When I say wiggly, I mean super-wiggly. My son is rather active and is always ready to play a game, do something silly, or tackle you. I plan on starting him with an actual preschool day next fall, but I have also noticed that he has begun to show interest in small portions of school work. So, I gathered a few things for him to do when he has three or four minutes of interest in tablework.
Pre-writing skills
My little guy has his own workbook. His favorite pages are connecting dots, tracing lines or practicing specific strokes, such as the counter-clockwise circle. When I noticed he enjoyed these tasks, I dug out my laminated sheets from when my older kids were his age. Now, I just need to get some kid-friendly dry-erase markers for him and we are golden.
Counting
We count everything. Going up or down stairs, filling his snack bowl with goldfish, while we brush teeth, while I button up his dress shirt and every other minute we aren’t talking about something else. My goal is for him to count to 20 before the fall and right now we have our work cut out for us. This will come with time, but for now we will do it over and over.
Pockets
With the help of a smart friend, we brainstormed a way to use the inside of the doors to my school cabinet. This cabinet sits in my dining room and stores all the textbooks my big kids and I use daily, as well as any art or office supplies frequently used. The doors open and I wanted to use the flat space for my youngest, but I didn’t want to drill holes or do any permanent damage to the doors. I also needed to take into account that when the doors close, there is less than a half inch of space between the door and whatever is on the inside. My friend suggested hanging flat paper, laminated pockets on the doors, then have my preschooler interact with the pockets in a number of ways. Since the pockets are laminated, I can write on the outside and he can slide the matching or corresponding card/popsicle stick into the pocket. I can tape a picture to the outside and do the same with sliding in the correct match or partner. Additionally, we can use thin magnets to attach objects to his pockets. So far, he has enjoyed walking up to the pockets and putting things where they need to be.
So, in addition to the normal singing and reading together, my wiggly pre-preschooler has starting a few fun schoolwork tasks. I am excited to see his interest in books sky-rocket and his attention span growing.
What ways have you found to give your youngsters a soft launch into learning?
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.oaksreplanted.blogspot.com.
Looking for online learning for your preschooler?
The FUN way to learn!
