Why is the sky blue? Can I go to outer space today? Why does a snake’s skin come off? Can I have some ice cream? These questions and more—all before breakfast. Life with a preschooler is exciting, hilarious, sweet, and tiring—especially while homeschooling older ones. How do we keep up? The important thing to remember is, preschoolers are still in training mode. We may have already placed our older ones onto the straight and narrow but the preschooler, most likely, still has to learn the basics of what is expected of them. It is training season, and we have to be prepared to stop what we are doing at any given moment and train—there really is no getting out of this. We can put a schedule into place and have certain activities prepared to keep them busy but in the end, regardless of the rigid schedule we create, or lack thereof, our child will need to be trained, and we are the ones to do it.
Once we understand this, homeschooling any preschooler, even an active one, becomes easier because we understand the season that we are in. We may not need to discipline our older ones as much so it is easy to get frustrated with the fact that we have to deal with our preschooler so often. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. We know that all kids are born sinners, no child is born perfect so we need to train them in the way they should go. Once we realize that we will never find the perfect formula for homeschooling preschoolers, we learn to trust the Lord that He will help us, each and every day. Keeping in mind that we need to be firm in disciplinary measures throughout the day, here are a few ways to keep your active preschooler busy, occupied, and excited about learning.
Rotating Toy Bins: Provide several bins with different toys. Toy cars, Little People sets, Duplos, blocks, or other activities that your preschooler will like. Rotate them out every once in a while so that your child will be excited about the “new” toys that he/she gets to play with.
Puzzles: Keep several puzzles on hand for when your preschooler appears to be focused and engaged. Challenge them with a puzzle and praise them when they complete it on their own!
Coloring Pages: Switch out coloring pages or books based on what is going in their life or based on their interests. For example, if you are going to the zoo, print out zoo-related coloring sheets for them ahead of time. If your child adores a specific cartoon character, surprise him with several related coloring sheets.
Learning Games: Download an app such as Reading Eggs, ABC Mouse, or another educational app for children. Allot a certain amount of time each day. Preschoolers generally don’t need more than fifteen to twenty minutes a day.
Matching Activities: Find matching games to entertain your preschooler. This is a great activity to keep on hand for the older ones to do with the younger ones. I personally like to set aside time each school day to play at least one matching game with my preschooler. It is a wonderful “mommy time” activity. Preschoolers love the simplicity of these games and are so proud of themselves when they successfully make matches time and time again!
