Here we go. Schools are out for weeks on end, and many of us moms are feeling that.
My first response to the news? I wish I could say it was joy, but truly? It was dread.
How will we fill those days? How long before I completely lose it?
The educational part didn’t even really occur to me. All I could think about was keeping everyone entertained. And sane.
But taking a step back and a deep breath put it in a little more perspective:
This is a chance to slow down. To be present. To play. And to enjoy this time with my kids.
It also dawned on me – our best days happen with some kind of schedule, some kind of steady routine.
The chaos happens when we don’t have a plan. Like holiday travels, or long weekends. It takes way too long for us to get back into a routine and tantrums abound.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have an unstructured day here and there. (There will be a few of those, I’m sure.) And there is no judgment for families that can handle that.
But I know I can easily go into angry mom-ster mode when things get hectic.
So, a routine. And yeah, I’d like to include opportunities to stretch their minds a little. Luckily, they enjoy learning. It’s fun for them.
Are you struggling to come up with what your day will look like with preschoolers home all day every day?
Here’s our tentative preschool daily schedule and game plan for while school’s out. You can borrow it if you need, and adjust it to what works best for your family.
But please: Have plenty of grace with yourself and more than anything, enjoy this time to slow down and be together.
Daily Schedule
We have to break it down by half-hour sometimes, because it just works well. This is an experiment, so things may change, and that’s okay.
This set-up doesn’t work for you? No worries – here’s a free blank printable PDF that looks similar to the above so you can create your own. Add a nap time, change meal times, include more shows or more outside time, whatever works best for you.
Devotional
We’ll be having a time in the morning to go over a memory verse, maybe do a related activity, read our Bibles, and pray.
Our first verse is James 1:19, because we all need the reminder to be “slow to get angry”.
Weekly Schedule
With educational activities, I’m trying to be realistic. And I’m just not going to teach my preschoolers 5 subjects a day, or come up with a zillion activities.
My mom suggested one subject a day, with one hands-on activity, which feels reasonable. So we’re incorporating that into our preschool daily schedule.
Each day we’ll have a different subject.
Monday: Reading
Tuesday: Science
Wednesday: Math
Thursday: Writing
Friday: Kindness / Social Studies (This idea from a mom featured in a Today Parents post!)
And as for activities? Read on:
Preschool Reading Activities
Books – find activities for your favorite books online!
Alphabet Bingo – I also found this game at the dollar store, along with numbers, colors and shapes!
Foam letters to spell words
Practice Cards
Preschool Science Activities
Baking
Make slime (we’re going to do this edible Peeps slime, but there’s also moon sand and more slime recipes)
Sensory bottle or lava lamp
Water beads
Preschool Math Activities
Grouping and sorting – candy, cars
Playdoh numbers – forming numbers out of dough
Number bingo (roll dice and mark off the number you get until you get Bingo! I also found this very game at the dollar store with a spinner instead of a die, and for letters and colors and shapes.)
Bar graphing and sorting with erasers in different shapes
Figurine sorting with bears, dinosaurs, superheroes, dolls, cars – whatever you have!
War (card game) – which number is higher? That one wins!
Preschool Writing Activities
Play post office – writing, addressing, and stamping letters
Blank notebooks, writing a story
Using items (like gems or pom-poms) to form letters
Form letters from Legos
Preschool Kindness / Social Activities
Spend time with friends/family
Make cards for faraway friends
Set up phone dates
Bake cookies for friends
Creative and STEM Activities
I have a number of amazing kids activities you can Amazon Prime in this post. They are low-mess, low-stress – activities that they can probably do independently, so Mom can take a break.
Free Activities and Resources
PBSKids – every show in this network has focus intention to it, and I appreciate that. They also have a number of age-appropriate games to play.
Local Library – check to see what your library offers online! You can at least find books to check out, if not games. streaming services, magazines, etc.
Prekinders – a fabulous resource for printables and lesson plans
Mr. Nussbaum – a teacher-designed website with games
National Geographic Kids – tons of fun facts and information for kids who want to know a little more about the world around them
ABCYa – age-level games with adorable activities
Sesame Street – games with classic and colorful characters
NickJr – more characters my kids love, with episodes and clips too; they also have a paid learning app
Highlights Kids – recipes, jokes, fun facts, and hidden picture games based on a magazine I loved growing up
Scholastic – daily lesson plans made specifically for this time at home, from a popular book publisher
Now You.
Phew! That’s a lot. What resources and ideas do you have for a preschool daily schedule? What hacks do you have that will help make these days amazing?
Photo Credit:
1 – Josh Applegate on Unsplash
2 – Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash
3 – Andrew Ebrahim on Unsplash
4 – Stephen Andrews on Unsplash
5 – McKaela Lee on Unsplash
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