Table Time / Workbooks

[BlsdMama]

I'm needing a few ideas for our table time.

 

We're gearing up to start school again for the year after the baby comes (probably next week) and I'd like some ideas and workbook suggestions.

 

The two I'm looking to entertain are 4yo and 3yo daughters.

 

The four year old is INCREDIBLY busy.   She needs a smidge of easy sit still work to practice lengthening her concentration and focus.  She is most likely dyslexic as we have it in one parent (and therefore pass it down at a rate of 50%) and shows signs of phonetic unawareness along with speech issues (unusual in a girl.)  So, we're looking at essentially workbooks that are color by number, color the ABC, or something like that. 

 

The 3yo is a barely three.

 

Ideas so far with things I currently own:

 

Ink & Stamps

Coloring pages to go with story of the world

Audio books

Play Dough

HotDots (I don't love these, but I own them already.)

Simple Puzzles

Pattern Blocks & Cards

Counting Bears & Cups

Memory

 

 

Workbook Ideas:

Dover Alphabet Coloring Books

 

 

I'm going to be forthright - I'm never (this summer) going to make Busy Bags.  Ever.  I want to start school in two to three weeks and plan to give birth somewhere in there too.

 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Legos were popular here for both sexes when they were younger, but the small pieces might not be a good idea.  Building things with notched popsicle sticks went over well.  DD liked constructing stables for her horses out of recycled paper and Popsicle sticks at that age.  I have to go but if I think of anything else I will post.  Good luck!

[Kerileanne99]

Mazes and Lollipop Logic pages. I made a 3-ring binder full of plastic page protectors and slipped the Kumon mazes, LL, and other fun pages like one of those find the hidden picture things. At 2-3 this was one of dd''s favorite things. Just adjust for each kid according to ability, hand them dry erase markers and an eraser.

 

Another thing that kept her busy and was excellent fine motor practice: a small box of various bolts and nuts. Matching the size, and screwing it on combines all sorts of work. Latches and locks work well too!

 

The early Kumon books for cutting, folding, etc would work well.

[WeeBeaks]

Some things that worked for us at that age in addition to what you have listed:

Gakken workbooks (easier than Kumon in many cases, work at a younger age or without letter awareness yet)

Magnetic dress-up doll (flat wooden doll with magnetic outfits), lots of different brands available

Lacing cards

Wedgits though this is a little loud if they like to crash towers

Magna-Tiles or similar

Melissa and Doug Latches board or "Basic Skills Board"

Leap Frog reader and books (make your life easier and get the one with the headphones jack)

 

[BlsdMama]

Some things that worked for us at that age in addition to what you have listed:

Gakken workbooks (easier than Kumon in many cases, work at a younger age or without letter awareness yet)

Magnetic dress-up doll (flat wooden doll with magnetic outfits), lots of different brands available

Lacing cards

Wedgits though this is a little loud if they like to crash towers

Magna-Tiles or similar

Melissa and Doug Latches board or "Basic Skills Board"

Leap Frog reader and books (make your life easier and get the one with the headphones jack)

 

I'm thinking I need to collect everything I have and put it in rotation.

 

I have MagnaTiles, LeapFrogs, Lacing Cards, and Wedgits. :P :)

 

I don't have any books for our Leap Pad 2s.  But I do have three of these.  Potentially downloading some new games and keeping them up only for school could be beneficial. Hmmm....  Maybe just to organize now!

[Walking-Iris]

I like HWOT (the wooden letters, play doh etc) and the workbooks. ETC Get Ready Set Go books are nice. Arts and crafts, different learning type toys in rotation, puzzles, games, building toys. Science experiments are fun at this age. Mudpies to Magnets or other simple activities. 

[73349]

Another vote for the Kumon books - mazes, cutting, tracing numbers, tracing letters.

 

Teach the 4YO to play Candy Land and she may be able to help the 3YO learn.

[DhanyaCali]

Workbook suggestion, *I haven't used these personally*, just flipped through them at the conventions, but you may want to look at Horizon's 3yo workbooks, your description below made me think they may be a good choice

"She needs a smidge of easy sit still work to practice lengthening her concentration and focus.  She is most likely dyslexic as we have it in one parent (and therefore pass it down at a rate of 50%) and shows signs of phonetic unawareness along with speech issues (unusual in a girl.)  So, we're looking at essentially workbooks that are color by number, color the ABC, or something like that. "

Sample pages  http://media.glnsrv.com/pdf/products/sample_pages/sample_PRS001.pdf

Product page https://www.aophomeschooling.com/horizons/preschool-for-three-s/prs001#productResources

 

and of course the internet is full of "printables" that are similar and appropriate for your needs, but you don't have time for that! Lol at least I assume not. :)

 

We used ETC primers and loved them but they may just cause frustration, letters on every page. We're also big fans of kumon skills books, the normal ones and the "Lets" ones aimed at a younger audience.

[BlsdMama]

 

and of course the internet is full of "printables" that are similar and appropriate for your needs, but you don't have time for that! Lol at least I assume not. :)

 

We used ETC primers and loved them but they may just cause frustration, letters on every page. We're also big fans of kumon skills books, the normal ones and the "Lets" ones aimed at a younger audience.

 

You're reading my mind. :)  No, nothing to plan, nothing to print, nothing on me except to tear out the next page this year.

 

The ETC books I suspect are beyond my little girls.  I use them and have used them with all my kiddos but I've not used Ready, Set, or Go.

 

 

 

[Tanikit]

With my 3 year old recently I started a "draw a picture" session - every evening at bedtime she draws me a picture on a single piece of paper and tells me what she is drawing since she likes story telling. She is also in speech therapy (articulation and chewing issues) This is very simple and requires no printing or planning - just something to draw with and a piece of blank paper. Her drawing has taken off since starting this and she is now trying to draw animals - it started as just scribbles and circles and has developed very rapidly.

 

Read aloud time is always a good idea at those ages - get out the toys to do while you read, breastfeed the baby and you should be ok. I have my computer attached to our TV and that means I can use internet books to read to them - I don't even have to turn the page then - just click the mouse button or get the kids to. I do still prefer books in print form for various reasons, but I have more books available to me online and we never have to go to the library which is a very long drive with small children in the car.

 

Taking the children out into the garden also gives me lots of time - they can do bark rubbing, pour water on sand and make mud (run the bath before they come back inside!), and take toys outside to play with. This type of play is easier for my very busy older child.

 

Collect all you have an put it in one place so you don't need to buy more (one less task) then rotate it. 

 

Finally let your children play together - by this age they can start deciding their own games (usually with the older bossing the younger around) and just putting out toys is enough - blocks, lego/duplo, soft toys, building equipment etc. Its fine to just leave them to it.

 

As the baby gets older and life settles down you can reevaluate and change things again. Enjoy the new one.

[BlsdMama]

Have no fear! We do all of these other things and spend oodles of time outside. We just recently bought an acreage. The new baby chicks are tucked in their eggs and in the incubator as we speak and the rabbits will start coming next week! The garden was started before we finished unpacking, lol! :) I just specifically need ideas and suggestions for our table time together. The outside stuff comes naturally to me. Sitting still is a challenge! ;)

[3curlytops]

We did a letter of the week pre-k from confessionsofahomeschooler.com.  It's a collection of worksheets by letter.  I didn't do all of the worksheets for each letter, just the ones we enjoyed.  It's a lot of printing though. 

[strange_girl]

Both of my kids have started the ETC Ready, Set, Go books at 3. They did both like writing letters by then, though. Handwriting Without Tears Pre-K book is great too, for beginning writing and learning the alphabet.

 

We have used a variety of Kumon and other brand 'early learning' workbooks. However, my kids love workbooks, so that may not work for you.

 

My 2-year-old likes legos (even the little ones...yes, I know, bad mommy :lol: ), Play-doh, water, magnets, markers, ripping stuff up, Playmobiles, wooden trains, Matchbox cars, movies, iPad games, snap beads, unifix cubes, etc. But he's never been one to eat things, either, so I really don't think I'm any help. :sad:

[Korrale]

Definitely the Let's (cut, paste or fold) books by Kumon. And three I Can (cut, paste, color) books by a different brand.

Magnets.

Do a dot paints for letters.

There is a website called 1+1+1=1. They have tons of Printables.

One thing my son loved doing at that age was freestyle crafts. I just gave him an old shoe box full of random stuff. Paper, stickers, scissors, glue, tape, dot piñata, markers, crayons, string, dry pasta and he would rip or cut and glue and color and tape and crumple his own masterpiece.

 

When I was about 4 I used to love hammering. At my preschool they had a table set up with blocks of wood, nails and price of frantic and bottle caps to nail. You can use a softer mallet with playdoh or foam block and golf trees instead.

[Chris in VA]

How about a modified cutting box? I used to use a big, sit-in-it sized box and put junk mail, a sheet of the newspaper classified, scraps of yarn, paper, etc in it, and dd sat and cut. You could make a table top version with a shoe box and lid.

 

There are lots of things to do with playdough. You can use it for cutting practice, too, by rolling snakes and cutting them up. You can hide things in balls of it to find (jewels, coins, small plas animals, etc). Clay is good for that, too, as it's harder to get into.

 

How about tongs and puff balls? Pouring lentils?

 

If she needs more phonemic awareness, then maybe matching or sequence cards and have her tell you about the pictures.

Does your stuff have to be at a table? Could they do Montessori rugs? They'd still be sitting relatively still.

 

Kumon books are really good.

 

We used ETC preprimer stuff--Ready, Set, Go, but we did not have dd write the letters at first, just do the fun stuff.

 

And audio books? The simple ones where she has to follow along in a book and turn the page at the beep?