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How to Teach Inclusion in Preschool

When working with young children, you have the opportunity to teach them lessons that will last a lifetime. While traditional preschool lessons, such as those that build motor skills, are important, other lessons, such as those about including others, are equally significant. Model inclusion by leading your preschool class in games and activities that encourage them all to work together.

Instructions

    • 1

      Master the basics of inclusion yourself. As a teacher, it is important for you to know the principles of what you are trying to teach. An inclusive teacher guides all the children at the same time rather than separating groups of more or less "able" students. Programs stressing inclusion also incorporate children with special needs and focus on the similarities among the children instead of highlighting their differences.

    • 2

      Create an inclusion team. This team, which consists of regular teachers, special education teachers, classroom assistants and any related providers (such as therapists), can best address the dynamics of your particular classroom to help you involve every student in learning the curriculum.

    • 3

      Adapt your usual preschool activities to fit the learning levels and styles of many different children. Be prepared with supplies. If you focus on crafts, for example, provide crayons, markers and scissors that are appropriate for all preschoolers. You also may have to adapt the physical space of your classroom to include wider aisles, different kinds of technology or furniture for children with disabilities.

    • 4

      Lead activities that focus on inclusion, such as guessing games about how two seemingly different people are the same -- for example, a firefighter and a police officer both help people. By focusing on inclusion in your classroom set-up and in the activities you prepare, you will help guide your children into an inclusive adulthood. Adults who think in an inclusive manner will be more likely to recognize what they have in common with other people and embrace differences, seeing others for their abilities and gifts rather than for their weaknesses.

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