Last year Mr. Jackson and I were in a neighborhood preschool co-op group. This year he's in kindergarten and his sisters were so excited to start preschool, but I didn't want to commit to anything as involved this year. They don't know that they don't get to go to kindergarten for two years... but they do know they have to be 5 to go... oh well... they'll figure it out. Hopefully. I'm not going to tell them...
I decided we'd keep it low-key this year and just do some fun learning activities at home. We can focus on the letters next year. I also know myself and my lack of motivation halfway through a project. I knew I'd need some kind of organization and a PLAN. I started early and I gathered ideas (mostly via Pinterest). Then I went to the Walmart.
I had seen several preschool/learning shelf ideas on Instagram and Pinterest, and I loved the idea.
I bought this cute shelf and these three baskets from Walmart to commit myself to the shelf idea. I used it as a book shelf for a few months before it was time to stock it with preschool activities.
Yes, it is in my living room. I knew that if I put it somewhere out of sight, the whole idea would also be out of mind.
I made a list of themes that I would use each week.
I chose things based on the books and toys we already owned. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on this. (Some favorites: princesses, dinosaurs, zoo, weather, and body.)
My list is super high-tech...
From there I made lists of all the books, toys/games, and other activities I could think of for each theme. I needed a plan before I ever started or else I would give up.
I added holiday/seasonal themes for specific times throughout the year.
I made a rough list of things we'd try to do each day and the amount of time each activity would normally take (this is VERY flexible- we sometimes just sit and read books). The night before Jackson started kindergarten, I set up the girls' school area.
Shelf setup:
- Theme signs- I pre-made a sign for each theme, so I don't have to scramble each week.
- Felt Letter Board- I also found this at Walmart. It is, admittedly, just for me. This shelf is in my living room, so I'd like to look a little bit put together.
- Theme toy decorations- I try to put something on top (usually including a book) to help the girls recognize the theme of the week since they can't read yet.
- Worksheet basket- This is where all the papers go before they've been completed. Coloring sheets, crafts, tracing and cutting worksheets, etc.
- Activities basket- This is where all the "stuff" goes. Small pieces, games, puzzles, sticker books, etc.
- Finished basket- this is where all the finished papers go- including the ones that come home from kindergarten. We keep them for the week then toss them. It has helped keep the random papers from taking over my house.
- Book cubby- This is where the books go! They all relate to the theme somehow. I don't try to arrange them in any order because they get pulled out throughout the day.
The last two cubbies have been switched around a little according to our needs, but here is what we've been using them for lately:
- Activity cubby- This is where the activities that are too big for the basket go. Large games and puzzles, hands-on activities, etc.
- Supply cubby- This is where we keep the supplies needed for the crafts, worksheets, and weekly setup. The box with supplies (scissors, crayons, glue, and pencils- all labelled because twins fight and are extremely possessive), stapler, blue painters tape to attach things to the wall.
I usually wait until the day before to print off the worksheets I find so they don't get spread all over the house before we use them. If you're interested in the worksheets, jump over to my Facebook group- I post links there. I found most of them on Pinterest.
You may have also seen that we have snack time during our preschool lessons. Snacks are very simple with very little thought or prep. I usually just grab something from the pantry or fridge. The snacks can go with the theme if you want, or you can serve carrots and crackers every day!
Here are a few of the other themes we've done so far:
The very first day of our at-home preschool, the girls thought their friends were coming over for school, but luckily Daddy broke the news to them that it would just be the three of us.
They were fine with that information once we actually started our lesson.
It lasted about 45 minutes and we only had preschool 3 of the 4 days that first week. The lessons are shorter or longer depending on their moods and mine. We keep it flexible so if something comes up we can do it. It's been fun so far and the girls are loving it. I've found that it is also a great time to bond with them and get stuff done while they are working on projects. I'm excited to see their progress throughout the year.
Let me know if you have any questions about the games, activities, or books we use.
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