After teaching preschool, preparing my own kiddos for school, homeschooling 2 preschoolers and their 2 older siblings, I know it can be hard to decide on a preschool curriculum. Setting up a preschool curriculum is a little tricky. You want to teach your 3 year olds and 4 year olds what they need to know for learning success. You do not want to overwhelm these young ones with a … [Read more...]
Parenting Hack: 7 Ways to Prevent Summer Slide
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Please view my disclosure for more info. Kids lose some of what they learned during the school year over the summer. Teachers call it the summer slide, and it happens every single year. Elementary school age children, on average, lose about two months' worth of math skills and one month's worth of reading and spelling over … [Read more...]
What to do with Toddlers
{This post is sponsored by Autumn McKay. All opinions are my own.} We started our first homeschool year last year. Balancing 2 toddlers while magically creating time to focus on my older two children was a challenge to say the least. (Brings out super woman cape from the closet…) The juggling act of homeschooling multiple children in multiple learning levels is-to be blunt- … [Read more...]
Rainbow Ice Painting Preschool Activity
{Post by Tracy} With Spring arriving in much of the country, this is a great time to celebrate the colors of the rainbow. This hands-on sensory activity for kids uses favorite science concepts in a rainbow ice painting preschool activity for kids! It's easier than you think to create multiple learning activities that are fun for your kids. With simple materials you have … [Read more...]
Snowflake Foil Craft for Kids
{Guest post by Tracy Murdock} We have been all cooped up inside due to the cold weather and all 3 of my kids having colds. What a better way to get their imaginations stirring and help them feel a little better, than with a fun art project that can be fun for all ages (even for moms)! Plus, this Simple Snowflake Foil Craft for Kids helps break up the day. … [Read more...]
Encouraging Kids to be Thankful
Our family has a tradition of sharing the favorite part of our day with each other. We usually share while we are all together eating dinner. It is one of the ways we are encouraging kids to be thankful every day. Even on nights when daddy is away the girls will make it a point to ask him over the phone what his favorite moment was. With so much negativity surrounding … [Read more...]
Sorting and Classification Activity for Young Children
While in the midst of homeschooling my older two, I have to balance the time my preschool aged twins need to learn too! Activities that support learning in multiple age groups are a key. I like simple learning activities that are perfect for my 3 years olds and build on big concepts like this button sorting and classification activity for young children. The preschool age is … [Read more...]
Toddler Pumpkin Activities
Every Fall I like to gather some gourds and mini pumpkins for my kids to explore. They love the sensory aspect of scientific discovery. There is so much you can do for toddler pumpkin play activities. Plus, the good news is this is an inexpensive way to play in the Fall. Grab some mini pumpkins, gourds, or even the plastic craft pumpkins from your local craft store. We had a … [Read more...]
Teaching Letters Lesson Plans
This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by Autumn McKay. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my disclosure for more info. The eyes of a young child when they learn something new is fantastic to see. Teaching letters to kids is so fun! With developmentally appropriate activities for their age group it’s an enriching way to add some focused activity … [Read more...]
Exploring Shapes with Sand Sensory Activity
Outdoor playtime is essential to kids' well-being. Anytime the grouchy behaviors show up (in me or the kids) we take a break and play outside. Of course gross motor activities like hopscotch or just playing at the playground are great for getting the wiggles out, but outdoor sensory activities can be a nice balance to learning time indoors. Exploring shapes sensory activity … [Read more...]
Learn Letters with Feet
This post is sponsored by Kids in Socks. All opinions are my own. Please view my disclosure. How many times have you had a fun moment with your child saying the rhyme, “This little piggy went to market. This little piggy went home…”? Countless times we teach kids with their feet without even knowing it. Simon Says, a simple dance party with the kids on a rainy day, number … [Read more...]
ABC Letter Matching Busy Bag
We had busy bags in our house before I knew what a busy bag even was! I always called them activity bags with my kids. Most of the kids activities I have shared can easily be stored as busy bags. This ABC Letter Matching Busy Bag is a great addition to preschool at home, or even a fun game when in a restaurant. I created it with a free download ABC chart I found simply doing … [Read more...]
Less Book Clutter, More Reading for Kids with Skybrary
This post is sponsored by Reading Rainbow Skybrary Family. All opinions are my own. Please view my disclosure. I look around my house and see multiple little bookshelves filled with great children’s books. The reality is my kids want to read the same 5 or 6 books over and over for months at a time. At bedtime when we read together as a family, all the kids pile up on … [Read more...]
Letter of the Day Activities for Preschool
We don’t buy fancy supplies for our homeschool preschool work. I want to teach my children to use what they have first so they do not always think they have to buy new. It certainly has made our budget as a one-income household work much better to live this way. It was easy enough to put together letter of the day activities on a budget. My oldest daughter was a kid that … [Read more...]
Crayon Color Sorting
My toddlers were interested in colors around 2 years old. They would point and ask what color something was in their curious way. It’s one of the simplest lessons to teach because we can share color names easily as we go about our day. “The stop sign is red.” “This dog’s fur is brown.” “Your yellow shirt matches my yellow shirt.” This simple, hands-on color sorting … [Read more...]