3 Year Old Pre-K Monthly Summary: January

I've posted about some of the themes we have done this winter, but I thought I'd also do a monthly summary post of some of our other school activities (mostly for me to look back on).  Since he goes to preschool two days a week for social interaction and because he is only 3, school is always short, doesn't happen daily, and isn't forced (although schoolwork is sometimes used as a precurser to getting to watch YouTube). 

Math

We're using some lessons from Kindergarten Math with Confidence, but only those that fit his current skill level. We're also adding in other activities. Mostly, I look through the book and figure out which skills we want to review or improve.

Playing with his geometry building set.

Playing with his telling time magnets

Spelling

We're working our way through All About Spelling. We definitely keep the lessons short, subdividing them into multiple days. He likes it as long as we don't try to do too much at a time.

Handwriting

Handwriting is still hit or miss. I forgot to get pictures. He finished all the capital letters this week and we will move on to the lowercase soon.

Other Activities

Coloring a map on the light table. He's still obsessed with maps.

Working on his World Map GeoPuzzle

Coloring maps and flags.

Playing with this amazing new Magic Adventure Globe a friend got him.

We found where you can make a flag banner from Little Passports. They have a color guide, but he preferred his Flag Book.

Making a "hamster maze" out of magnetic tiles.

He's been hesitant to cut at preschool, so I got him a cutting and pasting workbook to practice at home. He seems to do fine, I think he just doesn't like forced crafts.

Animal stickers

My non-crafty kid making a hamster home for his imaginary hamsters!

Wanting to explore the paper cutter.

Paper punchers to decorate his hamster home.

Painting a box to be a "hamster maze." I'm going to milk this hamster craft this for all I can!

Playing Lemonade Shake Up

 

Preparing Your Children For Academic Success

 There are a lot of very good reasons to want a lot of academic success for your children. With a good degree of this kind of success, it means that the world opens up for your child - they are more likely to get various kinds of things going for them, and they will be able to have a lot more opportunities on the whole.

So when you are keen to ensure your children get the most out of their education, what can you do to help this along? In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the major ways in which you can prepare your children for academic success. You’ll find all of the following are really worth looking into.

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Understand Learning Styles

Ultimately it doesn’t matter how good the schooling is if your child is not being taught in a way that suits their own learning style, so you need to understand learning styles and try to work out which ones your children might align with as strongly as possible. Although many people are not exactly one or the other, it’s a good idea to find one or two that are likely to be beneficial. You and their teachers can then work towards an educational approach which is much more likely to work for them, which is of course the whole point - and will lead to more and more academic success in the future.

Consider Their Personality

As well as different learning styles, there are also a range of personality types out there, and you should be aware of which make the most sense when describing your children. Remember, types are only types, and your child will have many individual differences which don’t apply to anyone else in that unique combination. But knowing about the major types will help you to offer them the support and the kind of education they really need, and that is going to ensure that they have a much better chance of success on the whole.

Set Realistic Expectations

As a parent, the expectations you have of your child are really powerful and important. As long as they are realistic, you are going to find that you have a much better chance of getting them to the place they need to go. If you try to set expectations that are too high, this is just not going to work out most of the time. On the other hand, if you make it clear you don’t expect anything much, they might feel that you don’t believe in them - and this can prove to be very damaging for their self-regard on the whole. As such, you need to try and find the appropriate balance if you are going to ensure their ongoing academic success.

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Help Them With Applications

When it comes time to apply to various schools and universities, you are going to want to help them out with the application process. That doesn’t mean that you should do the hard work for them, just that they are going to probably need your assistance with some of the more challenging aspects of it to ensure that they have the best possible chance of success. A good example of this is when they are applying to a prestigious school like the Harvard Business School. In that case, using HBS essay examples to help them with their answers could be of huge help - though the bulk of the work should remain theirs, of course.

Set An Example

In general, you can always help them to find academic success by setting an example yourself based around what you are going to do related to education. This includes making a point of working hard and aiming for your personal dreams, as well as ensuring that you are going to be able to show them how to find success personally by enjoying what you do. All of these kinds of things will help to set a good example, and that will inform how they behave when they are trying to achieve academic success.

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Remember: It’s Not Everything

Although academic success is important, it’s also important to remember that it is not everything in life, and that your child needs to appreciate that too. If you can help them to keep a clear and balanced head and approach to these things, ultimately it is going to mean that they are a lot more likely to gain the results they are going for. So this is something to aim for too.

This is a contributed post

Valentine's Message Hearts

A few years ago I started putting hearts on the kids door every day in February until Valentine's Day. Each would have a note saying something I loved about them. They always appreciated it.

This year, I decided to learn from my Thankgiving Tree of Gratitude where we each put up a leaf with something for which we are grateful. Last year I decided to laminate the leaves and it was SO nice this year not having to cut any out.

So this year, I cut out a bunch of hearts in pastel cardstock and laminated them. I made sure to make enough for the new baby too. That way, I will never have to cut out hearts for the doors again!

 

Tips on Getting the Best Out of Your Children Academically

 How your children behave in the classroom as very important in their overall success. If they are able to sit, listen, absorb and understand, they are far more likely to achieve a higher grade. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to help them do this. As a parent, you can set the wheels in motion without having to become an expert at every single subject yourself. Learning is about wanting to be taught as much as it is about the material that is being taught. So, as long as you can help set up this inquiring mind, your child will have a better chance.

Image from Pixabay

Nutrition    

A healthy diet is a key way to ensure that your child's brain has the right nutrients and minerals ready to learn. Also, ensuring that they do not go to school hungry is important too. Hunger and poor nutrition can have a negative effect on your child's ability to concentrate and learn. So, a wholesome breakfast and a great packed lunch are essential.

Routine

Children need routine, and the younger you create this, the better. If you create a daily schedule where your child has a set time to look over their school work. One of the best times is after dinner. This gives them a chance to relax and unwind from the day and do a few of their own activities. You could start by asking to see what they did in the day. If your child is too young for homework, per se, perhaps you can develop a habit where they show you what they have done and what they remember. Perhaps you can read to your child or use tolls such as ABCmouse to help you ensure that they are on the right track. Whatever time you choose, ensure that this is a routine that stays with you both, and as your child gets older, they will already be into the habit of doing their homework in the evening. 

Space for Learning

You need to create a space that your child feels comfortable in to do their homework. What are their preferences? How do they learn best? Consider your child's personality before creating that space for them. Ensuwstrhea this space is free from distractions so that they can focus and get on with the job at hand. It may be an idea to have a dedicated desk with all their material laid out in an organized fashion on this. Their bedroom may not be the best place, as there wl be too many distractions.

Incentivize 

Kids, especially teenageer, may not be inclined to do their homework, despite you and them knowing that it is the best thing. You can clearly offer your support and look over the work once it is done, but you can also offer incentives. This will depend on the circumstances but, even if you are not inclined to offer incentives, perhaps it is the best motivator. Incentives don't have to be expensive, but it has to be something that they are drawn towards.  

This is a contributed post

3 Year Old Pre-K Winter Activities

While we are slowly working our way through some purchased curriculum this year, I decided to also add in some themed activities that either go with the seasons/holidays or go with Archer's interests. Here are some of our Winter Themed Activities

This tray had some pipe cleaners and some "winter" colored beads. He put the beads on to make a snowflake.

A tray with some pom poms and trucks. Not a hit last year, but this year he played with it.

The Snowman Soup Math activity was a big hit. He liked mixing up the ingredients and then we worked on adding them up together.

I set out this tray with various magna-tiles and some winter Toob animals and asked him to make some little houses for the animals. At first he stuck to mostly cubes, but I challenged him to use some of the other pieces too and he eventually branched out.

I found this cute little Penguin Emotions activity from Natural Beach Living. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well he matched up the emotions.

I got this cute little set of snowman accessories to use with playdough. There were enough that I thought about using them for math activities, but I never did get around to it. They were a big hit, though, especially the little hats.

He also had fun making playdough homes and tracks with his Arctic Toob.

I got out his seasons layers puzzle too. Now we did all of them, not just winter.

Of course, I got out all our winter books. Some he read, most he didn't (he's really into reading books with maps or flags right now and it's hard to deter him).

Check out other Winter Themed Ideas and Materials:

Snowman Soup Math Activity

Winter has hit our hometown in full force! We're running with it and doing some fun winter themed activities. Here is a Snowman Soup Math Activity we did recently.

I made recipe cards with different snowman "ingredients" and gave him a pot and spoon.

He followed the recipes by counting out each ingredient into the pot. For added challenge, we then worked on adding up all the ingredients on the recipe cards.

Print the Snowman Soup Math Activity Here

 

New Little Learner Coming

I am thrilled to announce that we have a new little learner coming this June. After two boys, it will be fun to mix it up with a girl this time! 

A new baby means starting fresh with her early learning activities. As we get closer and she arrives, I'll update what we're doing. For now, it has been so nice to have some of my posts from when I had Archer to see when we started things.