TINY TRAVELERS, BIG IDEAS: TEACHING HOTELS TO PRE-K STUDENTS ” A CONTINUED EVOLUTION IN EDUCATION”
By Greg DeShields
So, just what is a hotel? A business offering short-term lodging to travelers. While hotels provide a safe place to sleep, modern ones also offer a variety of amenities for families, tourists, and business travelers. Hotels connect communities, support tourism, promote culture, and excel in customer service.
How do you teach this? I was anxious about teaching preschoolers about hotels, and I genuinely hoped to deepen my understanding of the profound role early childhood education plays in shaping lifelong skills and perspectives.
In a previous article, I wrote that my professional development journey as an educator continues to evolve in meaningful and unexpected ways. I shared my professional journey as an educator, and now it continues to evolve in ways I never imagined. Having taught hospitality and tourism concepts at many levels of adult education, high school, and universities, I now find myself in a deeply meaningful environment: a pre-kindergarten classroom serving three- and four-year-old children.
Fortunately, working in early childhood education has shown me how vital the preschool years are. Before kindergarten, children developed communication, emotional awareness, creativity, confidence, and social skills. These early years shape future academic and personal growth.
Every day, I witness the incredible dedication of preschool educators and caregivers (which is not easy) who create environments where children feel safe, supported, valued, and encouraged to explore. I have learned and appreciate that preschool education is far more than childcare; it is intentional learning designed to help children develop cognitively, socially, emotionally, physically, and linguistically during one of the most important developmental periods of life.
Interestingly, preschool lesson plans are structured frameworks for organizing learning for children ages 3 to 5. These plans balance play and developmental goals, helping children build cognitive, social, physical, and language skills in age-appropriate ways.
I have observed that consistency and predictability play a critical role in helping young children thrive. Structured daily routines create a sense of comfort, security, and emotional stability while also supporting early childhood development. Activities such as circle time provide meaningful learning opportunities where children engage with concepts like days of the week, dates, weather, numbers, and classroom participation. Center time offers a vibrant and energetic environment that encourages creativity, STEM exploration, design thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative play.
Equally important are opportunities for recess and playtime, which help children develop social skills, confidence, and healthy physical activity habits. Shared meals foster community and routine, while rest periods, especially afternoon naps, allow children to recharge and regulate their emotions. Creative activities further encourage self-expression and imagination. Together, these consistent experiences build a strong foundation that nurtures children academically, socially, and emotionally.
Shifting to preschool, I saw the importance of active engagement. The “70/30 Rule” suggests teachers speak 30% of the time, with students participating the remaining 70%. In preschool, this is especially effective because young children learn best through direct experience.
A highlight of my experience was crafting a lesson plan about hotels for preschool students. While I had taught hospitality concepts to adults and university students, introducing hotels to three- and four-year-olds offered both a unique challenge and a priceless opportunity.
My approach aligned with the teacher’s classroom educational objectives and lesson plans. The curriculum focused on transportation, neighborhoods, nature, animals, and community themes that connect to hospitality. This ensured that the lesson supported students’ learning rather than being isolated.
Synchronizing with the curriculum made the lesson engaging and age-appropriate, introducing hospitality concepts in ways young children understood and enjoyed.
I became “Mr. Greg.” Using your first name is commonly embraced in preschools and daycare centers because it creates a warm, approachable identity while still maintaining respectful boundaries between educators and children.
During the session, I shared aspects of my own hospitality journey and introduced students to the creativity and imagination behind hotels worldwide. We explored the unique design of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and discussed the famous Polaris Restaurant, which overlooks the city skyline and the surrounding nature. The children were especially fascinated by the dog mascots featured at various Fairmont Hotels & Resorts properties, which created a meaningful connection to animals, something already familiar and exciting to them.
Transportation, such as luxury vehicles at hotels in destinations like Las Vegas, captured students’ attention and showed how hotels connect travel, people, and communities.
The children’s curiosity and enthusiasm made the lesson interactive and full of imagination, conversation, laughter, and discovery. Effective preschool learning is joyful, visual, playful, and tied to what children know.
Following the discussion, students participated in a creative activity where they colored and designed their own hotels. Colorful crayon tracing is a pre-writing activity designed for pre-K children to develop fine motor skills and color recognition by following guided lines or words.
The intended outcome was for students to demonstrate their understanding of hotel functions and express their ideas, as you can see through the design of unique properties. This activity encouraged imagination, creativity, self-expression, and confidence. Watching students proudly describe the hotels they created reminded me that preschool education is fundamentally about nurturing possibility.
One particularly meaningful moment occurred when I randomly selected two students from the class. One was energetic and outgoing, while the other appeared highly organized and focused. I playfully shared that one might someday become a hotel general manager, and the other, perhaps, a hotel owner. The students laughed because they did not yet understand those roles, which created another valuable opportunity to introduce concepts such as leadership, teamwork, and responsibility in simple, encouraging ways.
This experience showed me that preschool education isn't just about preparing for kindergarten; it's about building confidence, curiosity, communication, imagination, and social-emotional skills that last far beyond early school years. Early experiences lay the foundation for lifelong learning and growth.
Teaching preschoolers reinforced the importance of giving young children engaging, meaningful lessons that support creativity, curiosity, and their potential. It underscores how early learning shapes both students and educators.
As President of Skål Philadelphia and supporter of Young Skål, I believe our role goes beyond networking and business. We stand for mentorship, leadership development, global friendship, cultural understanding, and building the future of the tourism and hospitality industry through education and inclusion. Connecting people across generations starts earlier than most realize.
As I continue this journey within early childhood education, I look forward to discovering even more opportunities to connect learning, creativity, hospitality, and imagination in ways that positively influence the next generation.