Tag: preschool

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Letter of the Day–Alphabet Activity

Jennifer
Image of ABC for Letter of the Day activity

Incorporate alphabet and phonetic sounds into your daily routine with this letter of the day activity! This will help children make connections with letters and phonetic sounds.

How It Works

Put letters into a bag and ask your child to pull one out. This will be your letter of the day. Incorporate that letter into your daily activities. Ask your child if they know what letter they got. If not, same the letter and ask them to repeat it back to you.

Let’s pretend you grabbed letter A:

  • Ask your child if they can think of any words that start with letter A (offer suggestions if they cannot think of anything).
  • Find a toy that starts with letter A. Say the name of the toy and stress the A sound.
  • Tell your child that for snack today, you will be eating foods that start with letter A. Eat a yummy apple together.
  • Grab some letter A worksheets off this site: https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/alphabet-worksheets/
  • Call a family member or a friend who has a name that starts with letter A.
  • Look around for things that start with letter A and ask your child to repeat the word to you. Maybe you can find some ants outside.
  • Together, think of other letter A activities that you can do.

Tips

To begin with, choose letters that will be easy for you to incorporate into your daily routine. Just place a few in the bag and leave the harder ones for when you have more time to prepare.

You can write the letters on pieces of paper and put them in the bag. If you have alphabet fridge magnets, alphabet blocks, or some other tactile alphabet toy (like these sand molds), put those in the bag. Once your child grabs a letter, ask them to trace the shape of the letter and say the name of the letter.

For more alphabet learning ideas, check out my Weekly Alphabet schedule: https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/preschool/alphabet/

Spring

Preschool Spring Movements Activity

Jennifer

Spring is a time of cute baby animals and beautiful flowers that preschoolers love! To embrace to joy of spring, I made a spring movements activity for you to do with your preschooler. Get ready to waddle like a duck, flap your wings like a baby chicken, do some jumping jacks with a frog, big arm stretches with flowers, bunny hops, and leap like a sheep!

Preschool Spring Movements Activity

For this activity you will make 2 cubes out of paper. One cube has the spring movements and the other cube is the numbered di. Roll both at the same time. Look at the spring movements cube to see which movement you will be doing. Then look at the di to see how many times you have to do each movement.

EXAMPLE: If you roll a frog and the number 2, then you have to do 2 jumping jacks!

Not only is the activity fun to do, but it also helps preschoolers work on their motor skills. Additionally, it incorporates counting, as you count each time you do the movements. Plus, this spring movements activity is a good tool for encouraging young children to follow instructions.

HOW TO MAKE CUBES:

Start by printing this free template. The spring movements activity template includes the di and the movements cube. If you have dice from a board game that you want to use, just print page 1 for the spring movements. I used regular printer paper; however cardstock paper will be much sturdier.

Cut out your pieces. Once fully cut out, gently fold the gray tabs inward. Then begin to fold your squares into a cube shape. Add some glue to the tabs and glue them onto the underside of the squares as you form your cube. The very last tab is hard to glue and might require tape. Once your cube is formed, set it aside to dry.

MORE SPRING!

–Spring Books: 12 lovely stories about springtime.

–Adorable Bunny Craft: make a super cute bunny craft from a paper plate, couple supplies, and the free template!

–Toilet Paper Roll Frog: make a frog out a toilet paper roll, paint, and some construction paper.

-I Spy Butterflies — count how many of each picture can you find?

TEMPLATE:

Spring-Movements-Activity-DiceDownload
Rhymes and Poems, STEM, Teaching themes

St. Patrick’s Day Preschool Theme

Jennifer

My family loves St. Patrick’s Day! Every year the leprechauns visit and stir up some trouble while we are sleeping. It is such a fun adventure to see what they got into during the night! My son always makes a leprechaun trap that we leave out, but so far, the leprechauns have outsmarted us! Even if leprechauns don’t come make mischief at your home, you can still get into the spirit by wearing green and incorporating some of these fun St. Patrick’s Day preschool theme books, activities, and worksheets into your little one’s learning.

St. Patrick's Day March 17

Preschool St. Patrick’s Day Theme Resources–

BOOKS

St. Patrick’s Day — 17 stories about leprechauns, St. Patrick’s Day, shamrocks, and lucky four-leaf clovers!

Rainbows — 5 stories about rainbows!

CRAFTS

Paper Chain Pot O’ Gold Rainbow: form a rainbow out of a paper chain and hang your pot of gold from the end.

Leprechaun Paper Bag Puppet: create a cute leprechaun puppet from a paper bag and construction paper.

Tissue Paper Rainbow: make an awesome rainbow out of tissue paper, cotton balls, and construction paper!

Shamrock Friend: print out the free template to make your own shamrock friend craft.

Rainbow Cloud: make a cute cloud rainbow craft out of a paper plate and crepe paper.

RHYMES

Five Little Leprechauns: In this cute little rhyme, the leprechauns are on the hunt for a rainbow. Try this one with your preschooler and see if they find their rainbow!

Five Little Shamrocks: Find out what shamrocks need to grow.

Leprechaun, Leprechaun: movement rhyme set to the tune of Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.

STEM

Color green hunt

Edible Rainbow: Make a free-standing rainbow out of marshmallows, a pipe cleaner, and cereal. This a yummy and fun STEM activity!

Color Green Hunt: Take a look around your home for green things. Try and find something green that you can wear, a green fruit or vegetable that you eat, something green to play with, and something green for drawing or coloring. What other green things can you find?

WORKSHEETS

Clover Counting: color the number of clovers as shown (#1-5).

St. Patrick’s Day Number Matching: Draw a line from the number to the box with the same amount of pictures.

“I Spy” St. Patrick’s Day: Count how many of each picture you spy.

Follow the Line: Find out which leprechaun finds the rainbow by following the lines.

Leprechaun Hat Maze: Make your way through the leprechaun’s hat!

Rainbow Tracing: Trace the letters in the word Rainbow and then color the picture.

St. Patrick’s Day Tracing: Trace all of the letters in the words St. Patrick’s Day and then color the shamrock.

Coloring Sheets: 3 St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages.

Fall

Fall Leaf Song for Preschoolers

Jennifer

Sing and dance along to “If You’re Happy and You Know It” Fall edition! Get ready to catch leaves, crunch leaves, and sweep up leaves in this fun fall leaf song. There are four verses to the song that will get your preschooler into the fall / autumn spirit!

Verse 1:

If You're Happy and You Know It Fall Leaf Song Lyrics
Fall Leaf Song

If you’re happy and you know it, catch the leaves. (clap hands)

If you’re happy and you know it, catch the leaves. (clap hands)

If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it. (point to smile)

If you’re happy and you know it, catch the leaves. (clap hands)

Verse 2:

If you’re happy and you know it, crunch the leaves. (stomp feet)

If you’re happy and you know it, crunch the leaves. (stomp feet)

If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it. (point to smile)

If you’re happy and you know it, crunch the leaves. (stomp feet)

Verse 3:

If you’re happy and you know it, sweep the leaves. (make sweeping motion)

If you’re happy and you know it, sweep the leaves. (make sweeping motion)

If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it. (point to smile)

If you’re happy and you know it, sweep the leaves. (make sweeping motion)

Verse 4:

If you’re happy and you know it, do all 3. (clap, stomp, sweep)

If you’re happy and you know it, do all 3. (clap, stomp, sweep)

If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it. (point to smile)

If you’re happy and you know it, do all 3. (clap, stomp, sweep)

More Fall Fun!

Fall I Spy Challenge — count how many of each fall picture you spy.

5 Little Leaves Poem

Five Little Leaves Rhyme — Autumn inspired finger rhyme for preschoolers.

Coffee Filter Leaves Craft — make gorgeous fall leaves with coffee filters, markers, and a spray bottle!

Handprint Pumpkin — memorialize your little one’s handprint with this cute handprint pumpkin.

Leaf Stick Puppet — a simple, nature inspired fall craft. Go on a a leaf hunt and bring home your favorites to turn into stick puppets!

Animals

Paper Plate Flounder Craft

Jennifer
paper plate flounder craft
Paper Plate Flounder Craft

Flounders are kind of funny looking fish because you can see both of their eyes at the same time while they are sideways; it makes them look smushed. My son saw a flounder at the aquarium and was intrigued by this weird looking fish. So when I suggested we do a fish art project, he wanted to make a paper plate flounder craft.

Supplies Needed:

– 1 paper plate

-scissors

-stapler (optional)

-glue stick

-tissue paper squares (about 1 inch x 1 inch)

– large googly eyes

-(optional glitter glue)

How To:

-To make your fish, have your child cut out a triangle from the paper plate. This makes it look like the fish’s mouth is open. My son loves being able to use scissors, so he liked this craft.

-Staple the triangle to the back of fish to make a tail. You can always glue the tail on, but then you have to wait for it to dry.

-Now it’s time to decorate the fish! Using the glue stick, glue tissue squares all over the plate to make the fish’s scales.

-Finish your fish by adding googly eyes.

My son thought it needed some sparkle, so he added blue glitter-glue polka dots to his fish.

More Ocean Creatures:

My son and I also made a Toilet Paper Roll Octopus craft and a Spouting Whale craft.

Concepts

Free The Very Hungry Caterpillar Worksheets

Jennifer
Free The Very Hungry Caterpillar Worksheets

Who wants free worksheets for their preschooler? I’ve got a super cute pack of the The Very Hungry Caterpillar worksheets that are free to download. You can print them over and over again (for personal use) so that your child can practice writing their alphabet, numbers, and have some counting fun!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a children’s classic! This picture book is a favorite many times over! This is a must read if you haven’t read it yet. Borrow it from your local library, watch this read-aloud from Brightly Storytime, or buy it on Amazon so you can read over and over again.

I love theming my books with worksheets, so here are 9 very hungry caterpillar themed worksheets for your preschooler! Included are alphabet tracing ( 2 pages), number tracing, fill in the missing numbers, counting, I Spy, spot the differences, identify sizes; color fruits page, and follow the line worksheets.

All you need for learning with this very hungry caterpillar printable pack is:

Preschoolers will love learning to count, practicing their ABCs, and working on their fine motor skills!

More Fun – Crafts and STEM!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Magna-Tiles

Add some STEM fun into your little one’s learning with this adorable The Very Hungry Caterpillar Magna-Tiles set. This is the coolest building set! Children get to bring the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar to life while engaging their eye-hand coordination, understanding of magnets, and spatial awareness — plus they are stimulating their creativity. This building set is so much fun and perfect for families looking to add more STEM activities into their little one’s play as their are a lot of shapes and towers to be made!

Check out an earlier post about The Very Hungry Caterpillar that includes some fun fruit themed crafts to make with your preschooler!

The-Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-I-Spy.pdfDownload
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Reasons to Homeschool

Jennifer

There are a lot of homeschool myths out there, and the internet is filled with homeschool shaming. If you are thinking about homeschool, then you already have some good reasons in mind as to why this might be the best option for your family.

school supplies

There are many reasons why a family might consider homeschooling their child. For starters, homeschooling allows for a more personalized learning experience for each child. With homeschooling, parents can tailor the curriculum to their child’s unique learning style and interests, as well as adjust the speed of learning to fit their child’s needs. Additionally, homeschooling allows children to learn at their own pace and explore topics in greater depth.

Another benefit to homeschooling is that it allows families to spend more time together. Instead of worrying about carpools and after-school activities, homeschoolers can spend quality time with their parents and siblings exploring new topics and developing their skills.

Finally, homeschooling can provide a safe learning environment, free from peer pressure and negative influences. Parents can be sure that the values and morals they are teaching their children will be reinforced in the homeschooling environment.

Homeschool Preschool Tips:

Homeschooling preschool can be an exciting and rewarding experience for both you and your child. If you’re looking for ideas and resources to help you get started, here are some helpful tips:

  1. Make sure you’re familiar with your local homeschool laws and regulations.
  2. Set up a learning space for your preschooler that is comfortable, engaging, and age-appropriate.
  3. Find out what educational materials are available in your area and online.
  4. Design a curriculum that is tailored to your child’s interests and learning needs. Check out my free homeschool preschool lesson plans: https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/preschool/alphabet/
  5. Consider joining a homeschooling community or online forum to connect with other homeschoolers and find support.
  6. Have fun and be creative! Homeschooling is a great opportunity to explore new topics, activities, and ideas with your child.

Rhymes and Poems

Five Little Robots Rhyme

Jennifer

My son has been learning nursery rhymes and he is really enjoying these cute little poems. He loves robots and these older Mother Goose rhymes just don’t have any robots in them. I made up this Five Little Robots rhyme for him so he could have a special robot poem to memorize. Turn this into a finger play by moving one finger per robot when they get to say their line. For more action rhymes, finger plays, and poems, check out my collection: https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/finger-rhymes-and-other-poems/.

FIVE LITTLE ROBOTS

Five little robots looking at their gears.

The first one said, “Let’s give three cheers.”

The second one said, “Beep, beep, beep.”

The third one said, “Meep, meep, meep.”

The fourth one said, “Bong, bong, bong.”

The fifth one said, “Let’s get moving along!”

(c) Imaginations Running Wild

Five Little Robots Rhyme
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5 Steps for Homeschool Preschool Success

Jennifer

I loved doing preschool with my son at home! This was a truly rewarding experience and I’m excited that you are about to embark on this wonderful journey! Here are some tips and 5 steps for homeschool preschool success.

STEP 1 — Set Goals

5 Steps for Homeschool Preschool Success

What do you want to accomplish by doing preschool at home? Take a look at your local school district’s kindergarten entrance requirements for a starting point. Typically a child entering kindergarten needs to be able to say the alphabet, be able to recognize some of letters, count up to 20, recognize shapes and colors, and write their first name.

STEP 2 — Lesson Plans

Now that you know what you want to do, let’s make that happen. You need to find a curriculum or make your own lesson plans. There are plenty of free options. Check with your local district, state education department, find a free curriculum online, or join up with a homeschool group in your area. I organized my son’s preschool lessons around learning one letter per week, with plenty of time for revisiting ones he was struggling with and lots of seasonal activities.

STEP 3 — Create a Schedule

Preschoolers thrive on consistency and routines. Once you start your homeschooling, you might need to tweak your schedule. Once you have a schedule that works for you, try your best to stick to it. Here is a link to the schedule I used: https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/preschool/alphabet/

STEP 4 — Make a Space

Now you know what you are going to do and when you are going to do it, so it’s time to decide where you are going to work on preschool activities. You don’t need a dedicated homeschool room. Find a space that is free from distractions (not in front of the TV or by the toy box). Gather all of your supplies and have them in this space ready to go.

STEP 5 — Find Local Resources

You are not alone! There are lots of other homeschool families, you just need to find them. Where to look? Try Facebook — this is a great way to connect with homeschool families around the country. Go to your local library. Homeschool families greatly rely on their libraries and often participate in the library’s activities. Your librarian can likely help you connect with other homeschoolers.

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Book-Themed Gifts for Kids

Jennifer

Get book-themed gifts to go with your child’s favorite book! The Kohl’s Cares program offers affordably priced books and plush toys each year around Christmas that are always super cute. There so many options beyond plush toys, although my child does love those too. If you are looking for book-themed gifts then check out my list of toys that are sure to spark your child’s imaginative and help bring their favorite books to life! As a disclaimer, this post may contain affiliate likes (more information about this at the end).

15 Book-Themed Gifts:

Very Hungry Caterpillar Magna-Tiles

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Magna-Tiles

This is the coolest building set! Children get to bring the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Life while engaging their eye-hand coordination, understanding of magnets, and spatial awareness, all while stimulating children’s creativity. This building set is so much fun and perfect for families looking to add more STEM activities into their little one’s play! Add on these cute Very Hungry Caterpillar socks (which my son loved) and you will have the most adorable playtime.

Pigeon and Duckling Finger Puppets

2. Pigeon and Duckling Finger Puppets

Use these adorable finger puppets to bring Mo Willem’s Pigeon book series to life! These are perfect for reenacting the story, The Duckling Gets a Cookie?! My son loves pretending to be the Duckling and the Pigeon and makes up lots of other adventures for them!

Fly Guy Plush with book

3. Fly Guy Plush

My son has this cute Fly Guy plush and loves it! Hug this plush while you read Fly Guy’s Ninja Christmas and other Fly stories! Fly Guy loves to go on all sorts of fun adventures around our house 🙂

Pete the Cat Groovy Buttons Game

4. Pete the Cat Groovy Buttons Board Game

My family loves playing this Pete the Cat board game where we have to collect Pete’s groovy buttons. Preschoolers love Pete the Cat and will have lots of fun playing this game and counting all of their buttons. After you finish playing, read the book Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons together!

Llama Llama Plush

5. Llama Llama Plush

We love Anna Dewdney’s story, Llama Llama Red Pajama, and this Llama Llama plush is the cutest companion to the book. This plush toy absolutely adorable and perfect for bedtime cuddles!

Elephant and Piggie Tote

6. Elephant and Piggie Read Kids’ Tote Bag

This is the perfect bag for carrying all of your library books! We love our Elephant and Piggie Read tote bag and use it all of the time. It has strong, durable straps and features some of our favorite book characters! My son loves that the Pigeon snuck onto the bag too!

Dragons Love Tacos Book and Toy

7. Dragon’s Love Tacos Book and Plush Set

Now you can have the book and the dragon toy in one cute set! Use this dragon plush to help act out this hilarious story for endless fun!

There was an Old lady Who Swallowed a Fly puppet and props

8. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Puppet and Props

This plush and finger puppet set is a great way for preschoolers to get hands-on with the story. These toys let children be an active part of the storytelling and encourage lots of imaginative play! Pair this with the Child Play’s book that features fun illustrations and cut-outs in the pages.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Storybook Flashlight Projector

9. Brown Bear, Brown Bear Storybook Reels Flashlight Projector

Wow, this Brown Bear story projector is amazing! Not only to kids love playing with flashlights, but they love Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and now the two are combined into one awesome present. Bedtime has never been so much!

Classic Stories Felt Board

10. Classic Stories Felt Board — Goldilocks, Three Little Pigs, Tortoise and the Hare, and Hansel and Gretel

My son loves playing with felt boards and so do the preschoolers at the library’s storytime group! Now children can act out four of their favorite classic stories and make up their own endings for tons of fun. I love how imaginative my son is when he plays with his felt board and the stories he creates with the felt pieces!

Busy Town Puzzle

11. Richard Scarry’s Busy Town Seek and Find Giant Floor Puzzle

I grew up with Richard Scarry’s Busy Town and I am so happy to see that my son likes these stories too. We read the little board book, Cars and Trucks from A to Z (featuring Lowly Worm driving an applemobile), so many times that it fell apart! The puzzle feature’s Richard Scarry’s cute characters and their silly cars! This puzzle’s large pieces are great for preschoolers to be able to manipulate and the bright colors are sure to draw their attention to puzzle pieces.

Little Red Riding Hood Puzzle Game

12. Little Red Riding Hood Deluxe Skill-Building Puzzle Game

This puzzle set is so neat! My son got this for Christmas and he is really enjoying it. There is a book that tells you where to position the pieces and you have to figure out how to get Little Red Riding Hood safely to her grandma’s house. This game encourages critical thinking skills, problem solving, and spatial awareness development. There are several puzzles to choose from, which equals hours of entertainment!

Curious George T-Shirts

13. Curious George T-Shirts

My son loves wearing clothes with his favorite book characters on them! He thinks of them like dress-clothes and he wears them so he can pretend he is the character. This Curious George t-shirt set comes with 3 cute shirts for your preschooler to enjoy while getting into some monkey trouble!

The World of Eric Carle Bath Book and Toys

14. The World of Eric Carle Bath Book and Toys

Now you can read in the bath tub without fear of ruining a book with this special bath book featuring favorite books characters drawn by Eric Carle. Add tons of fun and creative play to bath time with these bath toys featuring storybook favorites the Very Grouchy Ladybug, Brown Bear, Mister Seahorse, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and more!

Pete the Cat Giant Sticker Book

15. Pete the Cat Giant Sticker Activity Book

Kids love stickers and they love Pete the Cat, making this activity book a winner! My son recognized the stickers from different Pete the Cat stories and was really excited. This activity book is great way to keep your child entertained on the go without adding to their screen time.

Don’t forget books always make great gifts! Looking for book recommendations? Check out my book lists for ideas.

Thank you for checking out my list of book-themed gifts for children! I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program to try and help cover the costs of this site. If you buy something through one of my links on Amazon, then I get a small percentage of the sale (no extra cost to you). Thank you for your support! Happy reading 😉