Hi everyone! My family and I are just getting back home from a week away, and it’s exciting to turn another page on the calendar. Our last summer trip is over and we are gearing up and getting into school mode. My first born begins 1st grade this month and just loves going to a local school! It’s a great fit for us and for her. While big sister is away my middle girl and I will dive into preschool at home. Today I’ll share some super easy, affordable, and fun ways to make preschool at home beneficial for all – Mommy included.
One of the reasons I’ve chosen to do preschool at home as opposed to sending my children somewhere is because this is what I studied in college. I went through the early childhood education program and had some phenomenal professors who were a big help in molding my thinking about children and how they learn best. And while I did teach at a preschool for two years, I was so excited to one day teach my own kids! That time is here and I’m so thankful. At home momma – at home preschool. It just makes sense for us. Another reason I so enjoy doing preschool at home is that it helps us use our mornings well. After a summer of staying up late, sleeping in, movies, long lazy days, etc. we all look forward to a little more order. It helps me be a little more disciplined in my personal morning routine and it gives my little pupil something to look forward to. Not to mention the helpful prep for my little girl as she inches closer and closer to going to kindergarten. Here’s my little girl, August Hope, isn’t she sweet? Such a great little student. I catch her many times with a little journal just doodling away.
As I’ve mentioned in my other posts, I’m kind of a planner fanatic. {Which, by the way, if you didn’t get to read Sarah’s post about her school planner – DO!} I use a personal daily planner, a menu planner and then this one for school. I have been using Target’s One Spot planners the last few years and it’s just about exactly all I need. Preschool should be easy – it’s PREschool. If you are overwhelmed with it you are probably doing too much. :) These little $1 planners have been wonderful for me to throw in some lesson plans and track what we’ve worked on. Also, I’m loving all the new fun designs they have!
So once I have my planner I sit down and start filling out what subjects we’ll cover and then I just plug in ideas. Easy. I don’t really buy curriculum, although, if you’ve been to the Dollar Tree or Target maybe you’ve seen these workbook gems? We use these for our core learning – numbers, letters, etc. They are $1 each and beautifully done inside! I’ve used these with both of my older girls now and they are really helpful. I also find a TON, if not most of the ideas on Pinterest. My aim is to do 3-4 things per day, 4 days a week. My husband has Fridays off so I try and keep that day wide open. For a 4 year old that really is plenty of “work”.
I have a few pin boards to pull ideas from and you can find those here. Look specifically at the boards: Preschool Fun, arts n’ crafts kiddo style, growing godly kids, and feelin’ crafty. I’ve really had fun planning things out this year and it only takes about 30 minutes to plan out a week at a time. The beauty of it, for me, is that I can do as much or as little as I want depending on the load of our ministry life that week. Apart from the planning of your activities and lessons you’ll need to carve out some time to get out and purchase your supplies. We go through a lot of construction paper, glue sticks, crayons and tape. I find most all of my supplies at the Dollar Tree, but you can find stuff super cheap in a lot of places right now as back to school sales go up.
Maybe the best thing about doing preschool at home for us is the connection time that I get with August. She is somewhat “stuck in the middle” as our number 2 out of 3 daughters. She loves one on one time and I’m pretty sure she is going to eat up all of the fun learning I have planned for her! I found this precious (to me) picture of my two girls doing preschool about 2 years ago – August loved this day because we were painting with marshmallows! Now that she actually knows letters and colors and such, I think the creative juices will just keep flowing.
As I end this post I should mention quickly that having some sort of organization for all the projects and paintings and workbooks is strongly recommended. My husband would AMEN this statement. It’s really easy to get buried and fast! I have a bonus space in my basement before our guest/play room that I have turned into our school/craft station. I painted an old dresser and essentially threw everything into it. At the end of each school day my goal is to get everything moved down there and put away. (This doesn’t always happen) Otherwise, our dining room looks like a volcano erupted. You could do whatever works best for you: a plastic storage tote, a rolling cart, a coat closet, etc. But designate a space… or you’ll be sorry. Trust me, it’s the story of my life!
Keep it simple! Keep it fun! If you are thinking of trying this at home – I hope this post encouraged you.
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