Photo courtesy of dellchallenge.org

          I recently had some issues with preschools for my three year old son.  I was discriminated against for being a full time stay at home mom.  While many people may think I sit around all day, my day is filled with a schedule to keep my kids on track.  Although this issue truly affected me, I decided to do something about it rather than crying over spilled milk.  I spoke to some other parents and did my research and found that instead of paying my son to learn the basic fundamentals at a preschool I can purchase the supplies for half the price.  So far, this has been beneficial for my entire family.  My son has made some many vast improvements in his speech, development, and overall motor skills.  I did not purchase a curriculum from a school quite yet, however I did create my own curriculum based on his specific needs right now.  Most of my learning supplies I purchased at Target and at teacher’s supply stores.  I created a schedule that will help enhance what I am teaching and keep him on target to prepare him for Kindergarten in just a few short years.  Here are a few things I use on a daily basis and what my schedule consists of. 

1.  Big workbook Preschool (Ages 3-5 edition):  This is an amazing book! It has different activities to help with your child’s development and introduction to numbers, letters, colors, and shapes.  I bought this at Target for $9.99, you can work directly in the book or tear the pages out.  There a CD located in the back of the book and you can download other activities to do with your preschooler/toddler.  

2. ABC-123 Preschool phonics and numbers (fourth Edition/a Beka Book):  This book was actually referred to me by the preschool administrator at my church.  She gave me the website and I purchased it there for $13.99.  This was a little more expensive than others I have seen, but this book is a little more extensive with mazes and puzzles.  I try to introduce these activities slowly.  Teaching your child is like climbing steps, you have to master one subject at a time before moving forward in my opinion.  You don’t want to confuse them or push them away from the excitement of learning.  

3.  Flash cards: I use different types of flash cards and I use them to test my son’s knowledge on the things we have practiced.  I buy the ones that are good for preschoolers so look for things that have ages 3-5. 

4.  Crafts: As many of you who have been reading my blog thus far, know that I am a big supporter of crafts for toddlers.  This helps them develop and also teaches them to follow directions.  Every child is different, so you have to do craft time according to their age and development.  My son loses interest very easy, so I try to include crafts where we use paint, or glue this seems to keep him interested longer. 

5.  Create a bulletin board: This is an area where you can display all your child’s hard work.  I kind of created a learning center/classroom for my son to read, color, and paint.  I also place all my supplies in Tupperware drawers, this is full of crayons, paper, and other supplies that I need daily.  It’s nice for your child to see his work and for your visitors to see it as well :).  You don’t need a lot of space to create this area and the supplies are very inexpensive.  Most things I purchase at the dollar tree or Micheal’s.  

6.  Story time:  Reading to your child is very important in my opinion.  This time is not limited to bed time, it can be during the day as well.  When I read a story I try to include a coloring sheet that correlates with what we learned in the book.  Remember your child’s attention span, if it’s short read shorter books.  Talk about what’s going on in the book with interactive sounds and have your child point to objects.  You want to make sure they understand the story, that is why these coloring sheets are helpful. 

7.  Create a schedule: Scheduling is so important.  As moms we are consumed with housework chores, dinner, and everything in between.  If we prepare ourselves for our day the night before the schedule is more successful.  I wake up about an hour before my kids are up, I get dressed, have coffee, and prepare a simple breakfast.  If I am doing a specific lesson or craft that day, I plan and prepare my materials the night before.  This can be time consuming but it is easier to do this while the kids are napping or asleep.  Sticking the schedule can be challenging, however it is totally beneficial if you do.  It allows you and your kids to be organized with your time and take advantage of your day. 

8.  Have weekly field trips or outings:  I do Friday outings with my kids.  This is a time to take the kids somewhere out of the ordinary (somewhere other than the park).  I use the internet to my advantage and look up places and things to do with young kids in my area.  Some of these places are very inexpensive, however prices do vary.  If it is hot outside or raining, you can do indoor activities such as; water or sand activities, along with movie time ( you can pop some microwave popcorn and order pizza), you can also do a mural (place craft paper around your house and have your child go crazy with the finger paint (make sure to use washable products and lay down a towel or newspaper to prevent a mess). 

9. Use a reward system:  I believe in this system wholeheartedly.  This helps encourage and motivate your child.  When they color something, count to ten, and know their flashcards; reward them with a sticker or whatever you like.  Stickers are a great tool to have.  You can make a simple chart and display it somewhere they can see it and remember their good work.  You can also do this for chores (see blog post on chores), behavior, and potty training.  It’s been great for us, although my son still has moments his behavior is definitely better when I am working with him and encouraging him to do his best. 

            These are just a few things you can do to successfully teach your child at home.  If preschool is not an option for you financially or not, you have options and multiple ways to help your child.  Do not be discouraged.  I did not do this overnight, it has taken a lot of determination and dedication to get to this point and it is not easy.  It comes with a lot of sacrifice and patience along the way, but you can do it! We are always doing our best for our kids.  If you stay at home like I do, then you will see how beneficial it is to have a schedule and keep your kids busy throughout the day.