The quality and diversity of education that a child gets directly impacts the development of that child, and the quality of the education is very dependent upon early childhood education materials. The most expensive education materials for early education are not necessarily the best. They should supplement a program that is age-appropriate, well-planned and perfectly balanced between teacher-led, child-initiated, structured and play-based.

When looking in to the pricing and costs of instructional materials for early childhood education, remember the materials don't need to be top of the line, but do need to fit the following criteria:

1. Early childhood instructional materials need to challenge the preschoolers cognitive development.

2. Educational material for preschoolers need to encourage social-emotional development through group-based and individual activities.

3. Instructional materials for preschool need to provide the opportunity for physical development.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take advantage of free educational materials for early childhood

Find resources online that provide free professionally-produced instructional materials like alphabet worksheets, coloring pages, downloadable and printable books, lesson plans and much more.

I recommend: Sign up for a free account and get access to early education instructional materials at LearningPage.com. Find free printable activities, teaching themes, poems, stories and more from Education World.

Buy preschool educational materials in bulk

Buying educational materials in bulk can save a ton of money in the long run, especially on disposable items like arts and crafts. Buy supplies in bulk and find Crayola crayon packs for as little as 75 cents a piece, Elmer's glue for as little as 50 cents a piece, and art easel paper rolls for $9 a piece.

I recommend: Sign up for a free account to gain access to wholesale art and craft supplies at Dollar Days. Find wholesale art and craft supplies at AllArtSupplies.com, and save even more on overstock items.

Save on language-ready preschool teaching materials

It is essential for kids of all ages to be surrounded by a large selection of diverse books, and it is especially important for preschoolers to be surrounded by age-appropriate reading-readiness books, picture books, flap books and pop-up books. New books can cost up to $20 a piece, but buying books in bulk or buying used books can cost next to nothing, and save hundreds of dollars overall.

I recommend: Join a book club like Scholastic to get new paper-back books for around $3 and hardback books between $7 and $10, and get access to other educational resources. Join the Children's Book of the Month Club and get 30% off every book.

Include activity-based preschool instructional materials

Find early childhood education supplies that are activity and play-based. Some places offer discounts for buying all at once, or offer deals like free shipping on educational toys like blocks, Legos, playground equipment, balls, construction kits, puppets and much more.

I recommend: Find low prices on education materials and get free shipping on order over $79 from Discount School Supply. Save up to 20% on name brand educational toys, and even more on sale items at ShopEducationalToys.com.

Early childhood instructional materials designed for art and music programs can be added to standards-based curriculum to expand learning techniques and employ a multi-learners environment. Get specialized manipulatives, workbooks and videos that focus on specific skills as well as cross-curricular activities to establish a child-centered program within your early childhood classrooms.

Add a music class to the infant program with early childhood teaching materials. Offer school readiness to 4- and 5-year-olds using instructional materials for preschool children. Address multi-learners in a preschool class by expanding teaching techniques and materials with early childhood education supplies to encourage participation.

Whether you need to refresh your classroom supplies or add a new child center, review these early childhood teaching materials:

1. Order from online catalogs for the latest instructional material for preschoolers.

2. Find specialized publishers for early childhood supplementary materials.

3. Get educational materials for early childhood multimedia programs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find classroom gadgets and toys from preschool educational materials suppliers

Suppliers of early childhood education materials offer resources and supplies for art and music programs, including focus on vocabulary and oral development skills. Look for companies with experienced early childhood education professionals on staff who provide tested and approved supplies.

I recommend: Discount School Supplies produces educational toys and instructional materials and offers thousands of arts and crafts materials and school supplies. For more than 10 years, Really Good Stuff has provided products and services tested and reviewed by teacher panels for a collection of creative tools for preschoolers.

Consider early childhood instructional materials to supplement standard curriculum

Publishers specializing in educational materials for early childhood offer curriculum and supplementary lesson plans for the preschool classroom. Look for everything from lesson plan schedule packets to holiday instructional materials for teaching preschoolers about the calendar. Early childhood education publishers also offer programs with a multi-learners approach.

I recommend: Teaching Strategies, an early childhood education publishing company, offers preschool curriculum materials as well as parenting resources and staff training services. Look for Teaching Strategies publications supporting parent-teacher partnerships. Since 1979, Gryphon House has been committed to providing quality children’s books and teacher’s resource books and materials.

Look for instructional materials for early childhood education from multimedia providers

Early childhood education multimedia programs provide visual stimulation and identification opportunities for young children. Supplemental series focus on music and movement and reinforce early childhood curriculum like colors and letters.

I recommend: Baby Genius video and toy products feature music as a learning tool to engage and encourage communication and language development. Babyscapes also offers child development audio/visual products using music and images to promote social interaction.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Join early childhood education organizations offering preschool instructional materials.

If you are a primary school teacher or administrator it is imperative to stay current on news and information related to educational material for preschoolers and other early education classrooms. You can accomplish this by devoting a few hours a week to reviewing blogs, websites and newsletters committed to early childhood education. Doing so will provide you with a fun and purposeful lesson plan that maximizes efficiency and improves information retention.

To understand the latest in early childhood and preschool teaching materials, consider the following regarding instructional materials for early childhood education news and trends:

1. Visit a blog that focuses on early childhood education materials.

2. Peruse a website dedicated to early childhood education supplies and teacher resources.

3. Subscribe to online newsletters or updates concerning instructional materials for preschool and early education classrooms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read a blog that highlights educational materials for early childhood

Learning about new early childhood supplementary materials or lesson plans is as simple as reading a blog. With regularly updated content, blogs provide teachers with helpful advice and resources that can be implemented in the classroom. Browsing a few blogs as you plan curriculum and activities will ensure you stay up-to-date with early childhood teaching materials news and trends.

I recommend: Take a look at Scholastic's early childhood blog, Christina's Classroom, which is regularly updated by an early education teacher. There, you will also find links to lesson plans, tools, strategies and printables. Visit Blog Spot to peruse the Topics in Early Childhood Education blog written by the manager of educational programs at Excelligence Learning Corporation.

Routinely visit websites that highlight early childhood instructional materials

Take advantage of the plethora of websites offering teacher advice and resources regarding instructional materials for early childhood education. Such websites will provide you with relevant news and trending information as well as allow you to access additional links and supplies that can be tailored to meet the needs of your classroom. Although content may not be updated as regularly as some blogs, the information you will find is always appropriate and newsworthy.

I recommend: Check out useful news and information at Education World. Utilize the teacher resources provided by the early childhood education section of PBS Teachers. There, you can personalize your materials search to specify the age group and topic you are interested in, such as instructional materials for preschool children.

Receive early childhood and preschool educational materials news and trends in your email box

Maximize your classroom planning time and information-intake by subscribing to newsletters and updates pertaining to early childhood and preschool instructional materials. News and trending information will then be regularly delivered to your email box. You can read through the information right away or save it for future consultation.

I recommend: Sign up to receive ECNEWSlink from Earlychildhood NEWS in your email box; before subscribing you can view a sample issue. Register for occasional, free and short PreKorner updates that focus on instructional materials for preschoolers and are delivered to email box.

For teachers and education professionals who work with pre-school age children, it is important to know what kinds of instructional materials are available as well as how to utilize them. One way to learn about these items is to learn the key terms used for each of them. Since there are instructional materials for early childhood education that encompass a number of areas, learning the key terms can help you guide students to achieve their educational goals.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts early education materials help preschool children learn about things like colors and shapes. Many arts and crafts projects will help motor and listening skill functions in students. Display finished projects on classroom walls or give them as gifts to parents.

I recommend: Learn about the arts and crafts supplies used for early childhood education at Discount School Supply.

Educational games and puzzles

Educational games and puzzles offer students a fun way to learn lessons about number and letter sequences, words, and also increase motivational and listening skills. Teachers can use educational games and puzzles to teach students individually or as a group.

I recommend: Gather information about early childhood educational games and puzzles at Really Good Stuff.

Curriculum and lesson plans

Curriculum and lesson plans offer educators ideas on how best to instruct preschool age and early education-level students. Besides activities, there are instructions on how to work with parents to help young ones achieve educational goals and how to create a learning environment that engages children.

I recommend: Read the article about preschool and early education curricula and lesson plans at Teaching Strategies.

Literacy resource materials

Literacy resource materials aid teachers and educators in teaching early education students the fundamentals of reading and literacy. Beginning with simple lessons about the alphabet and letter sequences, literacy resource materials equip early education students with the building blocks necessary to become successful and proficient readers.

I recommend: Find out about early education and pre-school literacy resource materials and books at Gryphon House.

Multimedia programs

Multimedia programs offer students and their instructors fun and creative ways to learn about things including the alphabet, art, music, computers, and literacy. Use multimedia programs to complement other instructional materials for early childhood education to increase the potential for students to learn essential lessons.

I recommend: Review the selection of early childhood educational multimedia CDs and DVDs at Baby Genius.

Music and movement

Music and movement instructional materials for early childhood education give educators and students a fun way to get exercise while learning about music. There are lessons about rhythm and dance as well as about different types of music. Teachers can include instruments in their lessons so that children can learn how to make their own music.

I recommend: View the early childhood music and movement materials available at Delmar Cengage Learning.