Fitting in Preschool

I've had a lot of emails lately asking for advice on how to fit preschool into an already over full day. Here are few little activities that you can do with little ones as you go about your day.

1. Give child a cookie sheet and magnets. Have a variety of sets, such as the alphabet, numbers, or colors and shapes. This can be a free-play activity or you can suggest some type of learning game. “Let’s sort these food magnets by food group.” or “Can you put these letters in order? Sing the song to help you.” or “What comes after each of these numbers?” Keep it fresh by rotating the magnet sets and making the children put them back in a ziploc when you leave the area.

2. Keep your puzzles in a place where they can be used regularly near you while you do something else. For an added challenge, you can take the pieces out of two or more puzzles and have your child sort them into the correct puzzle.

3. Cooking: Let your children join you in the kitchen! I know they make messes, but you’ll survive. Talk the whole time: tell them what you’re cooking, why you chose it (“Daddy loves this casserole.”), what ingredients you are using, what they do (“This baking soda makes the biscuits rise.”), what utensils you’re using, etc. Let them dump ingredients, stir, and anything else they can handle. Children learn so much while helping in the kitchen! Math, science, responsibility, helpfulness...

4. Let child help you while doing housework, and sing songs together. Don't underestimate the value of music! You would be amazed at how much children retain just from learning a new song!

5. Let children help with simple tasks such as sorting laundry. We have a "dot system" in our house to help sort the boys clothing, so they look at the tag and count the dots to know who's clothes are who's. It's a great math activity!

6. Flaschcards. Keep flashcards on hand and run through them throughout the day. It doesn't take much time, but the repetition is fantastic for helping little ones learn and retain information.



Hope these little tips help with trying to fit a little extra learning time into your busy day!

Love,