Have you heard the idea that "preschool is the new kindergarten"? This expression communicates that preschoolers--and their teachers--are expected to work on educational concepts at an earlier age than in years gone by. For both experienced teachers and new ones, this can be challenging.

As a preschool teacher, it's important to you to balance these educational goals with engaging activities that stimulate young children's minds and bodies. If you err on the side of rigorous academics, you risk losing preschoolers' short attention spans. On the other hand, if you err on the side of too much play, you risk not hitting all of your educational objectives.

How can you stay on track with meeting academic goals while also keeping your classroom activities age-appropriate for young learners? The best thing that you can do is to use a preschool curriculum.

Reduce Your Stress

Have you ever lain awake, overwhelmed with the worry that you're not doing enough for your students? Worried that you might forget to teach a critical skill? Fretted that you've skipped one of your state's objectives for early childhood classrooms? Unfortunately, that sort of worry has become the face of education for many teachers.

Pre-made curriculum reduces those concerns. Programs that are aligned to state standards and national goals provide the peace of mind that your students are getting the education that they need. You don't have to worry about such things because you can trust that they have already been taken care of. Instead, you can devote your energy to loving your students and teaching them well.

Free Up Your Time

Perhaps your nights aren't consumed by worry; instead, they're packed with lesson prep. Browsing websites for inspiration, creating printables, and coming up with hands-on activities: Those are the things that keep you up at night.

Designing your own program may be fun at first, but over time, you'll probably notice that it has become a creative drain. What was once exciting has turned into a tiring chore that pulls you away from interaction with your students, your friends and your family.

A quality curriculum gives you back your life. Instead of reinventing the wheel, you can spend your work time doing what you really love: teaching. And when work is done for the day, you can enjoy your life outside of the classroom.

Run a Creative Classroom

Not only will you love teaching with a curriculum, but your students will love it too. That's because curricula are designed with young learners in mind. Educational concepts are presented in a way that engages kids' brains and encourages them to gather as much knowledge as they can. In other words, curricula makes learning fun for kids.

And when you're a less stressed, less exhausted educator, you'll become a more fun teacher. Your classroom--and your presence--will become a place where kids can't wait to be each day. Isn't that the kind of teacher that you've wanted to be all along?