today’s education system.
In this primer, we have a comprehensive list of books that we believe can be highly beneficial to today’s early childhood education educators. The ones we have featured offer more honed-in and comprehensive directives for educating young ones. These books can be used by seasoned veterans, new teachers, and parents or anyone interested in delving into the murky waters of early childhood education.
The following are the best books on early childhood education:
Using Observation in Early Childhood Education
The author of this book Marian C. Marion is a popular figure in the early education sector. In her book, she describes comprehensively the importance of observation in the classroom. According to her, for educators to teach and assess kids effectively, there is the utmost need to watch.
Understanding your early learners entails lots of observation. Learn about observation guides and strategies to help you deal with kids at a young age in the classroom. You will also learn the importance of observing child behavior in the classroom and how it affects your decisions. At the end of it all, you will be able to connect with your kids in a meaningful and relevant way.
NurtureShock
Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson bust myths on early childhood development in their book. They shatter many conceptions that we have heard repeatedly. For instance, it offers excellent methods to deal with self-esteem issues in this tough world. It is one of the books that all educators in early childhood need to have if they are to achieve success in their job.
Multicultural Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom
This book is a remarkable guide for teachers facing varied and many learning styles of children from various cultural backgrounds. The book walks readers through different teaching tools and approaches. It defines ” multicultural education” and offers strategies on how to implement it.
By reading this book, you will understand how to engage critically with the meaning of student ethos and teacher. You are also equipped with strategies to inspire energetic questioning among students as you study all probable scenarios. The author of the book Mariano deliberates on the best ways to use art and the sharing of stories to share cultural practice.
The book brings methods for integrating tech into your early childhood classroom. For sure, it is a necessary resource for 21st-century educators in the field of early childhood development.
Diversity in Early Care and Education
Life-long learner and early childhood education expert Janet Gonzalez-Mena is the brains behind this book. Her career went via an entire gambit – from being a leader in the field to teacher aid to volunteer. She has seen it all in the early childhood sector. Her different perspectives and opinions regarding the field make her a darling of many.
Gonzalez has honed her understanding of exactly what young kids need in their formative years. She scrutinizes the significance of a widened perspective of every learner in the classroom.
Tools of the Mind
This reading resource presents an excellent opportunity for readers to study the Vygotskian Approach. The philosophy primarily emphasizes not only on collective studying but also on its impact on decision making. It also sheds light on how it impacts executive function to assist learners to benefit from education.
Vygotskian Approach is often compared to Piaget. It looks at their dissimilar viewpoints on private dialogue. The latter approach argues that private speech is a crucial module that helps kids to manage their activities for their growth not only during early stages in life but also into adulthood.
Early Childhood Education
Author, educator and developmental psychologist Virginia Casper teams with the program director and educator Rachel Theilheimer to create this book. It offers a comprehensive overview of child education in the formative years. Without a doubt, it is an excellent textbook for beginning students.
One of the best attributes of this resource is the fact that it comes at a reasonable price. It is available to early pupils in hard and soft copy. The book is also handy for those planning to apply for school. Following and understanding its content is easy.
Get to learn all the challenges that individuals encounter in early childhood education. The book inspires educators to ensure their teaching methods are adjustable to an array of class situations.
Rethinking Early Childhood Education
This is without a gem of a resource. If you work in the education sector, you know that bias permeated education, especially in the early years. As a result, it might reinforce stereotyping and prejudice with outdated educational practices. This book offers a new perspective on how to handle little ones as they develop early on in life.
The author approaches it with activism at heart. She understands the significance of honing a sense of justice and self in the early years. In her book, she shows tutors how to connect with their learners on philosophies that are associated with active inquisitiveness, environmental awareness, and societal justice.
This book contains numerous scenarios from an array of fathers, mothers, and instructors deliberating social impartiality within the sector.
Early Intervention Games
Barbara Sher is the author of Early Intervention Games. She is a professional therapist who comprehends all the sensual and bodily requirements of autistic people and those with physical processing rarities. Barbara has come up with a host of involving games in the book to assist little students to grasp different concepts early on.
Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education
This book is written by G.S. Morrison, a lecturer, and educationalist together with contributors M.J Woika, D. Kirkwood, and E. Beavers. It presents a complete yet light outline of the rudiments of early childhood. It equips users with strategies on how to integrate DAP and education with parents. Some of the themes the book focuses on include:
- Continual professional development
- Developing self-guided learners
- Working with diverse learners
- Integrating STEM
- Closing achievement gaps between poor and rich children
Others are:
- Merging special education with early childhood education
- The value of DAP (developmentally appropriate practices)
Beginning Essentials in Early Childhood Education
This book is in its 3rd edition now. Contained in it are new teacher vignettes as well as updates on ‘brain science.’ New ancillary teacher materials are also included. So what is it about? Well, it seeks to modernize everything related to the development of young ones by creating a short course whose purpose is to tackle different areas smoothly.
Within the book’s maiden 50 pages, you get to learn about early childhood education’s history – from inception right to present. In addition to that, you will also be equipped with the different types of programs employed to achieve massive success in the field.
The second section sheds light on the ‘whole child.’ This is in terms of developmental stages, strategies for inclusion, special needs, talented/gifted and diverse abilities. The fact that it is only 20 pages in length means it offers a sweeping overview.
The section that follows talks about developmental learning. It also focuses on factors that influence growth and development. The rest of the pages, 100 to be precise, look at developing a career as an early childhood education teacher. This is without a doubt one of the best books when it comes to starting your journey in the field. It can also help you know whether this is a sector worth delving into.
The Whole-Brain Child
If you have been looking for a landmark book on the brain and children, then you should consider this one. Neuropsychologist Daniel Siegel and Pediatric psychiatrist Tina Payne team up to come up with a book that helps psychologists, educators, and parents understand the broad topic of whole-brain learning. Although the working of the brain remains a mystery to many, it is a good thing that we have a book that can help us understand its workings.
This book helps you to understand fully the integration of the brain. It provides guidelines on how a child’s brain works. The guidelines are useful to psychologists, parents, and educators.
Included are early childhood strategies and charts. These guide you on how brain elements work together. There is no better resource for first-time parents and veterans than this book. Buy it today and learn 12 strategies that can make the brain work as a whole.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen
Many people have denoted this book as the ‘’kid and parent bible.” It is an excellent tool for any teacher, father, and mother. This resource is a must-have for those interested in improving communication with kids. For parents and educators, this book will help you communicate with the young ones effectively. It facilitates clear communication preventing frustrations.
As illustrated by Faber, communication starts with listening. Secondly, full attention is necessary. This book gives guidelines on not only how to talk but also teaches how to use natural language to have a flowing conversation. The different concepts in the book will stimulate your predispositions and interrogate some of your answers as a guardian or parent.
It takes you through the communication process step by step. By the time you are done reading it, you will have acquired a host of new communicating skills. The principles in this book work not only for parents but also for educators.
The Exceptional Child
The Exceptional Child is now on its seventh edition. It gives insight to educators both in special needs or otherwise. Topics in the book include classroom planning, law, and policy as well as understanding different personalities. All these help you understand different learners and ensuring all of them can learn in a stress-free environment.
The newest edition of this book includes new reflection areas, up-dated legislative activities, and new case studies. This book comes in handy when conferencing with parents, setting up a classroom and when noting IEPs. Apart from that, it is a gem if you want to improve your social skills or upgrade your career to an inclusion specialist. Keep this book handy in your desk and watch your learners improve.
Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education
Written by education expert Sue Breadcamp Chil and psychologist Dr. Kate Cranley, this book gives readers insight on the common core, current policy change and promoting play. In the current edition, information is given using the REVEL program. This enables you to interact and engage with your learners.
Get to understand development in the early years as well as changes that take place. The book acts as a supplement to your education degree. It helps you apply your learning to different minds, create healthy relationships with your learner’s parents and put your knowledge to practice across the curriculum. Create a personal approach to teaching using it.
Anti-Bias Education in The Early Childhood Classroom
An eye-opening book, this one sheds light on issues that may cause discrimination. It touches on issues such as disability, race, and justice. This book will make you question yourself over being bias. If you feel that you are constantly biased in the way you handle issues in the classroom, then this book is for you.
An educator is an important influence on children, thus if you want social justice to prevail read this book. Learn about issues that hinder young ones from progressing in the classroom. As an educator, you will be able to cater to your learners’ needs including those who face challenges in education. Ultimately, you will manage to give hope to your learners.
Courageous Leadership in Early Childhood Education
In this book, 13 authors take a courageous and firm stand for social justice. It contains a collection of impressive work from teachers. The book encourages you to not only speak out but also step out boldly to become a voice for students who are in need especially in the early childhood years.
It can be argued that the formative years are the most important for any child. This is especially true when it comes to learning how to be just and fair in social scenarios. The book’s authors recognize the importance of social justice. For that reason, they have assembled an incredible set of essays to show readers how to use tools in an early childhood classroom. Be equipped with strategies on how to effectively support your little learners. You will also learn how to effectively work with bilingual students.
The Giant Encyclopedia
The current edition of this book contains over 200 lesson plans. These plans are for use in classrooms, one-to-one and in small group learning. This book comes with fresh ideas in different categories. These include food, colors, insects, and animals.
It contains activities that the young ones enjoy. The resource contains recommendations and methods of assessment during lessons as well as a visual aid.
The Complete Resource Book for Preschoolers
This is an all-time book for educators in need of learning activities for their learners. It comes in handy when you feel that your current classroom activities have become old. At times, an educator may be in need of an activity that matches the learner’s program. Instead of looking at websites for activities, this book will save you time as you only need to turn the pages.
Supervision in Early Childhood Education
Want to become a leader when it comes to teaching little ones? If yes, you need to buy this book. In the first chapter, it provides rich information on early childhood supervision. The reading material clearly defines supervision in relation to early childhood. It outlines responsibilities and displays practical implications.
In the next chapter, it teaches your own personal evolution as a leader. Through the second chapter, you will sharpen and nurture your skills. Aside from this, you will learn new methodologies necessary in different learning institutions.
In the last chapter, it offers guides on staff management. This includes staff career development and recruitment.
Introduction to Early Childhood Education
This resource features materials on language and literacy development. It sheds light on different teaching styles, methodologies, and classroom set up which aid in reaching different types of learners. This makes it an effective tool for special educators.
Used commonly as a textbook, it equips you with a stable foundation in early education. You will manage to not only reach out to all learners but also incorporate all of them in your lessons.
How to Get Kids to Say Yes
A perfect book for parents, children, and grandparents, this one is recommended for an educator who finds some students hard to communicate with over others. Schriter, the author speaks about the four-color languages which are children’s world view.
This book helps you to understand the four personality types. It forms the frame of communication between the educator and child. Once an educator understands a learner’s personality, communication becomes easier.
Not only does it address educators but also parents too. The book contains practical advice, real-life examples and ways of engaging children. Reading this book will teach you how to approach different personalities and communicate with the learners effectively. This results in happier, kind, and helpful children.
Who Am I …
This book challenges educators about who they are and how to relate with young children. It is highly recommended for someone interested in joining early education. In summary, it has visual learning aid and real-life examples for demonstration. Learn how to make lesson plans focusing on emotional, social, physical, and intellectual intelligence.
The Early Years Matter
The authors of this book Marilou Hyson and Heather Biggar Tomlinson feature children from different backgrounds. The children featured also have different abilities. This book begins by discussing early care in the family, growth, and development of babies all the way to toddlers.
It lays down ways to improve communication and relationships in infants and adults. As it progresses through the different ages in school, it offers a range of programs and options for the educator. The educator is also guided on the best program to use for her/his learners.
Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs
This book advocates for change in the classroom. The change is encouraged where there is a biased education. The beauty of it is the fact that it challenges even the most resistant person to change. To counteract bias, the information contained inside helps you change your thinking for the better. It equips you with the skills to give anti-bias education.
It is certainly a must-have for those taking leadership roles in early childhood education. However, as the authors have stated, for anti-bias education to prosper, change must begin from the teacher and the organization itself.
