Thinking About Home Preschool?
Depending on where you live, universal preschool may or may not be available. This means you can choose to send your child to a private preschool or do preschool activities at home.
With our girls, we enrolled in part-time preschool â at a neighborhood church for our oldest and at our local kidsâ gym for our middle daughter. The rest of the time, we supplemented with enrichment and play activities at home.
If youâre considering home preschool, I can tell you from experience that it doesnât need to be super structured to be successful. Much of kidsâ early learning is done through play!
10 Skills Children Learn in Preschool
The following are things that will be helpful for kids to know by the time they get to kindergarten.
- Numbers 1-20
- Alphabet A-Z
- How to recognize and write their name
- Basic understanding of time
- Recognizing and naming colors, shapes, animals, body parts, etc.
- Planet earth, 7 continents
- How to use scissors safely and how to hold a pencil
- Sitting still for up to 10 minutes
- Taking turns
- Understanding the concept of similar and different
Keep in mind that this isnât an all-inclusive list and that kids will have the opportunity to work on these concepts when they go to school too. Itâs simply a guide for getting started with home learning and enrichment!
TIP: Grab our free printable pre-k skills checklist at the bottom of the post!
Spotlight: Little TikesŽ Learn & Play⢠Learning Activity Suitcase
One of my favorite learning toys that Iâve found for my daughters is the Little TikesÂŽ Learn & Play⢠Learning Activity Suitcase.
With the Learning Activity Suitcase, kids can travel the world, without leaving home! With a lifelike passport and boarding pass, you can make your learning experience feel like a real trip! Scan the passport to activate songs and phrases and take off on your voyage!
The extendable handle allows kids to easily roll their suitcase anywhere with them, such as a preschool field trip or play date. My girls love that they have their own âroll-y suitcaseâ just like mommy!
This set includes:
- Learning Suitcase
- 6 Interactive dry-erase maps
- Scannable boarding pass and passport
- Dry erase marker
- Sticker sheet
The interactive, light-up display features over 60 sounds that will keep kids engaged. There are three, double-sided scannable maps illustrating all 7 continents. The magic map reader scans and recognizes each specific map and tailors to your childâs journey. Theyâll learn about important landmarks, animals, food, and more from each continent!
Each map features a different activity and is made from a dry-erase surface (dry erase marker is included) so kids can practice again and again.
If your kids will be attending traditional preschool, the Little TikesÂŽ Learn & Play⢠Learning Activity Suitcase is a great way to practice concepts at homeâŚwhile having fun!
In fact, itâs so much fun that my 3-year-oldâs sister loves to play too! Sheâs working on the 7 continents in homeschool, so itâs been perfect for her too!
Did I mention that clean-up is a breeze? Everything fits neatly back into the suitcase for easy storage!
Other Ways to Help Kids Prepare for School
School readiness isnât all about academics! Life skills are important too, and something that we parents can work on at home.
- Give them plenty of time for play â Both unstructured free play and time to play with siblings and parents are important for kids.
- Talk to them â Kids learn so much about language through conversation!
- Read to them â Reading aloud to kids every day helps build their vocabulary, and itâs never too young to start!
- Practice life skills â There are certain tasks that toddlers and preschoolers can learn to do on their own that will be important (or even required) by the time they start school. Getting dressed, using the restroom, tying shoes, etc. are all things to perfect at home.
The thing about life skills is that they donât need to be a âthingâ with a set schedule. Communicating, playing, and just being present with your kids is all it takes!
Grab our Free Printable Preschool Skills Checklist Here:
This link will open the PDF file in a new window for printing or downloading.
Stacey Garska Rodriguez is the creator of The Soccer Mom Blog, a mom blog that focuses on positive living for women and families. She loves to share real food recipes, money-saving tips, parenting encouragement, kids activities, DIY tutorials, home hacks, fitness, and so much more!
