Good Morning Family!
I cannot believe summer has come and gone! Some of you may have littles that would have begun preschool this fall. While others of you may have littles that are still too young for preschool but are craving the structure of school. Of course, "back to school" will continue to look and feel different this fall than years in the past. So, I thought today it would be fun to share a "preschool from home" schedule that I hope makes things stress free for all you Moms, Dads, and Caretakers and also will be exciting for your littles.
7:00 - Wake up time and free play time (*You can start this whenever your little normally gets up or if you're trying to create structure and schedules, pick a set time that works best for you.)
7:45 - Eat breakfast/morning snack and clean up together
8:15 - Wash face, brush teeth, and get dressed
8:45 - Lesson of the Day:
1. "Monday is for Moods": Talk about feelings with your little (Sad, Angry, Excited, Nervous, Happy, Confused, Hungry, Tired, Etc.) Ask them how they are feeling today and have them isolate where the feeling lives in their body. Talk about things that may make them feel certain ways. What causes you to be sad or happy or angry, etc?
2. "Tuesday is for Numbers": Pick a number of the day. Count to the number with your little. Have your little draw/write the number on a piece of paper with markers or crayons.
3. "Wednesday is for Weather": Have your little go outside and then talk about the current weather with them. Does it feel cold/chilly? Does it feel warm/hot? Does it feel windy? Is it sunny or cloudy? Is it raining? Talk about the different seasons and how they can affect weather.
4. "Thursday is for Letters": Pick a letter of the day. Sing the alphabet song together. Have your little draw/write the letter on a piece of paper with markers or crayons. Draw/write capital letters and lowercase letters.
5. "Friday is for Colors": Pick a color of the day. Talk about primary colors and how when colors are mixed together, they create other colors. Maybe have some fun with paints and mixing colors.
9:15 - Activity of the Day:
1. Since Monday is for Moods: Play a short musical clip/song of your choosing and have your little listen and draw what they feel. Certain sounds may spark certain color choices by your little. Drawings may have structure or may be chaotic and messy. Allow your little to "be outside the box, color outside the lines", there should be no structure or rules to this activity.
2. Since Tuesday is for Numbers: If you are currently living somewhere near nature, send your little outside on a scavenger hunt for a number of items that relate to the number of the day. If the number is 3, have them go find 3 leaves, flowers, rocks, etc. If you are living in the city, you can do the same but with items in your home. Or take your little on a walk around the city and point out where you see the number in the city. Maybe on a license plate, taxi cab, inside the grocery store, etc.
3. Since Wednesday is for Weather: Sensory Activity: Make clouds with shaving cream, puddle jump outside if it's been raining or indoors in the bathtub/shower, fill a plastic bottle with water and shake it really fast to make a homemade tornado, use straws to create your own wind/breeze, play with ice cubes outside in the sun and watch them melt based on how hot or how cold it is.
4. Since Thursday is for Letters: Go into your kitchen and have your little identify foods that start with the letter of the day. Sound out the letter.
5. Since Friday is for Colors: Play a game of "I Spy" and pick out only things that are the color of the day.
9:45 - Reading Time With Your Little
Here is a list of great books:
- Where The Wild Things Are
- Are You My Mother?
- Chicka Chickadee's Boom Boom
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt
- Blueberries for Sal
- Make Way for Ducklings
- Madeline
- The Rainbow Fish
- The Gruffalo
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
- The Going To Bed Book
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
- Horton Hatches the Egg
- Frog and Toad are Friends
- A First Book of Fairy Tales
- Lulu's Party
10 - Snack Time
10:30 - Quick yoga time (child's pose, downward dog, mountain pose, tree pose), stretch break (roll your neck gently back and forth, cross your right arm over your body and stretch and then switch to your left, reach way high in the sky, touch your toes), dance break, or quick work out (starfish jumps, frog squats, bear crawl)
10:45 - Play Time
11:30/Noon - Lunch
Always remember that you know your little the best and this is only a guide to help aid you if you're looking for some more structure and haven't known where to turn. This schedule may be one that you want to achieve in the future but your little's attention span may only allow for a few short activities a day. All of these may be too much when first starting out. It's okay if they only last for a few minutes! Always approach a schedule with ease and open mindedness. It's all about being happy, having fun, and keeping things stress free!
Happy Pre-schooling!
Miss Logan
Babies@MAFS