10 Things to Do Before the First Day of Homeschool Preschool
Preparing your homeschool for the first day of preschool is an exciting time. Keep reading our top 10 things to do to prepare.
Why Plan for the First Day of Preschool
Build Excitement
Your littles will see you putting in your time and effort to plan for the first day of preschool.
From gathering and organizing supplies to making a cozy learning space, your little one is sure to get excited to try out the new, novel items you are preparing for them.
Reduce Your Stress
Give yourself peace of mind by preparing yourself, your home, and your little one for the first day of preschool. The 10 things listed below are a surefire way to get yourself into homeschooling preschool mode.
Create a Smooth Transition
Because you have thought out how your first day of homeschool preschool will work, you can slowly start transitioning your little one into school mode. Before starting to homeschool officially, add elements of your preschool day into your regular day.
This may look like setting (and enforcing) a quiet time, having a snack at a specific time, and even going to the library every Tuesday if that is what you plan for the school year.
Allows You To Consider Things
Allowing yourself time to contemplate and think through certain things may be one of the best things you can do for your future self.
Preemptively deciding how your homeschool will (ideally) flow will help you know what to do to achieve your goal.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
Things to Do Before the First Day of Preschool
Create a (Flexible) Routine
Having a routine isn’t only beneficial for your little one. Following a routine (or flow to your day) helps everyone know what is happening next and when the next meal will be.
To get some ideas on how to plan a homeschooling preschool routine, check out this post.
Gather Supplies
It’s frustrating to everyone when the supplies you need aren’t available. Create a box or a basket with your tools — pencils, dry-erase markers, crayons, scissors, glue, and manipulatives.
This doesn’t mean all your supplies must always be on the kitchen table. Rather, keep them in a specific place so you know where to grab them when you need them.
You may want to consider putting your set of the items up where little hands can’t touch them. Items go missing quite quickly around here if they are left down. 😂
Choose a Curriculum/ Plan for Learning
When it comes to homeschooling preschool, having a direction for learning is beneficial. You need to know what you hope your little one will learn before you can teach them these things.
For some, this will involve deciding on a curriculum and having it printed or purchased. Others may choose to create their own calendar and learning schedule and use the library to gather resources.
There isn’t one right way.
Whatever you choose for your family, as long as you have a loose plan, you should be able to find your way.
Set Expectations
Set your little one and yourself up for success by creating expectations. Wanting them to sit for three hours to do worksheets isn’t reasonable for three and four-year-olds.
Have plenty of time for play (that’s how they learn best!).
Decide on behavior, emotional, and learning expectations. You may need to revisit and revise your expectations throughout the year.
Make a Learning Space
Making a dedicated learning space doesn’t necessarily mean a whole homeschool room. If you have room and want to do that, by all means, go ahead.
Most homeschooling parents don’t have a specific homeschool room. The kitchen table and the floor both work as learning spaces.
When we talk about making a learning space, think about items you can bring to foster learning.
Calendars, small dry-erase boards, a basket (or cart) with needed small items, etc., are all part of creating a learning space.
You can hang up a number or ABC line if you have space or have a more portable version your little one can refer to.
Prepare Materials
Have your curriculum and manipulatives looked through and ready for use. Allow yourself to become familiar with how the lessons are laid out and how to teach them.
If you need books from the library, put them on hold and gather them before the first day of preschool.
Outline a (Tentative) Calendar
Decide when you want to take breaks, what days you want off, and how many days you will homeschool preschool in total.
For some, following the local public school may be a good start. Others prefer to work through public school days off so they aren’t out at the children’s museum while all the kids are there on break.
If you have a vacation or other trip planned, homeschooling allows you the flexibility to stop schooling at that time and go on the trip guilt-free.
Create a Reward System
Having a reward system in place may be the motivation some preschoolers need to sit still, to try something new, or to do their work.
Not everything in your homeschool has to have a reward, but sometimes it’s nice to have these rewards to pull out of your pocket.
Creating a sticker, stamp, or star chart is easy, and most kids love collecting stickers, stamps, or stars. When making a reward system, consider your child’s interests.
Plan out Snacks and Meals
Hear me out — This may not seem very homeschool-related, but trust me, it very much is. 😂
With your little one being home all day, a lot of food is consumed daily.
Having a snack and meal plan will help you tremendously get through the day. It is glorious not having to put brain power into what you have in the pantry and what to make with the items.
Relax and Do Something for Yourself
Whew! You are amazing. Just by opening and reading this post, you are creating a wonderful start to your homeschool year.
Draw yourself a bath, read a book, grab a coffee, work out, or do whatever else you do for YOU, go do it. You deserve to be put first. 💗
First Day of Preschool
Planning for the first day of preschool doesn’t have to be stressful. Use this post as a checklist to help get yourself on the right track before starting your homeschool year.
