Summer Learning For Preschoolers & Early Elementary Students

May 16, 2019 by Leave a Comment

For reference my older kids are 6 and 4 and my two littles are under 3. This post contains affiliate links.

Two years ago I shared a very detailed post on how we do preschool at home in the summer. When our family started fostering last year I began looking for inexpensive summer learning activity books. I knew I wasn’t going to have time to put together binders for each child like I had the year before. What I purchased worked out so great and I am planning to use the same products again this summer.

Here is a roundup of what we are going to be using this year plus purchases from last year that we loved!

Workbooks & Reading Programs

These Summer Brain Quest Between Grades books are fantastic! Fun enough that your kids will ask to keep working through the book but still educational. We had to limit the number of pages done each day so we didn’t finish the book in the middle of summer.

We love Curious George in our house. So this Curious George Sight Words Reading Program was a no brainer to buy last summer. This program is under $15. It comes with flash cards, 10 reading books, and a sight word tracker chart that includes stickers to mark off which words have been mastered.

Keeping with the Curious George theme. I bought Curious George Math and Science Readers STEM Program to add to our collection this year. This boxed set includes ten fun stories and activity cards featuring Curious George designed to introduce young readers to science, technology, engineering, and math.

I plan on visiting our local library often over the summer with the kids to keep our reading material new and exciting. My goal is to read to them often and to cut back on the amount of television they watch. Wish us luck! Our plan right now is to let each kid pick a show 1 day a week. This will equal out to 30 minutes of television Monday-Thursday with Friday being a family movie day.

Our son’s school uses Spalding and he has learned the first 70 phonograms this year. It was a little challenging for me to learn these so I could help him with his homework and I don’t want him or myself to get out of practice over the summer so we will be reviewing these often ;).

Bible & Theology Resources

We are still working our way through Old Story New. I plan on using these 10 Minute Devotionals along with The Gospel Story Bible and The New City Catechism during our summer school time. We have been reading The Jesus Storybook Bible again in the mornings at breakfast and plan to continue this also.

FREE Resources

There are so many great resources also available for FREE! Here are a few that we have used in the past.

  • Spot and Dot Alphabet Pages These are excellent for helping your preschooler work on their hand-eye coordination, their fine motor skills, and so much more! We use the Do-A-Dot Markers for this activity.
  • Number Playdough Mats 
  • Create Your Own Handwriting Sheets I use this to generate sheets for the kids names. I finally got smart and instead of printing one out for each kid everyday I put the paper in a clear sheet protector. The kids now use a dry erase marker and once a week get to practice with a pencil.

I am just so excited to have all my kids home together this summer. We don’t have any huge plans, just good quality family time!

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How We Do Preschool at Home in the Summer

July 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment

I recently shared a picture on Instagram of my kiddos sitting at our kitchen table working on their summer preschool activities. I did this with Caden last year and used the Big Preschool Workbook. I have also used the Kumon books with the kids too and really liked those as well.

We send the kids to an amazing preschool and each summer the teachers send the kids home with a packet to work on over break. We usually finish these activities fairly quickly and I decided to search the internet to see if I could find more of these already created packets. Now that the kids are getting older I wanted to be able to focus more on certain topics that I wasn’t able to find as many worksheets for in a store bought workbook.

Thanks to google I discovered the website Teachers Pay Teachers. It has soon became my favorite go to website for finding no prep or low prep learning activities for Caden and Maisie.

There are so many amazing resources available on this website. I am linking to a few of my favorites below. This resources are worth the money in my opinion.  For reference my children have recently turned 5 and 3.

My Favorites from Teachers Pay Teachers for Summer Preschool at Home

ABC Cut and Paste Fonts Maisie really likes these pages. Your little one will color a capital and lowercase letter, write it, and work on cutting and gluing.

Preschool Summer Packet (Pre K Summer Review Homework) This is a great packet that reviews skill during summer vacation between Pre K and kindergarten! This is a NO PREP packet and includes TEN WEEKS of fun printable and there are TEN WEEKEND printable activities, motivational certificate, reading log, student checklist and cover page!

Preschool (PreK, Pre-K) Summer Review – Summer Homework This pre-kindergartenl summer review packet is packed full of engaging homework review activities that will bring a smile to their sweet faces as they work on math, fine motor, language arts!

Summer Review Preschool No Prep Worksheets & Activities This book contains a collection of summer themed worksheets, suitable for use with children in Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten (Prep).

Summer Review NO PREP Packet (Preschool) This Summer Review NO PREP Packet is filled with hands-on, engaging and FUN resources that get kids excited about learning!

Summer Review This book contains a collection of Summer-themed worksheets intended for use with children in Kindergarten (Prep) at the end of the school year for revision purposes.

FREE Resources on the Internet

There are so many great resources also available for FREE! Here are a few that we use for our home preschool during the summer.

Spot and Dot Alphabet Pages These are excellent for helping your preschooler work on their hand-eye coordination, their fine motor skills, and so much more! We use the Do-A-Dot Markers for this activity.

Number Playdough Mats Maisie really enjoys this activity.

Create Your Own Handwriting Sheets I use this to generate sheets for the kids names. I finally got smart and instead of printing one out for each kid everyday I put the paper in a clear sheet protector. The kids now use a dry erase marker and once a week get to practice with a pencil.

Additional Supplies

Books

The Preschool Binders

Caden and Maisie each have their own binder with separate activities in them. A few of the worksheets overlap but for the most part they are working on different skills. The binder is filled with worksheets in sheet protectors that can be reused and also holds their other worksheets that they will write on, cut up, color, or glue.

I found it easier to make the binders up before the summer because everything is now in one easy to find place for each kid. This makes it perfect and less time consuming for me in the morning because I am not rushing to print worksheets off or figure out what we are going to do.

Our Summer Preschool Routine

Now that you know a few of the resources we use here is what a typical morning of summer preschool looks like in our home. I like to do the bulk of activities in the morning because the kids are more rested and more likely to be excited to participate.

Preschool happens 4 days a week in our house on Monday – Thursday morning. After breakfast we pack up and head out to the pool for swim lessons at 8am. By 9am we are back home and ready to start. I put Jesse down for his nap and we have a little over an hour before he wakes up.

Here is what a typical morning looks like for us.

Names

The very first thing we do is practice writing names. I use the worksheet generator I mentioned above that is FREE. We sit at the kitchen table for this.

Calendar, Bible Verse, Pledge

After they finish their names they sit on the floor and wait for the other to finish. Caden usually finishes first so he sits and looks at a book.

 

We talk about the days of the week, what day it is, recite the bible verse they are working on for Sunday school, and say the pledge of allegiance. I made a calendar buying a poster board from the dollar store. It took about an hour to type, cut, and either tape or glue everything to the board.

Centers

We don’t actually move around for these in our home but we do rotate out activities at the kitchen table.

For our centers I try to change up what the kids do each day. One day we may focus on Math. For Maisie this will be using her numbers play dough charts and for Caden he works on basic addition and subtraction.

Caden really enjoys “Write the Room” and I try to do this at least once a week for him and change out the words. If you are unfamiliar with this activity you can google how to it works. It is more time consuming on your end but if you need to work with another child individually it is a great way to have one occupied so you can focus on the other.

Gluing and cutting are popular with Maisie and I like to incorporate them into Literacy activities. The ABC Cut and Paste Fonts worksheets from Teachers Pay Teachers is great for this!

We use baking trays as magnet boards and find the letters in our names and work on spelling words or we sort the magnets into colors. The kids also like dice games. We will use the trays to contain the dice so they don’t run away off the table.

I could probably write an entire post on centers. The most important thing is to find ways to engage your children while they are learning. Each child is different so what works for one might not work for the other. Celebrate their strengths and praise them often but be sure to correct. Praise for the sake of praise does not translate well later when bad habits have been formed that could have been corrected with just a little extra time.

Recess

It is really hot here in Arizona in the summer so we don’t go outside but we do a family style type workout indoors.

I have set up everything from an obstacle course for them to do or we literally do a workout together. It is not anything crazy but they like running around the house with me and using the home workout equipment we own.

If you have trouble coming up with your own “workouts” check out these options below.

Snack & Story

Lastly, we finish up with a snack and our bible story for the week. I read one story a week out of The Gospel Story Bible. I read the stories in order and we stick with one story a week to talk more in-depth about what we are reading.

Each day I read one of the lessons of TheOlogy and we review the main topics we have already covered from this book. These are short lessons that teach children truths about God and shapes a biblical worldview.

If we don’t teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to. This is why it is vitally important in our home that Jesus and the Gospel remain at the center of everything. Even in our home summer preschool.

And that was a super long post. Hopefully that answered a few of your questions! I really love all the extra time I have with my kids in the summer and love teaching them. I hope your summer is going well and that you are cherishing your kids if they are at home and creating fun memories with your family :).

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The East Valley 2017 Summer Guide for Preschoolers

May 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment

This post is for all you local blog readers! I spent my youth (and college years) growing up in Tempe, whatup 85284! We currently live in Chandler but 3 years ago rented a house in Gilbert for a year, so we are also familiar with that area.  And for the last 12 years Josh has worked for the City of Mesa.

Having lived in the east valley for 26 out of my 33 years I feel I have a pretty good idea of the local spots that are fun, free/inexpensive, or air conditioned to hit up during the summer months.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but this is a list of things that our kids enjoy or we think they will enjoy this summer, we enjoy doing with them, and also do not cost much money. Our kids are 4 years, 2 years, and 6 months old for reference.

EAST VALLEY SPLASH PARKS

Our community has so many splash parks! Many master planned neighborhoods are featuring these in the parks surrounding new homes. I know there are probably many more that I could have included in this list.

CHANDLER

Spray pads operated by the city run 9am-7pm May through August and 10am-6pm September through October. In case you haven’t been to Desert Breeze in awhile be sure to stop by this summer to visit the newly remodeled spray pad! It is so nice!

  • Chuparosa Park spray pad has a ground spray, spray rings and a candy cane-shaped shower. 2400 S. Dobson Road. (480) 782-2750.
  • Desert Breeze Park spray pad 1 Buttercup, 1 misty mountain, 1 ground spray, 3 ants, 1 corn poppy, 1 flutter, 1 morning cross and 3 surf stones.. 660 N. Desert Breeze Blvd. (480) 893-6652.
  • Espee Park spray pad has a water tower, candy-cane-shaped showers, spray rings and ground sprays. 450 E. Knox Road. (480) 782-272.

Chandler Mall also has a splash pad that is located in the outdoor Village. It is open daily April thru September from 9am-4pm. 3111 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler. (480) 812-8488

GILBERT

Water Tower Park’s splash pad is among other water features, including a floating granite kugel ball and a water wall. 6am-10pm daily, year round. 45 W. Page Ave. (480) 503-6200

With the plethora of restaurants in downtown Gilbert you won’t have a problem finding a place to eat after you splash around in the water. Grubstak offers kids eat free on Tuesdays!

Santan Village Mall has a splash pad that opened for the season on May 6th and it will close in October. It is located in the Children’s Play Area between Build-A-Bear and Gymboree. 2218 E. Williams Field Rd., Gilbert. (480) 282-9500

MESA

The Eastmark Community’s Great Park has a public splash pad operated by the city of Mesa. 7am-10pm daily, year round. 5100 S. Eastmark Parkway. (480) 644-2352

The city’s Riverview Park also has a splash pad with multiple water features. 9am-10pm daily, year round. 2100 W. Rio Salado Parkway. (480) 644-2352

TEMPE

City of Tempe has three parks with splash pads. There used to be a splash park at Tempe Town Lake but it is permanently closed. Next summer Kiwanis Park will be home to a new splash park and I am sure it will be amazing! Details on all three currently opened: (480) 350-5200

  • Jaycee Park. Open April 29-October 29. 10am-7pm daily. 817 W. Fifth St.
  • Hudson Park. Open April 29-October 29. 10am-7pm daily. 1430 S. Cedar St.
  • Esquer Park. Open April 29-October 29. 10am-7pm daily. 2407 E. McArthur Drive

KIDS CLUB @ SUPERSTITION SPRINGS MALL

Free, fun & educational games and activities for kids! The Superstition Springs Center Kids Club is a great opportunity for your child to learn in a fun, interactive setting. National Geographic Kids creates activities and games that focus on discovery through play.

Details: Kids Club is hosted by Persephone (she is a singing clown) and Dewper the Prairie Dog every Thursday from 10-11am through October 26, 2017 in JCPenney Court. 6555 E Southern Ave, Mesa. (480) 832-0212

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Many churches offer Vacation Bible School in the summer months! Our church included. Ages 4+ will learn where their identity is found, who God says they are, and what their mission is! Compass Christian Church is offering VBS in the evenings from June 4-June 7.

Details: Cost is $5. VBS is 6:30pm-8:30pm on June 4-June 7. Register HERE. 1825 S Alma School Rd, Chandler. (480) 963-3997

FREE SWIM @ CITY OF CHANDLER POOLS

I love public pools. I know that sounds weird but I took swim lessons at Kiwanis Wave Pool during the summer months I was in elementary school and eventually became a lifeguard at this same pool. That is how Josh and I met.

My degree is Recreation Management with an emphasis on community and urban recreation. I previously worked as a Recreation Coordinator for the City of Chandler and I absolutely love all the amazing programs Chandler offers to the community!

Every summer Chandler Aquatics has free swim hours at each of it’s pools. Here is a list of this years schedule. To my knowledge they are the only city in the east valley that offers this. Be sure to check out free swim this summer during the months of June and July.

  • Arrowhead Pool: Saturdays 11am-1pm. 1475 W. Erie St. (480) 732-1064
  • Desert Oasis Aquatic Center: Wednesdays 3-5pm. 1400 W. Summit Place. (480) 732-1062
  • Folley Pool: Fridays 3-5pm. 600 E. Fairview. (480) 732-1063
  • Hamilton Aquatic Center: Tuesdays 6-8pm. 3838 S. Arizona Ave. (480) 782-2630
  • Nozomi Aquatic Center: Sundays 4-6pm. 250 S. Kyrene Rd. (480) 783-8261
  • Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center: Fridays 6-8pm. 5901 S. Hillcrest Dr. (480) 782-2635

ARIZONA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 

Explore the history of the Southwest, from dinosaurs to explorers, at the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Pan for gold, search for dinosaur bones, and much more! If you go in the morning be sure to head down to the basement level to see if the activity center is open for your little ones to color, read books, work on puzzles and play games.

This is one of the most expensive places on this list but if you purchase a year membership it is so much cheaper! Last year we visited at least twice each month and it paid for itself in two visits.

It is the perfect size museum for little kids and the new dinosaur play area with slide and tunnel makes it even more perfect for the hot summer months! We enjoy this place over the IDEA Museum which is right down the street.

Details: Cost is $12 for adults, $7 for ages 3-12, and is free for children 2 and under. 53 N. MacDonald. (480) 644-2230

SUMMER READING PROGRAMS

We love going to the library! I have since I was little. Does anyone else remember  Book It? Loved earning pizza by reading books :).

Sign your kids up for the reading program at the library this summer. They may not earn pizza but establishing the love of literature in your child is a gift that will last forever. Here are several of our favorite libraries in the east valley:

SWEETIES

Located in Chandler Sweeties is what little kids dreams are made of! Aisles and aisles of candy. So much candy! You can buy it prepackaged or make your own little bag of all your favorites. Sozo Coffee and the .99 cent store is in the same shopping center if you want to make a full morning or afternoon adventure of it!

Details: 1986 North Alma School Road. (480) 899-4245

BRUNSWICK BOWLING (FOR FREE)

Kids 15 and under can score 3 FREE games of bowling this summer at Brunswick through September.  Shoe rental is not included. Simply register HERE and coupons will arrive via email.

BASS PRO

The Mesa Bass Pro Shops has fun things planned for kids on Tuesdays!  Every Tuesday participate in their Kids Night event where they will have crafts, games, archery, and food for everyone! Events run from 5-8 p.m. (602) 606-5600

WIGGLE WORM ADVENTURES, GILBERT

Located at the McQueen Park Activity Center, take your kids 5 and under (max of 4) for play. Come play indoors with mats, hoops, balls, tunnels, ride on toys, music, and more!

Details: Cost is $1.50 for Gilbert Residents and $2 for Non-Gilbert Residents. Adults are FREE! Drop in between 9-11am on M,W,F from May 1 – August 11, 2017. 510 N. Horne St., Gilbert. (480) 503-6294

TUMBLEWEED TOTS, CHANDLER

Much like Wiggle Worm Adventures this is also a community sponsored preschool playtime held at Tumbleweed Recreation Center. Drop in and play in the air-conditioned gymnasium. This is a fun, safe, and clean area with plenty of toys and equipment to keep the kids entertained.

Details: Cost is $2 for Chandler Residents and $3 for Non-Chandler Residents. Drop in between 12:30pm-2:30pm on M,W,F. 745 E. Germann Rd.,
Chandler. (480) 782-2900

TEMPE HISTORY MUSEUM

If you are heading to Tempe Public Library at all this summer you might want to make a stop here as well. The museum is within walking distance of the library and while it isn’t geared towards children specifically it does have an area called Kids’ Place where children can play in a miniature Sun Devil Stadium, climb on a police motorcycle and hear music from bygone eras. Josh and Caden spent an hour there recently and enjoyed it. There is no cost to enter.

Details: Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 1-5 p.m. Sundays. 809 E. Southern Avenue. Free admission, donations accepted. (480) 350-5100, tempe.gov/museum.

There you have it! I hope you are able to create lasting memories with your family this summer! Remember that your kids want to spend time with you. Don’t think that you need to spend money or go on vacation this summer to have fun with your family. There are so many fun things to do right in our own community!

Is there something I didn’t put on this list that I should add? Let me know! I would love to hear from you!

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