What Should I Do with My Preschooler? Charlotte Mason preschool ideas!
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2019
- If you're not supposed to do formal lessons, what should you do with preschool and kindergarten children? Sonya Shafer, Laura Pitney, and Jenn Faas discuss several ideas in this mega-episode of the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast.
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Great suggestions. For my preschooler, I had set days for an activity. Make & Bake Monday, To Town Tuesday (An outing or play date like Zoo, Children’s Museum, Library or Pool), Walk Wednesday (Early Nature Study & Observation) Tinker Thursday (I would play what they wanted to play - I really struggled playing pet shop, dolls and tea time. I could do it once a week though) & Fun Friday (Seasonal - Crafts or Park & Ice Cream) Early Mornings equaled Mommy & Me...so they’d have their “love tanks” filled using the routine above and I could accomplish a task in the late morning. Afternoons were “stories & snuggles” and naps... Late afternoons was called free play. No mommies allowed. It was so I could accomplish a few tasks and they learned to entertain and learn by themselves (future independent studies and personal interest) Evenings were family time and responsibilities.
I LOVE your week plan!! So creative!
Love this!
Thanks for taking the time to share it!!
I love that idea
Hii thanks for sharing such a good idea! What does make and bake entail? Baking something with the kids?
Clare Huang Yes. Start small with making something simple like a drink. I started with homemade lemonade. Tools: A step stool, a large wooden spoon, 1 - 2 quart pitcher & measuring cups. Here’s the recipe: 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup lime juice, 1/3 cup orange juice, 3/4 to 1 cup sugar & 2 quarts water. Start out by saying: You’re job will be pouring & stirring. I’m going to measure the ingredients. Have them pour in the measured ingredients. Then, let them stir. Do this recipe a few times until they know how to make it themselves. Then, move on to another simple “make” like play-dough.
You made me cry with that quote “ the days are long but the years are short “ it hit home for me . I have a newborn with colic and it’s been difficult enjoying teaching lately . It’s been more of struggle than a joy of what it used to be . Thank you so much for reminding me why I homeschooled . I always tell everyone, that asks why I homeschool “ the reason I decided to homeschool is because I don’t want to miss a thing , a moment a smile a laugh , I want to remember them all and I want to enjoy my children . I don’t want to be an old lady living with regret that I allowed someone else to see and live those moments “
Love to all
Well said
As a mom of two boys 3 & 2 I feel so blessed to have discovered Charlotte Mason along the way. I am quickly falling in love with her method and adore this channel. I want this for my boys, it is beautiful.🥰
At the start of each season, I take the library events pamphlet and add everything I might be interested in doing with my 4 children (ages 7, 4, 3, 3) to my calendar. I also add other free or super cheap events from other venues (church activities, parks events, wading pool, community activities, Keepers of the Faith, museum promotiins, botanical garden promotions, ethnic festivals, other things listed on city websites). Then, every day we have the option of doing those events, or not. Depending on the flow of the day and mood of the little ones that day. But we always have options so we don't go stir crazy.
That is a really good idea.
Flexibility is wonderful. That's a great idea to take it week by week and even day by day.
I needed this reminder!!! I have many little people still and they can certainly become overwhelming! My children are 10, 8, nearly 7, 5, 4, 3 and 2 (only one of them is a girl). I find it difficult to teach chores sometimes with so many hands wanting to help!
This is so encouraging and freeing! CM has really lifted the burden I feel to start formal academics. We planted a garden this summer and my children have really excelled. We also walk around our neighborhood and we have learned about all kinds of plants that grow here. We have Chinese tallow and plan to make candles from its berries come fall.
Thank you for this. I really needed to hear these things today. I have a 16 yo I homeschool, but I also have a 3yo. It's been so long and with me having a background in teaching pre-K in public school I have a unwanted push from friends and an inner critic who feels my little one should be doing so much more. This video solidified that what I was doing is great! I love being able to teach him in the moment by doing fun activities such as nature walks, crafts, baking, and visits to the library, museums or zoos. Thank you so much, you calmed my heart.
Thank you for joining us! So glad that you gained encouragement from this post!
This is SO helpful, and I just love being a part of the chat with you ladies...you are so uplifting and sweetly encouraging. Thank you!
I planned on doing all play based learning activities for my preschoolers with the very occasional workbook page thrown in. Turns out my preschoolers are workbook junkies and want to do several pages every day😂 I'm following their lead on this, if they get tired of workbooks I won't push it on them. But it's been a great way for us to get some one on one.
😂I’m laughing so hard. Yes, I’m a timer junky too. I have 1 per room in our house and 3 in our kitchen. It’s particularly helpful for a not so favorite task and knowing they only have to do something they don’t like for 5, 10 or 15 minutes. It’s created sanity, rhythm, routines and schedules.
Ohh, this was God to find this Channel!!! 😍😍😍😍
It’s so amazing what you are doing!!😍😍😍
Truly a blessing all this ideas and advice ❤
Glad that you have been blessed by this information.
Mes idées d’activité :
- puzzles de toutes sortes et jeux pour encastrer
- pâte à modeler avec beaucoup d’accessoires pour couper, écraser…
- laisser remuer la pâte à gâteau, verser des ingrédients
- jouer avec mes boîtes Tupperware: les ouvrir, fermer et mettre toutes sortes d’objets dedans, c’est passionnant !
- Duplo
- playmobil
- mettre de la musique et danser ou juste écouter.
- Aller au marché et nommer quelques fruits/ légumes que mon enfant ne connaît pas encore.
- jouer au memory/ dominos/ le verger
- une promenade pour voir les poules des voisins.
- promenade en draisienne
- laisser l’enfant jouer avec l’aspirateur quand je fais le ménage.
- trier des objets par couleur
- rester sur mes genoux et profiter d’un câlin pendant que j’explique une leçon au grand frère.
- visiter un musée d’histoire naturelle et admirer les animaux grandeur nature, les nommer, en parler.
- Gribouiller avec plein de couleurs.
I'm going to start craft box this week for grandkids. Thnks for sharing
One of the best videos. So helpful thank you.
Thanks for the reminder. This was all very natural with my first 2 boys, but then homeschool happened. Now I'm on my 3rd preschool kid and I keep thinking I need something for her for school. No, she's fine.
Good overall advice. My one big pointer would be to see your young children as capable. Each family will do what feels right for them but in our home we don’t have any plastic dishes or cups. We have a 4 and 1.5 year old and they understand what it means to handle glass and the consequences when you aren’t careful. Our 4 year old has been using a knife since he was 2 and has never cut himself. He chops up vegetables for salad, soup, makes himself sandwiches. It’s important to see your children as capable. Supervise them but take healthy risks too. The more capable that you realize they are the more involved they can be and the more opportunities for them to explore. The other thing I cannot relate to in this video is the comment that the days are so long. I blink my eye and the whole day has passed. We do have a farm which keeps us very busy and live in the country so there are an overwhelming number of opportunities for exploration which I imagine would be more difficult in the city.
This video was a gift to listen to. I feel such a weight just lifting right off my shoulders. Thank you.
Wow! This was so encouraging to me. I have a 5.5 year old, almost 4 year old and 15 mo old. The eldest two are now both home full time with all that is happening with Covid-19. Homeschooling the eldest is going great but my preschooler is restless and bored and constantly interrupts (even though I give her activities to do.) This gave me so many new ideas and even “permission” to find them also valuable for my 5.5 year old. She had been in a really vigorous charter school and I had already planned to take her out and homeschool her next year before this pandemic happened. But honestly, being home all day with your preschool with out a break is terrifying!! Hoping this new school week will be a lot more fun for everyone!
I’m in the same boat as you with an almost 6 and a 4 year old. I’m wrestling with how I’ll teach the older one with the little one needing mommy every few minutes. This channel is a godsend for all of us new homeschooling moms!
Thank you for the insight and tips.
You're welcome!
So many great ideas. Thanks
You are welcome!
I love the idea about the outside box of toys
Thank you for sharing what you enjoyed!
As far as getting out of the house.... We have our children "sound off" say their name, in age order, when they are in the van and buckled up. It helps me make sure we have everyone and gives a gentle nod to being safe when traveling.
I love this video! Thank you so much for sharing these valuable suggestions. I have a 7-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, a 3-year-old boy, and a 11 months-old baby boy. My oldest girl just started "formal" school, and would do assignments that involve worksheets in the morning. When my 5-year-old boy see her do "school" (worksheets), he always want to do exactly what she is doing. Even my 3-year-old wants to do "school" like big sister. So I feel pressured to give him "worksheets" even though I know he would benefit from hands- on activities. There are also so many "worksheet" resources for preschoolers out there, that it is hard to not to fall in the trap. What do you suggest I'd tell/do with my 3 pre-schoolers while my "school-aged" big sister does her work?
Hi Grace. Worksheets make the littles feel included and important when an older sibling is working through them. Fortunately, Charlotte's method uses very few pieces of paper in the early years, generally copywork, a nature journal, and depending on the chosen math curriculum, possibly math. You can provide your littles with nature journals of their own which will help them feel included in that area of study. They can also tag along with any read aloud, poetry, picture study, music study, etc provided they desire to and are not disruptive. I've found that finding activities for them to do while my older children worked on school work was most helpful. I had various bins and activities that only came out on specific days. For example, my children have loved play dough and it can can be a great tool to help with fine motor skills and teaching the ABCs. The play dough box only came out 1 day a week however while an older sibling worked on independent studies. I have tools such as cuisenaire rods, puzzles (age appropriate), coloring books with special crayons (aka these particular crayons only came out 1 day a week during school time), a rubbermaid container with rice and hurried toys/cars, etc. I also have 1 small whiteboard (found at Walmart) for each child that they are allowed to sit at the table and write on but again, only during the time that my older students are in school. While the above items are not worksheets, they were all something that felt important to my littles because they only came out while the older siblings were working through school work.
So good.
Thank you!
Do you have any social media links to either lady and can you do more talking with the red haired young woman about the games she played for habit training??
Laura is not on social media. She and Sonya talked about some games to play to teach sitting still in this video: ruclips.net/video/koF210KDOGg/видео.html
Jenn also does not have a public social media profile. She and Laura are both CM moms who are local to where Sonya lives who she wanted to include in this discussion due to their experience with CM and preschool.
Thank you so much! 💗
Where can I get that timer?
Hi, Thank you for reaching out with your question! Simply Charlotte Mason does not sell this timer on our website. You can find it a number of places online, including amazon. If you use the search terms “visual timer” you will see a number of different styles! I hope that you find one that works well for your family!
Such a practical and helpful video! Thank you ladies! Question… I’m a stay at home mom of three boys, ages 4, 2 and 4 months. Right now pretty much the whole day (aside from mealtimes, afternoon nap/quiet time and morning/bedtime routines) is open ended play for my 4- and 2-year-old. So the lonnng morning space and the lonnng afternoon space is all just playtime, and they are pretty good at filling that up with all sorts of activities they invent. I don’t lay out what activity they do at which part of the day. Is that ok? Or am I setting myself up for difficulty in CM homeschooling? Would you suggest “routining out” the entire day, start to finish, telling them what kinds of activities they should do when? (Like: now is craft time. Then chores. Then blocks & building time. Then outside. Etc)?
Another way of asking this might be, how detailed should I get in their daily routine?
How wonderful that your littles are creative and are filling up their time with their imagination! It is incredibly beneficial to have some routine in your day (get up, make beds, get dressed, eat breakfast, do a chore) however you do not want every part of their day scheduled or else it becomes difficult for them to figure out how to occupy any free time (and can turn into the "I'm bored" that so many parents hear). We do not recommend scheduling every moment of the day start to finish.
@@SimplyCharlotteMason Thanks for the prompt reply! That’s helpful. So sounds like the routines are more helpful for daily tasks, not so much for play.
Great discussion, thank you! I have 2nd grader I’m homeschooling and an almost 5 year old who is still in preschool this year but he is so eager to do everything his older brother does. What do I do? He wants to sit down and have the same books and learn math and reading etc. He begs me to teach him cursive or to give him worksheets, for example. If he’s eager to learn and picks up on it happily, do I allow that and incorporate him into my older son’s schooling, informally? Or do I actively discourage it? It seems so wrong to discourage it. What do you recommend in this situation?
Hi Janel. How wonderful that your little one is so eager to learn! We never want to discourage children from learning. When we discuss no formal lessons prior to age 6, you could substitute the word "required" for "formal." We have many suggestions of how to spread a wide feast before little ones here: simplycharlottemason.com/planning/preschool-guide/
We had a great routine, then I started babysitting a 9 month old. We have been struggling so much since then. My 3 year old has gotten very clingy. Im sruggeling getting a routine back. Especially since the baby doesn't sleep regularly.
Je pense qu’il est difficile de tenir des horaires précis avec un bébé mais on peut garder une routine avec des activités dans un certain ordre et s’accorder une souplesse sur les horaires.
Thank you for this. But what if the child wants worksheets? My daughter is only turning 5, and she sees her older brother studying.
In the preschool years, we let the child lead the way when it comes to reading and writing. If the child is eager and ready for paper and pencil, you can introduce it. The key is not to push the child to read or write before she is ready or interested. And then be sure to give her a variety of other activities that are not paper and symbol focused. Give her lots of experience with the things and people around her to provide a balanced idea-rich environment.
Such good advice = Teaching them things doesnt have to be all day "Wipes sweat from forehead" lol
My little ones love y’all lol
What was the name of the two books that were book lists for different ages that was mentioned?
The two mentioned in this episode are Honey for a Child’s Heart and Books Children Love.
What was the name of the book the ladies mentioned relating to boxes at 24:36? I think she said Rocks and Boxing?
The book is called Roxaboxen.
Simply Charlotte Mason Thank you.
I have 2 older ones and my almost 4 yr old wants to do school ALL day long even with all the other children are playing at 7 on a Sat night he wants to do work sheets what do you do then?
I encourage you to treat them like candy-a little now and then won't hurt (if the child desires it), but a consistent diet of them could be a hindrance. Spending all day with paper and pencil can prevent a young child from engaging in activities that are beneficial to his development. Make sure your child is spending plenty of time outside using his muscles, experiencing gravity and momentum and other scientific factors naturally, giving his far vision an opportunity to exercise, and becoming familiar with the nature friends around his house. Set aside time to cuddle and read together. Help him learn to be responsible for age-appropriate contributions to the household with chores and tasks. Encourage him to work with different materials and create and build things from his own imagination through handicrafts. Offer opportunities to build relationships with older siblings through free play. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that just because a child wants something doesn't necessarily mean that it's best for him. I encourage you to put guidelines in place that will nudge him toward a balanced "diet" of daily activities with a wide variety.
24:22 my 4.5 year old boy really likes direction and structure. Any tips for developing creativity? When I bring out crafts, or Lego’s or anything for him to be free and do, he says he wants to know what to do. He doesn’t “know how” to do it and wants to follow a picture or direction. I really just want him to do things alone a bit instead of needing so much direction 😂
This is a great question, Jennifer. You can extend much grace to him at his age when he is wanting to understand the world around him and the structure and order and direction can be very safe to him. You could begin to implement some creative play time in short spurts alongside the more directed time. You can do the same with the short spurts of time with needing alone time too and gradually increase the time as he begins to be more involved in his playing and will be more focused in his play. Sonya shares some wonderful and interesting thoughts on this topic here too in our forum: simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/giving-children-physical-space-for-independence/
How do the kids transition from homeschool to college, when it’s time. After using ‘living books’ and learning in a different way, wouldn’t they find college/university challenging?
Charlotte's method can prepare students for full lives and the demanding requirements of college. You can read more here: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/charlotte-mason-homeschooling-prepares-student-college-life/
A Generation of Charlotte Mason Kids simplycharlottemason.com/blog/generation-charlotte-mason-kids/
Any CM homeschoolers From OKLAHOMA??
Hi,
For anyone looking to connect with other CM homeschoolers in your area. Try our search here, if you do not see a group in your area, you can always add your information to try and get a group going!
charlottemasonincommunity.com/
The green bugs were probably army worms. 😉