teaching your preschooler the concept of homework
So Ayven, my almost 5-year-old is getting ready for Kindergarten this year. I am scared, nervous, excited, sad, pretty much a whole circle of emotions. It’s a huge step for him and one of the things I have tried to teach him is the concept of homework. Their little minds are all over the place and so curious that trying to introduce the concept of sitting down and focusing for about 30 minutes is challenging for them but you will be amazed of how well they respond if you make it a part of their routine life.
We started the homework concept with Ayven at the age of 3. We would practice 10 minutes of something like colors, letters, books or anything else and he can now sit for almost 45 minutes even after a long day at preschool. His confidence level has grown because we started at such a young age that he now enjoys doing this concept of “homework.” He is actually really excited about Kindergarten now that he is doing big boy stuff. When he gets older and starts being given longer essays to write, he won’t leave it until the last minute because I believe he will have the knowledge and confidence to plan ahead. However, most students are not aware of any rapid essay writing service available to them, this leaves them stressing out and writing poor, waffling essays.
It’s not just reading and writing, you kind of have to get super creative to find ways to get through to your child. And yeah coming home from a full days work and trying to get your little one to focus and put dinner on the table is tough, but once you get into a routine it’s great!
One thing I can’t stress enough is to remember every child is so different. For example my almost 5-year-old, when he was 3 he would sit and listen to an entire book and be able to sound out a few words. My 2nd son, not so much; he is a mover and doesn’t have the tension span so I have to tailor my concept of homework for him. He learned all his letters by saying the letter then throwing it in a basket like basketball. Here are some of the things I have done throughout the years with my kids:
Worksheets: I started out by creating my own worksheets, it would be like 2 or 3 questions. I started out simple like draw a red line or green line. Now I can write-up 10 questions and just hand him the worksheet to complete. I try to make it fun by asking him to draw his favorite super hero and then write 3 sentences about that super hero. One workbook I highly recommend is Scholastic with Success. For the little ones that can’t sit still, try tray tasking.
Charts: Put all kinds of charts around your house at their eye level. Every night before bed go over the charts. I started with the colors chart when he was younger and now we do grammar, math problems and even compound words. Check out a more in depth post on the whole charts concept.
Building: Use anything you have at home and one night a week build something together. I have been using this What Do People Do All Day book to get ideas. Also make sure you have Magnatiles! Best purchase ever because its great for any age or gender. My kids love these. They are pricey but worth every penny. For my 2 year old we use ABC blocks and we practice our letters while we build towers. We also use Legos a lot.
Cooking: Whenever I am making something easy for dinner I let him help me. We practice measuring, mixing, pouring and spelling the ingredients. We learn about kitchen safety and healthy eating too. You will be amazed of how much they enjoy doing hands on activities like this and you get some one-on-one mommy and kid time. We use this Better Homes and Garden Junior Cook Book.
Reading: Take your child to the library and let them pick their own books. If your child is not reading yet just sit and read books they enjoy and if your child is reading let them read to you or their younger sibling. The joy of them getting to pick out their own books is great!
Arts: My son is not into arts and crafts so I have to find ways for him to express his artistic side. I bought him this dry eraser board desk and he loves it. He feels like he is working like mom and dad and his drawing ability has gotten so much better. Sometimes I let him just cut stuff out of magazines and glue because his tension span is very small for arts and crafts.
Computer time: Many parents are against using the computer but in my opinion the majority of their homework in school is now on the iPad or computer so why not prepare them for that? I give Ayven about 1 hour a week to play educational games on the computer. He is learning the concept of using a mouse and navigating around.
Buy them their own pencil box and supplies to get them excited! Set aside a bin just to keep their homework stuff in so they know they need to take care of it.
Good luck to all those moms whose kids start school this year! I know I am gonna be so nervous 🙂
Pingback: why I won't enroll my toddler in summer camps - Chai Mommas