Traci
Joined : 11 Apr 2007
Posts : 17
|  Subject: Homeschooling With Preschoolers  Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:14 am | |
| Homeschooling With Preschoolers
By Traci Boyd
Homeschooling with little ones presents a challenge to most parents. They can learn along with their older siblings, but also need something to keep their little hands busy, as most of the homeschooling activities will be to hard for them to do. Leaving them out could be dangerous, and at the very least, hard on Moms sanity! Instead of letting them have the run of the house and making a trail of messes, here are some ideas they can do while learning is going on. Remember playing is learning!
Large beads and shoe laces
Leap Frog Videos (educational!)
Pattern blocks and pattern cards
Puzzles
Color Wonder Paper and Color Wonder Markers
Color Wonder Paper and Color Wonder Finger Paints
Sewing cards
VSmile games (educational!)
A small chalkboard and chalk
Bean bags and a bucket
Blocks (wood, Lego, Duplo)
Lincoln logs
Toy cars and trucks, and a homemade roadway made on cardboard
Magnetic letters (such as the electronic Word Whammer)
Large box
yep, thats it!
Electronic desks (such as Leaps Phonics Pond)
Wipe off books and wipe off crayons
Tinker Toys
Safety Scissors and old magazines
Stencils, paper, and colored pencils
Shallow bucket, plastic fish, & plastic measuring cups, just add water & a towel!
Playdough and cookie cutters
To store most of these activities, use clear, shoe box size plastic bins. This will make it easier on Mom and kids to see what is inside and prevent them from dumping out the entire bin. Make the projects easy and self-directed, and save them for school-time only.
Decide how many activities will need, and which activities will work for you, then set up the containers. The idea is that the preschoolers pick an activity and work in the same room while you homeschool your older children. When they finish one activity, they just clean up the activity and pick another. This keeps them happy and busy during the homeschool hours. Rather than sitting at the table with your older homeschoolers, which can be distracting, pick a spot that would be good. Could you add a small table for the preschoolers? It will be amazing what your little ones pick up while being in that same room with you, and may make for an easier transition to homeschooling when they come of age.
Happy homeschooling! 
_________________
God bless,
Traci
Thankful Wife to Sean
Joyful homeschooling Mother to Hunter, Payton Nicole, Courtney, Logan, Noah, Emma Grace, and Katie Beth |
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