Our Pre-School Beginning

Its that time of year when everyone is getting ready for the school year. We decided to do pre-school things our way for our 3 year old, and that includes a lot of fun things!

1) Check out your library/community center
We recently registered for some "tot" classes that include story times, crafting, and creative movement. Some of them were free, and some were a small fee, but well worth it since they are one day a week for a couple of months.
Our library has story times as well as a bookstore where they sell books for just 25 cents!

2) Check out thrift stores and your local teacher stores.

I found this clock in a thrift store for just $2. Noel can't tell time yet, and I don't expect her to, but this is a great puzzle that teaches number order, shapes, colors, and so much more. When she is ready for time, it has the clock hands and teaches seconds/minutes/hours.

3) Puzzles/ Letter practice

Noel already knows the letters and sounds. Now she is practicing reading short words. With Christmas approaching, she is recognizing her name EVERYWHERE!

Don't underestimate the use of handy workbooks, flashcards and quiz games. The workbooks were B1G1 free at Staples!

 

These letter cards were ours when we were little, so I laminated them to help them stay sturdy. If you want more lamination ideas, check out this post.

Use simple ribbon/rope to practice letters!

Cards like these penmanship cards I recently made are handy.

They are only 4x6, so they're a perfect size for little hands/purses/backpacks. There are many dry-erase options nowadays (markers/crayons/low-odor). They are for sale in my shop for just $1 this week! They come double-sided with one side having dashed letters.

3) Get Hands-On
We love our easel, playing with play-doh, things around the house.... and studying nature. When weather permits, I expect to go outside and explore even more. If you want a homemade play-doh recipe, check out this post! Want to make some spelling spools? Check out this post!

4) Routine....we have started a short morning and evening routine. There are just 4 things on this list I made with simple clip art, and then laminated it. Noel gets to mark off the tasks with a dry erase marker, which she LOVES to do.