Here are my favorite homeschool resources for the preschool and the kindergarten years, which are easy to use and are frugal.
While we introduced learning activities in preschool, we took a playful approach.
We picked and choose from these ideas and activities each day, as our preschooler had a very short attention span as most preschoolers do.
We picked and choose from these ideas and activities each day, as our preschooler had a very short attention span as most preschoolers do.
And kindergarteners have just a bit more. Our focused learning time in kindergarten was about 1/2 hour to an hour at most.
Let's start with
Let's start with
- math play
- A,B,C's
- phonics
- fine motor
- handwriting
- arts and crafts
- science/nature study
- and the fun of a field trip or two??
1. EARLY HOMESCHOOL MATH
When you are four, or five, everything is math!
Toys can be counted, towels sorted and put into sets. Cookie making became a lesson in adding and subtracting, and beads got sorted into patterns as well, as making necklaces.
Also, buttons, shells, rocks, sorted by shape, color, size, what have you. Even laundry could be sorted into sets, or small, medium and large, such as with towels.
Also, buttons, shells, rocks, sorted by shape, color, size, what have you. Even laundry could be sorted into sets, or small, medium and large, such as with towels.
Making a Math Manipulatives Kit
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.
Nothing has to be bought for math play with manipulatives, as small toys, buttons, shells, or whatever you have will work out just fine! Anything that your kids can count, sort, and put into groups, or sets will be wonders for their learning!
My post called Early Math FUN shares how we went about making our kit and learning early math concepts with our manipulatives.
My post called Early Math FUN shares how we went about making our kit and learning early math concepts with our manipulatives.
Here are two early math workbooks that we also enjoyed, and my daughter worked out the problems using her manipulatives:
If you want a more structured approach to homeschooling kindergarten math, here's a review of Saxon Math for K.
If you want a more structured approach to homeschooling kindergarten math, here's a review of Saxon Math for K.
It involves a lot of great hands-on learning, too.
2. EARLY LANGUAGE ARTS
Learning A,B,C's
We introduced the letters of the alphabet with simple ABC crafts projects and a little book called the Big Book of Alpha Tales.
This book has a humorous story for each letter of the alphabet. There are ABC mini-book to make as well, which was a favorite activity in our house.
3. EARLY PHONICS
Preschool Phonics
Not every homeschool family does phonics, but we found that it was key to the development of reading skills for our daughter.
For early Phonics, we used the Explode the Code Primers (ETC).
This is a very well researched program, which has been proven to improve reading levels. It is kid friendly as well.
This is a very well researched program, which has been proven to improve reading levels. It is kid friendly as well.
ETC primers covers all the basic phonics. It also includes writing the abc's, more early reading skills, and word families.
Kindergarten Phonics
For those who are ready to move on, here is info on the next books in the series by Explode the Code.
We let our daughter take reading at her own pace, and followed her lead.
When my little one was ready, we decided to use the Bob Books series as our first readers, which introduced one vowel at a time. We also liked the series at I Can Read .
Next, let's talk about resources for fine motor activities for pre-handwriting....
Next, let's talk about resources for fine motor activities for pre-handwriting....
4. FINE MOTOR FUN
To develop hand coordination and wrist strength for handwriting, we did LOTS of crafts, enjoying sidewalk chalk art, etc.
For non-crafty kids, lego building and the like will work just as well.
We played with playdough, did drawings, cut with sissors, fingerpainted, and often did gluing projects.
Sometimes we tore paper into small pieces to make a design with glue, which helped to strengthen the finger muscles.
This post below, has more ways to help your child with fine motor skills and grasp. 9 Ways to a Mature Grasp - Games and Fun!
Here's more ideas for small muscle games.
Do what your child enjoys...if they don't like crafts, there's always playing with legos, small blocks, small cars, etc.
This post below, has more ways to help your child with fine motor skills and grasp. 9 Ways to a Mature Grasp - Games and Fun!
My friend, Penny has Free Fall Cutting Practice activities that you might like, too.
5. EARLY HANDWRITING
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| photo credit Oak Meadow |
Playing with writing! We wrote letters:
- in pudding
- in the air
- on the sidewalk
- in the sand
- and on large newsprint paper....the bigger the better.
This gave my daughter the feel each letter. If your child is not ready to start writing letters, give it time.
And it also gave her practice in crossing the midline, when we made large letters in the air.
Teach Your Kids to Write has lots of FRUGAL or FREE ideas for beginning handwriting, if your little ones are ready for that.
It doesn't matter when your kids learn to write, they will get it, when it is the right time for them.
It doesn't matter when your kids learn to write, they will get it, when it is the right time for them.
6. ARTS AND CRAFTS
Does your child like arts and crafts?
Coloring, painting, playing with clay were popular at our house.
A favorite was painting with pudding, when I had the time to get it out.
My daughter enjoyed drawing, then sometimes she would dictate a few words about her picture, which I would write down for her to copy.
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 sometimes.....
We also had fun making simple books sometimes.....
The Art of Simple Book Making
Here's some things that we did for early science activities, when it fit into our day...
7. EARLY SCIENCE and NATURE STUDY
8. FUN FIELD TRIPS
And of course birds - Birds and Birdwatching.
If you want to do field trips, your little one could join in family ones.
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.
And of course birds - Birds and Birdwatching.
One year, my daughter asked to do a ballet class, like she had read about in one of her books.
So we found a pre-ballet class, and she loved it.
What would you add to this list?
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.
