Technology in Early Childhood Education: The Green School's Pre-K Classroom

How fortunate we are to live in a time when technology can serve as an enriching educational tool. We no longer have shelves filled with volumes of encyclopaedia's to leaf through, and many families no longer have the daily support of extended family members or a “village” of older generations at hand. In many ways, technology allows us to gently bring the wider world into our classroom in meaningful and carefully guided ways.

In our Pre-K classroom, we believe that early childhood should be rooted in hands-on discovery, meaningful play, social connection, and rich real-world experiences. Blocks are stacked, paint is mixed, stories are told & read, questions are asked, and friendships are formed — this is the heart of our learning environment.

At this stage of development, young children learn best through concrete experiences — touching, building, exploring, moving, and interacting. For this reason, we do not use devices for independent screen time, games, or passive entertainment.

In our Pre-K class, we do use technology thoughtfully and intentionally.

We use YouTube only as an enhancement tool — to illustrate a concept, provide real-life examples, and deepen understanding of a theme we are already exploring. Technology, therefore, plays a very small but intentional role in our day.

Viewing is always active and guided. An adult is present at all times. We pause, ask questions, discuss what we notice, predict outcomes, and sometimes mimic actions we see on screen. The children are never passive viewers — they are thinkers, talkers, movers, and participants.

Teachers always preview and carefully check all content for educational value and age-appropriateness. Video clips are kept short — generally between 5–10 minutes — to “hook” interest while respecting young children’s attention spans and developmental needs.

Each clip is purposeful, emotionally appropriate, and aligned with our learning goals.

We also use interactive music, songs, exercise, sport, and yoga clips to get our wiggles out in joyful and healthy ways. These moments support coordination, rhythm, body awareness, and self-regulation.

Short, visually rich numeracy and literacy clips can beautifully reinforce foundational math concepts and phonemic awareness. Visual demonstrations help children grasp abstract ideas in concrete ways.

Emotional mindset and wellness themes are often illustrated through short real-life stories that support empathy, resilience, and social understanding.

When we revisit a story we have already read together in book form, watching a short visual version can strengthen comprehension, listening skills, and literacy connections. Children delight in comparing the book to the screen and noticing similarities and differences. We are, after all, authors & illustrators!

And of course, there are the visual field trips. While we may not always be able to physically climb into a lighthouse on a faraway rocky shoreline, watch snow falling in a cold country, or an exotic animal in its natural habitat. Technology allows us to explore such places safely and meaningfully. These virtual experiences expand children’s horizons and spark curiosity about the wider world. Especially when real-life exposure is not possible.

In our classroom, technology is never a replacement for hands-on play, social interaction, outdoor exploration, creativity, or real books. It is simply one carefully used tool — thoughtfully integrated to enrich learning and bring the world a little closer to our children.

Our priority remains nurturing curiosity, creativity, language development, self-regulation, and strong social-emotional foundations through active, engaged learning.

We value partnership with parents and welcome any questions about our approach.