There are a lot of preschool essentials for homeschooling from crayons and a library card, to paints and playdoh. As far as daily letters and numbers learning is concerned, it is hard to pick what is best and what will actually “work.” There are so many great options out there and we have tons of commercials and ads screaming at us, it can be
Which preschool things are actually “essential” for homeschooling?
As a mom of 4, with my third child starting preschool next week, I have a pretty good idea of what you need. Here are three of my favorite Preschool Essentials For Homeschooling.
ABCMouse.com
If you are a parent, I’m sure you’ve seen an ABC Mouse commercial on Nick Jr and YouTube all the time. I’m a veteran ABC Mouse user. If you are wondering whether or not to commit to the price, try a free trial. It is so worth it. They have fun lessons, puzzles, and songs. You can track your child’s progress. I like that there are over 10 levels and over 180 lessons. The program covers math, reading, and science. ABC Mouse will even read books to your child. Most importantly, you can sneak in some quiet time and maybe even a cup of coffee before it gets cold. I can’t think of a better win-win than that.
Gakken Wipe-Off Workbooks
One homeschool expense that I never remember until I’m stuck spending full price on Amazon, is printer ink. That dreaded liquid encased in plastic that costs more than solid gold. I must also take a moment to apologize to the trees for all their comrades that had to die to teach my children the ABCs. I am on my third child entering pre-school, and I wish I thought of this sooner: wipe-off worksheets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I know about laminating. I barely want to take the time to put the plastic phone protector on my screen. Nobody has that much time or the patience to laminate that much, especially if they have 4+ kids at home. You can get the Gakken Wipe-off books for only $6 – $10 on Amazon Prime. THAT I have time for! That is such a small investment for the amount you will be saving on ink, paper, and time.
The first thing I was worried about is how long the pages would remain “clean looking.” Their marker comes off without water. I got it off with my finger and it works just as good as our Expo dry erase markers. The book is also ok to use with regular crayons, wet markers, and other dry erase markers. I would be careful to wipe them off when your preschooler is done for the day. I do not want to test how long I can leave on color without getting any staining.
One of my favorite preschool Gakken Wipe-Off books is the Early Math book. My preschooler loves it. The activities are so fun and simple. He also loves dry erase markers. One activity
Another great one to get is the Preschool Prep book. This book has a little of everything in it: maze work, numbers, letters, and matching.
One book which I was not sure if it was essential before I received it was the Play-Again Picture Puzzle books. It is helping to strengthen his logical abilities. There are pages on matching a drink to where it comes from, hide-and-seek pages to find the missing characters, tracing, and copying patterns. The fact that it is reusable is a real perk for this book because he does not always “get it” the first time.
Get them here on Amazon.
Merka Toddler Learning Kit
I was first drawn to Merka, because I wanted high quality flashcards for my preschooler. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that a preschooler can remember a lot of information from daily flashcard drills. Merka includes letters, numbers, shapes, and letters. I punched a single hole through mine to take on the go. My son already has some of his letters down, and its still summer! Totally worth it for the cards.
If you want to go the extra mile and get the whole Learning Kit, you will not be disappointed. The posters are adorable and look great in our homeschool room. I love that they have the same look as his flashcards; consistency is important to me. The little workbook is cute, as well as the stickers. Who isn’t motivated by cute stickers?!
There are so many different preschool essentials for homeschooling out there; sometimes its hard to pick what is best. As a seasoned homeschooling mom of four kids, I hope my suggestions will help you narrow down what you need!
