It can be difficult to keep your little one engaged at home and know how to reinforce the preschool curriculum they’re learning in school. Everything from busy schedules to not knowing where to start can be obstacles. What’s important to remember is that keeping your child plugged in to what they’re being taught inside the classroom doesn’t have to be complex or difficult. It just needs to be intentional!
Here are five ways to keep your child engaged with learning when they’re at home.
1. Ask questions about what they’re learning in preschool.
One of the most effective ways to ensure that you’re keeping your child engaged with what they’re learning is by asking them questions! Ask about what they’re being taught in school and dare to take it one or two steps further. Ask them what they love to learn about and what subject has been difficult for them.
As a parent, one of the best ways to keep your child locked in to what they’re learning is to ask the right questions and assure them that you are interested in what they’re learning in school. When your child sees that you’re interested in what they’re being taught, it makes them more interested too!
2. Make it fun!
It’s important that your child believes that learning is fun! Try coming up with some creative and exciting ways to keep them engaged at home. It could be a craft, a project, an interactive workbook, or a game. You could even have them set up a make-believe preschool if they wanted! Allow them to be the teacher and you play the role of the student. They will love being able to “teach” you all about their preschool curriculum, all while exercising their imagination.
3. Explore outside.
Getting outside and using nature to keep your kids engaged with their education is a great idea! It allows them to do something different and more interactive than what they might be used to. If they’re learning about colors, ask them to identify the different colors they see outside (green trees, blue skies, white clouds). If it’s counting or numbers they’re learning, get creative by having them count the number of cars that drive by or birds they see in the sky!
Staying plugged in to your child’s preschool curriculum does not mean they have to be confined to the indoors. There’s so much learning they can do right in their backyard!
4. Read to them.
One of the most practical yet effective ways to keep your preschooler engaged with what they’re learning is to read to them. Reading to your child has multiple benefits! Hearing you read out loud helps them with word recognition and understanding how to pronounce letters. Also, slowing down to read to them is a great way to spend quality time together.
For years, one of the best ways parents have bonded with their children is through the books that they read to them at bedtime. Your child needs to know that, not only do you care about their education, but you also value spending time with them. Through reading to them and eventually with them, you are creating lasting memories all while engaging them with their preschool curriculum.
5. Allow their brain to rest.
Weekends were made for rest! While it is important that you keep your child engaged with what they’re learning in preschool, don’t forget to allow their little brain to relax. Implementing a good balance between the two is key. They’ve worked hard and soaked up a lot of information all week, so it’s okay to allow them to have a break.
Have fun with them, play with them, and laugh with them! Make sure that they know that not everything has to be about learning and school and that they can still have tons of fun with you on the weekends. While they value you being engaged with their education, they value getting to have quality time with you even more!
It’s not always easy balancing the craziness of life on the weekends and remaining constant with your child’s preschool curriculum, but these five steps are a great place to start! Asking them questions lets them know that you care. Making it fun allows them to think outside of the box. Getting outdoors helps them to explore the world around them. Reading to them creates simple yet lasting memories. And allowing them to rest gives their little brains a much needed break!
If you’re looking for more on how to help your child in their preschool journey, check out our other blog posts at Connection Point Early Learning Center!