How We Started Pre-School At Home | Mom So Hard

My baby wasn’t quiet ready for preschool when time came. 

I know we cannot be alone, but it still made me feel like I had failed her. 

It's a crazy feeling, wanting to send them to school so they don't get behind, but not quiet ready to send them. She wasn't either, when school began she was very much attached to her momma, and also wasn't quiet potty trained enough for the preschools in our area. 

Since I felt like I was failing her, we began doing "homework" at home, or where ever we may be. Or as she calls it, "playing homework"!

She really does enjoy it, and sometimes it is more work than it is fun, and I am NO teacher, but I feel confident that we are moving in the right direction, and am reassured she will be fine, because we have some time before K-4. 

How Are We Playing School?

• workbooks
• printouts
• busy binders
• reading
• Bible Studies
• matching type activities
• flash cards

Links in this post may contain affiliate links, that help provide The Kent Krew website with some income, at no cost to you the consumer. All opinions of our own. 

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Planning Tip: I keep all of the activities, printouts, and worksheets for the week in a folder. The folder can go anywhere with us!

Workbooks

We started here. I began picking up books that have activities, coloring, tracing and more in them from our local stores, like Target, Walmart, and our favorite store for kid's books- Ollie's. I also found that Amazon has a ton of books, and hello, PRIME! She did okay with these, and it kind of gave me and idea of where to go, and how to teach her better.

​Here are some of her favorites:

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Printouts

This was one of my favorites. I love a good printout and and if it’s one I can laminate so she can use it over and over again, or pass it on to her sister, even better! I scoured google and Pinterest till I found the printouts I needed and liked.

You can follow my Pinterest board full of resources for kiddos, HERE!

I like many of the free types you find online, but months ago, I stumbled upon an Instagram account, called Arrows and Applesauce. I think I found Kristen and her blog/shop through Busy Toddler, Susie (we will talk about her later!). I watched Kristen post in her stories of her kids being homeschooled, and saw these beautiful resources her kids were using. I learned her blog has a storefront on Etsy, where sells these printouts, that she makes. You can visit her shop HERE! *I spoke with Kristen, and she gifted me a code to share with my friends and readers, for 15% off her shop! Use KENT15 ! THANK YOU KRISTEN!*

I very quickly threw some in my cart, and I have since then purchased more from her.

Through Kristen I have found a couple of other blog/stores on Instagram and Etsy, that I adore, and I plan to support soon! If you follow me on Instagram, I am creating a highlight tab full of my favorite accounts and resources, so they are easier to track down!

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Busy Binders

We have not gotten the hang of this ‘Busy Binder’, yet. Or maybe, it’s just not what works for us. I am not sure yet. But, the idea behind it is that it’s a notebook that the child can work through on their own (to an extent), practicing letters, writing, shapes and so much more.

The binder is great in theory, and I am determined to figure it out so my girls can utilize it, better.

Arrows and Applesauce has a lot of helpful resources for Busy Binders, and I believe she even has some for sale on her Etsy page, or can custom bundles for you.

Tools For Creating Your Busy Binder

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Reading

This momma thoroughly enjoys reading. I mean, I have two books going right now, check out my posts on books, here.

I am passionate about kids learning to read, reading and loving books. I have been even in high school.

We are making it a habit to read a book, books, or multiple chapters of a book, together at night before bed. We really enjoy chapter books that have some type of animation in them. My girls are loving it, they can’t wait to find out what happens next in the book we are reading, and they love “cuddling up” to me while we read, and they have began fighting over who sits the closest to me and the book.

I am making it a personal challenge to see how many books we can read to them this year. We are going to begin adding in trips to the library, they will be allowed to check out books on topics that we are studying.

A look at our monthly box from Tiny Humans Read! We love this box! Click the image to use our referral code and order your box!

I also signed them up for Tiny Humans Read, it’s a monthly subscription box service, as part of their Christmas. They get 5 books a month, and they are gorgeous!

Check out Tiny Humans Read, here!

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Bible Studies

This is probably not something they will get much of, unless I can land them into one of the church schools in town.

I feel that this is a creative way for me to incorporate both pre-kindergarten prep and His word, together.

I don’t have a great resource for this, yet. I am kind of figuring this out, well, all of this pre-k stuff out, as I go!

I aim to make them familiar with at least one verse of scripture, talk to them and teach them about the lesson that goes with it, and incorporate a craft with each lesson. Like they would in their class at church or in Sunday school!

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Matching Activities

Both girls did better with these than I thought they would! I thought out of the box on this one, well I tried. I wanted them to get the hang of matching, but matching more than the memory card games.

I saw on Busy Toddler that she uses numbers, letters, colors, even their names to practice matching!

I bought and laminated a few matching resources off of Arrows and Applesauce, and I also channeled my inner Busy Toddler momma, and made some myself.

I made quick matching games for both girls, matching colors for both, matching numbers and shapes for the oldest. I have more planned, too! They love stickers for this, like these little yard sale tag type stickers!

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Flash Cards

These are a hit and miss with the girls.

I love flash cards and used them all through school.

​I found several sets I like for them, so of them we have not used yet. I will show pictures of each.

Our favorites are by Melissa and Doug, they have questions, information, just good stuff. They have sets that go up to fifth grade.

​the other flash cards were gifted to us, or I bought them off Etsy!