Many of the things I see on Pinterest look great. Perfect even. I see the same on activities I see on some blogs. Nice, neat, put together. And really not the work of preschoolers.
My favorite things are those things that look like a 5-year-old did them. (Substitute whatever age you teach here.) Maybe not perfectly aligned or balanced or exactly right. But definitely the work of the child.
I love the wonky frames we make each year. The unevenness and the abundance of stickers make them real and lovely. And they do not all look the same. These things look like my kids, all different and just right as they are.
I love when snowflakes are oddly shaped or split into two pieces. I enjoy seeing so many stamped shapes or paint strokes that the page is practically bursting. Those things show me that kids are exploring their own ideas, trying out things, wondering and experimenting and learning.
This time of year often seems to require that perfect look, that things look just right. But individual, off-kilter, wonky preschool creations are just right. Just right for each child.
Relax and bask in the imperfect just-rightness of teaching young kids.
