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What do you do with preschoolers while teaching the other children?
This is what has worked for us:
Our five oldest children each take it in turns to look after the two-year-old and
the baby for one morning of the week (and the 5-year-old when he has finished
his morning lessons). That way, I am free to work with all of the others, with
minimal distractions; and the older children all have four mornings to be able
to work solidly, without being called away from their studies to look after
small brothers.
I made up a list of activities for them (see below), which the children have found
helpful, as it solved the "what do we do now" questions; but it has
always been very flexible. I included playing outdoors second on the list
deliberately: often they go outside and spend the rest of the morning there –
which is fine by me! And of course, the baby takes precedence over the lesson
plans!
Day 1
- Bible memory verse (Remember booklet) with the two-year-old.
- Go outside for a play or run around (if it isn’t raining or muddy!)
- Activity – Dressing up clothes.
- Alphabet work with the two-year-old – Tracing the alphabet.
- Story time – Read this week’s book, and read either a nursery rhyme or a
number rhyme.
- Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready – This week’s activity with
the baby.
- Paper activity – Noah’s Ark ABC (with the five-year-old and
the two-year-old. If you
don’t finish it today, don’t worry: it can be finished later in
the week).
- Tidy up followed by another story (if there is time).
Note:
Be flexible – if there
is any activity that the boys would like to continue longer, let them. If
there is any that really causes problems, let it go for the day. |
Day 2
- Bible memory verse (Remember booklet).
- Go outside for a play or run around (if it isn’t raining or muddy!)
- Activity – Play a game from the toy chest.
- Alphabet work – Number and alphabet flash cards.
- Story time – Read this week’s book, and read either a nursery rhyme or a
number rhyme.
- Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready – This week’s activity with
the two-year-old.
- Paper activity – Colour a picture.
- Tidy up followed by another story (if there is time).
Note:
Be flexible – if there
is any activity that the boys would like to continue longer, let them. If
there is any that really causes problems, let it go for the day. |
Day 3
- Bible memory verse (Remember booklet).
- Go outside for a play or run around (if it isn’t raining or muddy!)
- Activity – Play with farm animals.
- Alphabet work – Alphabet jigsaw puzzle (or other easy jigsaw puzzles).
- Story time – Read this week’s book, and read either a nursery rhyme or a
number rhyme.
- Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready – This week’s activity with
the baby.
- Paper activity – Draw a picture.
- Tidy up followed by another story (if there is time).
Note:
Be flexible – if there
is any activity that the boys would like to continue longer, let them. If
there is any that really causes problems, let it go for the day. |
Day 4
- Bible memory verse (Remember booklet).
- Go outside for a play or run around (if it isn’t raining or muddy!)
- Activity – Play with blocks.
- Alphabet work – Sing the alphabet songs.
- Story time – Read this week’s book, and read either a nursery rhyme or a
number rhyme.
- Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready – This week’s activity with
the two-year-old.
- Paper activity – learn to draw a…man…teddy bear…house…boat…
- Tidy up followed by another story (if there is time).
Note:
Be flexible – if there
is any activity that the boys would like to continue longer, let them. If
there is any that really causes problems, let it go for the day. |
Day 5
- Bible memory verse (Remember booklet).
- Go outside for a play or run around (if it isn’t raining or muddy!)
- Activity – Do an easy jigsaw puzzle together.
- Alphabet work – Alphabet book (Dr Seuss or another).
- Story time – Read this week’s book, and read either a nursery rhyme or a
number rhyme.
- Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready – This week’s activity with
the baby.
- Paper activity – Noah’s Ark ABC (with the five-year-old and
the two-year-old. There may
be an activity to finish from earlier in the week).
- Tidy up followed by another story (if there is time).
Note:
Be flexible – if there
is any activity that the boys would like to continue longer, let them. If
there is any that really causes problems, let it go for the day. |
Books for Story Time
These are only suggestions (more titles may be found here). The person who looks after the boys on Monday chooses the
book for the week (with the two-year-old’s help.)
 | Mr Gumpy’s Outing (or other titles by John Burningham) |
| Harry the Dirty Dog (or other titles by Gene Zion) |
| The Tale of Peter Rabbit (or other titles by Beatrix Potter) |
| The Story about Ping (Marjorie Flack & Kurt Wiese) |
| Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (or other titles by Virginia Burton) |
| Dogger (or other titles by Shirley Hughes) |
| The Three Railway Engines (or other Railway stories by the Awdreys) |
| Little Bear (by Else Holmelund Minarik) |
| Little Bear Lost (by Jane Hissey) |
| Let’s Go Home Little Bear (or other titles by Martin Waddell) |
| The Adventures of Babar (or other titles by Jean de Brunhoff) |
| The Christmas Day Kitten (or other titles by James Herriot) |
| The Glorious Flight (by Alice & Martin Provensen) |
| Mohan (by Ella Grove) |
| Things that Go (Dorling Kindersley) |
| What Do You Say, Dear (by Sesyle Joslin) |
| Chicken Licken (Ladybird book) |
| Miffy (or other titles by Dick Bruna) |
Copyright © Ruth Marshall 2003
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