Preschool at home for us is a way that we describe our daily craft and learning activities. In our home we use the morning to learn about things my 4 year old is interested in or wants to learn. Just recently he asked I could show him how to tell time, which prompted a planning session on my end to help him learn what he is interested in.
There isn’t a lot of structure to our “preschool”, but it is rather a time to read, create, and connect together. I view these early years as a way to lay the foundation and rhythm for learning down the road. When my son was 2, it was 2020 and we found ourselves home with not a lot on the schedule as many things we once did were now cancelled or closed. Our long days needed a little bit more than just sitting in front of the tv. I turned to morning baskets and the rest is (kind of) history.
How I Plan our Preschool Activities
I don’t think planning is necessary for all families. In fact, I know several people who don’t have a plan and really don’t have any learning time in their home. They are happy, content, and learning all the time through different methods. In our home, I am a creative and I easily get overwhelmed by all of the ideas I can do with my kids. All of the ideas can easily become overwhelming, leaving me in a place of doing nothing because I am not sure where to start.
I use planning sheets to help me organize my thoughts, check out or buy the best books pertaining to what we are learning, and offer my son a variety of learning fun. The planning helps our mornings run smoothly because I refer to my “plan” the night before and set up what we might need for the next day. Because of the extra time I take planning, I am able to flow each day without any stress.
How to Use Planning Sheets for Preschool at Home
If you are someone who gets to the end of your day, overwhelmed with the idea of “what to do tomorrow?” or you want to start doing activities with your child(ren) but are easily overwhelmed, these sheets are for you. These sheets are for the person that feels a little scatter brained, but knows there are so many fun things you can be doing together. These sheets are also for you if you get to the end of the different seasons with a Pinterest Board of ideas that you didn’t execute because you were unsure of where to start.
You can download my free planning sheets here to use in your own home. The planning sheets download includes an instruction sheet and samples so you can see exactly how I use these for our family. Planning this way has helped me stay focused, not overwhelmed by so many great ideas out there. It has also helped me plan better for hands on activities or outings. I plan our learning 4 weeks at a time, print everything (usually) in one sitting and a couple hours of planning and printing gives me countless hours of busy activities for over a month.
How long does this process take?
Overall the process takes a couple hours to complete start to finish. Planning, printing, organizing. A couple hours of work for 4 weeks of busy activities for my little one. This process has dramatically improved our mornings. Gone are the days of using the TV as a crutch to get breakfast and our day started. Which usually resulted in some type of struggle to get the TV off and transition in to a morning routine of eating, getting dressed, and out the door.
Why do I do morning learning and morning baskets?
I have seen first hand over several months how much of a difference intentional morning time has made in both my life and the life of my son. Having time together in the morning sets us up for the day. It is also a fun way for him to learn about the things he is excited to learn about.
We approach our mornings with no pressure or expectations, but the routine is something I cherish. Having these things planned out helps take the pressure off of me to get it all done with him. Sure there are crafts we don’t get to, but for the most part we chip away little by little at the creative things for each season.
Even when there is a no craft or printable, I can always lean on our morning basket which holds the basics for each day. Our Jesus Storybook Bible, That I got on Thrift Books second hand, a morning menu with memory verse and extra printables, some markers, and a couple books.
Daily Inspiration for Morning Time and Preschool at Home
If you are searching for daily inspiration for your homeschool preschool journey, consider following me on Instagram. I share daily our learning, activities, and home life. Preschool at home is fun and exciting when you follow your child’s lead and learn the things they are most interested in.
