Thanks to Shy Babies for this post on how to start a preschool routine for your child at home. I loved her ideas and tips, some times I tend to over think things, and preschool is one of those things can be so easy. You just need to make it consistent and fun!
With back to school season in full swing, it is time to decide what you are going to do if you have a preschool aged child at home. Should you put a strong focus on preschool at home or ignore it all together? Maybe find a middle ground.
No matter the skill level or attention span of your child, consider at least working on one learning activity a day. This can be a fun way to spend the day with your child and advance his or her learning.
If you want to start small, identify one type of activity for each day of the week and plan each week with that in mind. Some activity types include but are not limited to:
-art (i.e. edible finger paint)
-cooking
-letters/reading
-science (i.e. effects of freezing and thawing)
-physical education
-musicBy staying consistent with what type of activity you will focus on each day, your child will know what to expect each day. When your child knows what to expect, he or she will be more likely to respond positively toward the activities and the structure that comes with it. Also, this will also make it easier for you as a parent to plan ahead. You will know what you need to plan and a little less overwhelming.
Once you are starting to plan your preschool week, pick one theme for the week. If your child loves dinosaurs, plan a week of dinosaur related fun. A sample week could be as follows:
Art Monday -Make a dinosaur out of the tube from a roll of toilet paper and construction paper
Reading Tuesday- Read books about dinosaurs and focus on T lettered dinosaurs
Physical Activity Wednesday- Go for a walk an you and your child walk like dinosaurs the whole time
Science Thursday- Compare pictures of reptiles and dinosaurs to see how they are alike and how they are different
Food Friday- Let your child help you make dirt pudding and bury some dinosaur gummiesFinding these fun weekly themes combined with a set activity for each day of the week, makes preschool homeschooling on a busy schedule easy to plan and fun together time. If you would like to be a little more active in teaching your child you could combine multiple activities per day or find some of the great free online curriculum sites such as Preschool Palace.
Just remember that the most important thing for young kids is to teach them that learning is fun. This time should be fun!