AUGUST 2025
As a new early childhood teacher, one of the things I struggled with was finding appropriate and outcome-specific resources. Even to this day, I still struggle to find a resource that I need for a very particular learning outcome (especially in early childhood, where such a broad range of topics are often explored).
There have been many times when I have used Microsoft PowerPoint to create my own resources, which can be very time consuming. Other times, I have borrowed or copied resources from colleagues, or searched the internet for free and low-cost resources. Let’s go through some of my regular go-to websites for free and low-cost resources.
TPT (formerly known as Teachers Pay Teachers) is free to join and to access resources. There are many free and low-cost resources for early childhood. Also, it is good to support fellow teachers, a lot of their time and effort has gone into making these resources. A lot of the time they have actually made the resources for their own personal use, then uploaded them to their TPT store, so you know they are a likely fit for your needs. You can also read customer reviews, even for the free products.
Sparkle Box has been around for a long time, and is very well-known in the early childhood community. I would say that almost all of my colleagues have used Sparkle Box at some point. Not only are their resources professionally made, they are also very geared toward early childhood education, so you are quite likely to find what you need on this site. There are a lot of free resources, and the subscription prices to access a greater range of resources are quite reasonable.
Twinkl is very similar to Sparkle Box in the appearance of and intent of their resources. Again, there are many free resources and there are subscription options to gain access to a greater range of resources. Many of my colleagues also access Twinkl regularly.
Aussie Childcare Network has free-to-access printables, activity guides and helpful articles on their website. This is a very popular website, I think every service I have ever worked at has found this site useful for different needs. Students who are studying may especially find this site useful, informative and inspirational.
Non-print resources can be found for free all over the internet, too. At times, to support further learning about a particular topic, I may search for an educational clip online for the children to watch and discuss. YouTube channels that I often refer to for appropriate, safe, early childhood resources are Dr. Binocs, SciShow Kids, Wild Kratz, Bounce Patrol, Jack Hartman, Nat Geo Kids and BrainPop.
These are just a few suggestions of online sources that I often refer to. If you would like to share links to sources of free resources for other teachers and educators, list them in the comments below. Thanks!
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