PreK Play Makes Learning Fun
What is your favorite activity for creative learning at home with preschoolers? I’m often asked for tips for homeschooling preschoolers, from a teacher’s perspective. While most people are looking for workbooks and curriculum advice, I’m giving hands on fun ways to incorporate learning into everyday life. Play and adventures are two great ways to experience learning opportunities and have fun at the same time. Look below for five fresh ideas for educational activities for preschoolers. Read Aloud. Read silently together. Read books. Read kids magazines. Go to the library. Designate a colorful blanket as a reading spot but occasionally move it around the house, yard, and city. Let your child read to a row of stuffed animals, retelling a favorite story, with or without the book. Go to the library regularly. Read new books and old favorites. (Tip: Put kids magazines on the birthday wishlist when grandparents ask for ideas.) Act out a Favorite Bible Story. You can do hand motions, use stuffed animals, or dress up. You can let your child take the lead on how you can act out the story. Have the Bible or story book open to review the order of the story. Try Window Clings.…
Tips for Homework Time
Are you looking for a few useful tips for homework time or is it time to hire a tutor? Homework Tips Set a regular schedule and routine for homework time. (Read Homework Help for more homework tips, too.) Be available but do not hover. Set a work timer if needed. Some students work best on homework right after school, some after dinner, and some at breakfast. Ask your student’s opinion of this and maybe try something new. Be consistent and kind. Encourage the student to help come up with solutions rather than just doing it yourself (most students CAN ask their teachers a question in person or via messaging and take responsibility to follow through). Listen more than you talk. Use an agenda system to record work and break projects into chunks. Use a paper or project management system even if school is online. Write reminders to talk to teachers or turn in work. Have your student write down tasks like “read slide show” or “do attendance” if your student struggles to remember daily tasks other than rushing to complete the “due” work. Mark off completed work with a highlighter or check box. Using an agenda will help both student…
Let Your Light Shine
Who do your good works glorify – God or man? I am always asking my students to give evidence of their answers. In reading, I want them to go back to the text and give me evidence for their thinking. When they are answering a critical thinking question, I want evidence to see where from where their thinking stems. I want to be able to follow their line of thinking, whether or not I agree with their answers. This got me thinking. Does my life give evidence of my faith in God alone? Can people follow my path of thinking when they look at how I come up with solutions to life’s problems? Do they know that I live for an audience of One and pray to God for wisdom in the big and small things of my life? I’ve had people ask me questions about how I can be so peaceful in the midst of a life storm or detours. Honestly, it’s not about me. I rest in the knowledge that God alone holds the universe together. I can have peace and joy in the midst of life’s circumstances. Out of obedience, I do what He’s called me to…
Thrifty Mama
Would you rather buy one brand name clothing item or several “gently used” clothes at a thrift shop? I don’t see myself as a fashion influencer nor do I feel very influenced by having to keep up with all the trends. Instead, I like to save money to spend on travel or to give away to help others. I’m a thrifty mama! Money was pretty tight growing up so we were not accustomed to splurges on the latest trends. Our needs were met and some of our wants, too. I started thrift shopping when I was outfitting my first place as a newlywed. I STILL have my $2 ironing board, which I spray painted silver. I discovered thrift shopping at the Kids Exchange Sale twice a year for kids clothes and toys when my girls were little. I saved SO much money by consigning items and buying “gently used” items in their current sizes. (Ok, I’ll admit. I did buy kids winter jackets a size or two larger to get extra wear out of it!) I also discovered local consignment shops and the Goodwill. I am surprised when I get compliments on articles of clothing, including the $18 Banana Republic…
Belonging
Remember that time you were in a meeting or classroom and you just didn’t feel like you belonged? The energy and motivation for learning can come from a sense of belonging. When students feel connected in a classroom community, we can activate their cognitive learning. When they feel they don’t belong, students spend more brain power being on edge than on higher order thinking. When they feel it’s a safe environment to share their emotions, their struggles, their celebrations, they will begin to build each other up and encourage the success of their classmates. When we treat students with kindness and high expectations, they will respond well and learn together. The more we value them, the more they will respond in kind. Some students need much more support than others, but it does not mean we need to lower our expectations. The same goes for the home and boardroom. Valuing a foster child, a distant relative, or a college intern goes a long way to helping create a sense of belonging. My motto “Love God Love People” reflects my understanding of our deepest need to find true belonging. In Christ, we find our true belonging. We are fully known and…
Weekly Meal Planning
Is weekly meal planning too complicated or the lazy way out? Recently a friend told me that she was too lazy to do weekly meal planning. I told her that I did weekly meal planning WHEN I was too busy or too lazy to think up new foods. For me, it’s a quick way to get 5-6 meals planned out with recipes and a grocery list. I have a few favorite go-to sites that I use and even a new one that’s vegetarian. On the weekend I print out a weekly meal plan that includes recipe links and a grocery list (such as this one here). I open my calendar and match up meals to our schedule for the week, crossing out or replacing any that don’t fit our week or our taste buds. I then modify the grocery list to eliminate any items for recipes I’m not using. Lastly, I cross check the grocery list with my fridge and pantry marking off any items I already have on hand. All that should take less than 15 minutes depending on how many rabbit trails I took when skimming the recipe links or reorganizing my pantry. My kitchen wall holds a…
Learn to say YES
Do people automatically expect you to say NO faster than you say YES? Learning to say “YES” easily was a piece of wisdom I came across as a young wife and parent. The wisdom behind this was that when you did need to say “NO”, it would be taken well knowing that it was not your usual answer just to avoid extra work or expenses. If possible, say YES to your kids asking to have a friend over, your students occasionally asking for more time on an assignment, your coworker asking you to lunch, or to your spouse asking to play soccer one night a week. Then when there’s a good reason to say NO it will be less of a shock or disappointment because you are known for saying YES to reasonable requests. Because our usual reason for saying NO to things with our children was typically due to scheduling conflicts, our children learned to check the family calendar before asking. This led to less conflicts and whining in the middle school years because it was not us saying NO because we were annoyed but because it was a schedule conflict. It also helped our children learn to negotiate…
Save your NOs
Have you ever wished your child would obey right away when you say “no” or “come”? Most parents and teachers of young children struggle with this on a daily basis! One piece of wisdom I learned early on when my children were young was to save your NOs. It is as simple as using “please don’t” and “no” for different things. Use “please don’t” when you want your child to stop poking her sister or yelling at the cat. Save your “no” for when you want your child to stop from running in the street or touching a hot stove. NO can be reserved for imminent danger or direct defiance. Sure, you will probably use them interchangeably some of the time, but if you will save your NOs for when it’s really important that your child obey immediately, you can teach your child to obey right away when you say “NO!” Delayed obedience is disobedience no matter how you phrase your request, but that’s for another blog post. When you do have to say NO, make it a teachable moment. Take time shortly afterward to talk to your child about what the danger or defiance was. Just as you want…
Parenting Books
Ever wish you had a quick list of helpful books for raising a child? Here’s 15! This list is not comprehensive nor will you agree 100% with every chapter in each book, however it’s like a recipe. You take the basic ideas and tailor it to your family’s needs or what’s in the pantry that day. I find it much easier to modify a recipe than to make one up, wouldn’t you agree? No book list should ever replace solid Biblical truth. The best of parents are those who understand that solid parenting skills come from the unchanging truth of God. They also reach out to like minded others who are just a few steps ahead of them. A friend recently asked me for some parenting resources, and I literally went to my bookshelf and pulled off a few favorites. These are books I have read or used over the years. I ask that you use discernment in whether or not they are the best resource for you. Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, or favorite friend, I hope this list will be helpful. It’s divided into 3 sections, and I’ve included Amazon links. The Younger Years…
In Order
Do you ever wonder why students jump around project to project without finishing? Teaching students or your children to prioritize and complete projects in order is a doable goal. One easy way is to write a list of things to complete and teach them to complete it in order written. In the elementary classroom during a block of work time, I write down a list of things on the board that need to be done. I teach my students that my lists are always meant to be completed starting at the top. When you complete the first item, you move on to the second item, etc. Sometimes I draw a line dividing the top part of the list from the bottom part. This is usually a visual reminder that the things above the line must be completed and the things below the line are things to do if you get time or if you actually complete all the above. I’m not fond of long lists of things to do, but occasionally this is necessary on a “catch up” day where students are in various stages of completion on projects or your family is cleaning up the house after the holidays.…
