How about some that are frugal or free?
Here are my favorites for the preschool and the kindergarten years, which are easy to use and are frugal,too.
We picked and choose from these ideas and activities as our preschooler had a very short attention span as most preschoolers do. And kindergarteners have just a bit more.
What about attention span issues?
For preschool, we only worked for 15 minutes at a time. Our focused learning time in kindergarten was about 1/2 hour to an hour at most. Little ones really don't have more attention span than that on the average.
Let's start with
-math play.....then:
-early language arts,
-fine motor fun,
-handwriting,
-arts and crafts,
-early science,
-and the fun of a field trip.
MATH PLAY
We didn't use a complete math program, but preferred doing our early math, with our own hands-on activities, card games were great, too.
Click the link below to reach my article on early math activities:
Preschool/K - Early Math...for hands-on learning fun with numbers, sets, etc, and also how to make a Math Manipulatives Kit, without spending any money.
This post shares how we went about making our kit and learning early math concepts using our manipulatives. It also includes two early math workbooks that we also enjoyed, and my daughter worked out the problems using her manipulatives.
EARLY LANGUAGE ARTS
Click the link below to reach my article on early math activities:
Preschool/K - Early Math...for hands-on learning fun with numbers, sets, etc, and also how to make a Math Manipulatives Kit, without spending any money.
This post shares how we went about making our kit and learning early math concepts using our manipulatives. It also includes two early math workbooks that we also enjoyed, and my daughter worked out the problems using her manipulatives.
EARLY LANGUAGE ARTS
There are so many easy ways to introduce the ABC's to your child.
One way is just to go to the library and get books that do that for you. A is for Apple, etc. We enjoyed introducing the letters of the alphabet with simple ABC crafts projects and a little book called the Big Book of Alpha Tales.
PHONICS
One way is just to go to the library and get books that do that for you. A is for Apple, etc. We enjoyed introducing the letters of the alphabet with simple ABC crafts projects and a little book called the Big Book of Alpha Tales.
PHONICS
Not every homeschool family does phonics but we found that phonics was key to the development of reading skills for our daughter.
We let our daughter take reading at her own pace, and followed her lead.
Learn to Read with Explode the Code gives you more information on this excellent reading and phonics program.
To read about Explode the Code and all about early language arts, phonics and more click here on the link below:
Click here to reach my article on Preschool/K - Early Language Arts
Learn to Read with Explode the Code gives you more information on this excellent reading and phonics program.
To read about Explode the Code and all about early language arts, phonics and more click here on the link below:
Click here to reach my article on Preschool/K - Early Language Arts
Next, let's talk about resources for fine motor activities for handwriting....
FINE MOTOR and HANDWRITING
To develop hand coordination and wrist strength for handwriting, we did LOTS of crafts, enjoying sidewalk chalk art, etc.
Sometimes we tore paper into small pieces to make a design with glue, which helped to strengthen the finger muscles.
Click here to reach my handwriting article on: Small Muscle Games
There's always benefit for small muscle development from playing with legos, small blocks, small cars, etc.
This photo shows one of the special ways to help your child with fine motor skills and grasp.
Click below to reach my article on 8 more ways to develop good grasp:
Click here for my article on 9 Ways to a Mature Grasp - Games and Fun!
When my daughter was ready to start writing her letters, we wrote letters in the air. This gave my daughter the feel each letter.
And it also gave her practice in crossing the midline, when we made large letters in the air. That can help kids get ready for handwriting.
Click below to see how to teach handwriting in a very frugal way:
Click here for my article on Teach Your Kids to Write.
It has lots of ideas for beginning handwriting, if your little ones are ready for that. It doesn't matter when your kids learn to write, as they will likely get it when it is the right time for them.
ARTS and CRAFTS
Click here for my article on Teach Your Kids to Write.
It has lots of ideas for beginning handwriting, if your little ones are ready for that. It doesn't matter when your kids learn to write, as they will likely get it when it is the right time for them.
ARTS and CRAFTS
Coloring, painting, playing with clay were popular at our house. A favorite was painting with pudding!
My daughter enjoyed drawing, then sometimes she would dictate a few words about her picture, which I would write down for her to copy. When she chose the words herself, her copywork was very meaningful to her.
We also had fun making simple books using her own words. It is so wonderful to watch your child create their own story. Tips for how to do that is in this link below:
Click here for my article on The Art of Simple Book Making - Your Child is an Author
My daughter enjoyed drawing, then sometimes she would dictate a few words about her picture, which I would write down for her to copy. When she chose the words herself, her copywork was very meaningful to her.
We also had fun making simple books using her own words. It is so wonderful to watch your child create their own story. Tips for how to do that is in this link below:
Click here for my article on The Art of Simple Book Making - Your Child is an Author
When your child is making this simple book, using their own words, they are learning great pre-reading skills at the same time.
Once my daughter started making these simple books, I could not get her to stop! We would go to the park, then she would come back and write a little story about it. Then the fair, same thing. She wanted to make so many of these easy to do books!
And little ones can make them, too, as they just dictate their words to you, for you to write down for them.
Read more about how to do that here for my article on The Art of Simple Book Making.
SCIENCE and NATURE STUDY
Early Science is really just all about the natural things that your child will do like picking up leaves, touching them and feeling the texture of them, spotting spider webs, watching birds fly, etc.
For more ideas on early science, click below:
Early Science - Hands-On is my article on easy and fun ways to add in early science.
Once my daughter started making these simple books, I could not get her to stop! We would go to the park, then she would come back and write a little story about it. Then the fair, same thing. She wanted to make so many of these easy to do books!
And little ones can make them, too, as they just dictate their words to you, for you to write down for them.
Read more about how to do that here for my article on The Art of Simple Book Making.
Early Science is really just all about the natural things that your child will do like picking up leaves, touching them and feeling the texture of them, spotting spider webs, watching birds fly, etc.
For more ideas on early science, click below:
Early Science - Hands-On is my article on easy and fun ways to add in early science.
SIMPLE FIELD TRIPS
Some of our best memories were made when we did simple field trip, like going on a train ride with friends, fishing at a kiddo's fishing hole, or joining other homeschoolers for a park day.
Or heading exploring in our backyard, for insects, worms, even slugs....
And of course birds - Our Favorite Books about Birds and Birdwatching.
Or heading exploring in our backyard, for insects, worms, even slugs....
And of course birds - Our Favorite Books about Birds and Birdwatching.
One year, my daughter asked to do a ballet class like she had read about in one of her books. We found using a community group class like that added a lot to our week, and led to support for me from other mamas, even some homeschooling ones!
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Do you have a teen in your house?
Did you know that there are so many homeschool friendly colleges out there now? That is the trend. Requirements are actually getting easier for homeschooled applicants.
So if you think that your little one will be headed that way, they should have no trouble getting in as a homeschooler, if you decide to go all the way.
Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,
Betsy
Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled from day one. She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school & college and wrote the book - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind. She offers free homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting.
