AnnieM Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I just found this board last night. I am in the process of doing research on preschool curriculum but I have no idea of where to start. My daughter is 2 1/2 years old. When do I start and what do I use? I am very new and confused. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Take a deep breath and relax. Go to the library and check out lots of books that look interesting. Read, read, read. Talk, talk, talk. Read, read, read. Sing songs, dance, jump and run. Count steps and chairs and forks and everything else. Talk about colors everywhere. Cook and mix and stir and taste. Have fun, lots of fun. That's enough for the early years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 :iagree: Oh yeah, and read, read, read some more!:001_smile: Check out Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I check this book out about every other month. It has a great list of books broken down by age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlgbug Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 im just rEALLY starting my 2 year old ds on some things if you wanna check my blog. i made new games the other day and will be updated everyday,,,, he is not 2.5 yet, but i figure we would get going. Monday ill be starting Letter of the Week with him and more math work. Along with Letter of the week he will do HOP pre K and OPTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmacnchs Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 check out the 1+1+1=1 blog for fun ideas. at 2, I work mainly on learning to sit still and concentrate (playdoh, puzzles (ABC & #s so they will be learning at the same time), coloring, etc). Once mine learn to sit still and concentrate, they learn much more quickly their #s, letters, etc. Oh, and as others said, we read NON-STOP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 My dd was about 2.5 when I started Carol's Affordable Curriculum with her: http://www.carolscurriculum.com/ I used the 2 -5 year old Son Shine curriculum. It gives you everything you need for the crafts minus glue, scissors and crayons. It was very cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
believe in miracles Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Listen to your daughter's signs. When she wants to learn, give her lots of opportunity. I like what the other moms have said... read lots, play lots! But when she's not interested in learning, let her go play! I regret pushing my little daughter too hard. She was in kindergarten and I thought we had to follow a schedule. Wish I would've just had more fun with her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 :iagree: Oh yeah, and read, read, read some more!:001_smile: Check out Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I check this book out about every other month. It has a great list of books broken down by age. :iagree:and then read some more!! :D I really liked Jim Treleases's book too. Honey for a Child's Heart is another good read-aloud resource. I checked both of them out from the library. If you'd really like to buy some quality preschool books to have on hand, Sonlight's P3/4 is a great choice. It's the perfect preschool program in this reading-crazy mom's HO. I think that if I was just starting out and hadn't already accumulated a lot of great toddler/preschool materials, I would buy My Father's World Toddler and Preschool programs (really just a set of learning toys.) HTH, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I ordered Chubbie Cubbies preschool kit for next month. While they are all activities I can put together myself with my daycare planning books I just don't have time right now. My dd is almost 2.5 but has been doing "baby school" (her words) since she was under a year old. SHe is looking for something more and gets jealous when the kids school books start arriving so now she will get her own box in the mail for school. I really like Before 5 in a row for this age group too, she loves the stories and now repeats many of them back to me. Check out the Sonlight catalogue for the book list for P3/4 and check those books out of the library to read (or buy them if you are like me and are a bibliophile). Other hits at this age, nursery rhymes, finger plays and singing. My dd loves to use the giant stamps and stamp pads I have bought her, between her farm animal stamps and singing old Macdonald's farm she knows all her animal sounds, and is learning her colours(though she calls brown chocolate). We also focus lots on fine motor skills at this age for dressing (buttons, zippers, snaps etc). We also practice things like pouring both through activities set out but also by letting her pour things into baking, and by letting her pour her own milk with help from me. Don't worry about buyinig a program at this point. Read read read, do simple crafts(stamping, painting, colouring, cutting and pasting construction paper), sing songs, do nursery rhymes and finger plays and you are pretty much set. If you feel the need to a purchased curriculum look at before 5 in a row or at a program that sends a box out monthly with new themes like Chubbies Cubbies(this was the cheapest one I found at only $16.95 per month--well actually $29.95 including shipping for us Canadians) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Little Hands to Heaven is a good one for two year olds, but not much older than that. I stopped using it because I was doing prek with both my 4 year old and 2 year old, and it was too young for my 4 year old. Then I would consider Bright Beginnings for age 3-4, also MFW K (would be good for Prek 4), and it's what I'm currently using. http://www.heartofdakota.com/little-hands.php http://bright-beginnings.net/ http://www.mfwbooks.com/k.htm I would check Homeschool Classifieds, Ebay, and the For Sale board here before purchasing new. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieM Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 Thank you for all the sage advice. I want to enjoy my daughter and not push her too much at this age. I guess I just get a little ahead of myself:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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