What I do to engage my little one in learning activities that are simple, fun, and inexpensive.

In March of 2022 I left my position as a childcare director and began to work from home, the best part was I now had the opportunity to keep my daughter home with me. She was just about to turn two and although she had been in daycare since she was four months old, I was confident in her adjustment to staying home fulltime with me. What I wasn't expecting was the pressure I put on myself to make sure I was engaging her in educational activities on top of my own adjustment to becoming a working, stay at home mom. Even though I have a degree in early childhood education and many years of experience, it really is such a difference when it is your own child, not to mention the complete change in gears our lives took at that time. Needless to say, it took maybe a little more time than I planned for, lots of research, and various resources, but ultimately this goal was achievable with the right balance.

Now first I will share what I have found to be the most important thing to keep in mind when creating educational experiences at home, be flexible, it may not go as planned, read the situation (after all you know your child best!), and decide to pivot or abandoned ship. I say this because I failed, a lot, and when I stopped trying to force what I had planned, getting frustrated if we didn't get to everything when I wanted, and allowed for more organic learning experiences, things really started to flow better, and my daughter started getting excited to do circle time and centers. I had to shift gears and remember I wasn't teaching a classroom full of three-year-olds or responsible for accomplishing parts of a curriculum, and instead I got to embrace my daughter's interests and apply a more creative approach with activities to do with her.

The next big challenge was deciding where to start. I went through my Pinterest boards I had been saving activities on for years now, but I was struggling to decide where to start. I tried to create my own curriculum essentially, however that is a very time-consuming task and quite frankly one I did not have time to do it as quickly as I needed it. Luckily for me, my sister had shared a curriculum from The Busy Toddler with me called Playing Preschool, which is great for SAHMs and their kiddos, I promise you it is well worth the purchase and something I now use almost daily (yes, I said almost, no one is perfect, and some days are tougher than others to get everything done). Honestly, it made me realize I was trying to do too much, these activities were basic, short, and simple, but engaging and fun for little minds. Even without a background in education, the objectives are clearly stated, thorough supply lists, even tips and tricks to help when implementing activities. Most activities can also be easily adapted if needed and built upon for further learning, overall, a great resource for learning at home.

Another resource I use regularly is Starfall, although for now we are not using the full scope of activities on this interactive website, it is probably my daughter's favorite part of the day, yes, she regularly asks when we're doing circle time. This is a site I had used in the past when I worked in a Kindergarten classroom that younger children really enjoyed "playing" on. With my daughter I use the calendar to discuss days of the week and months of the year, colors, alphabet, numbers, and more. She enjoys being able to use my laptop and she is engaging in learning activities while doing so. I made sure to set expectations for her from the start and stay consistent to allow for the best use of technology for learning without her getting too carried away.

These two resources have been such time savers for me when trying to make sure my little one is engaging in learning opportunities, but as mentioned, I also take into consideration what interests my daughter has as well as what time of year it is for seasonal activities. If there are days where a craft is not included in Playing Preschool I may check Pinterest or Instagram for fun ideas that go with the current theme, her interests, or time of year because I know my girl is all about art. Other days she may be all over the place and getting through the normal routine is just not happening, that's okay! Often times this is when I pivot to a gross motor activity, animal charades, yoga, obstacle course, walking, etc. What is most important is the time you are spending with your children and that learning is a positive experience.

If you are ever looking for more advice, tips or have questions on how to start a learning routine at home with your little ones, please send me a message!