Pricing and Costs of Instructional Materials for Early Childhood Education

Budget for early childhood teaching materials

By Nikki Wheeler
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.

 

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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.