Week 26 - the end of Homeschooling Preschool

Cognitive activity ideas

Objective: No new cognitive objective. Feel free to review prior objectives or revisit favorite activities.

Literacy

Objectives:

• Identifies uppercase and lowercase Z
  
  
• Tells the main sound of /z/

Parent instructions

Choose one activity a day with the exception of #1 and #2, which should be done a few times a week if possible.

Activities

• #1 Say the ABCs using your chart from beginning to end once a day, pointing to each letter as you say it. After going through all the letters, ask your child to find this week’s letter—Z. Look at and have them trace with their finger the upper and lowercase examples. Tell your child that Z is a consonant, which is a name for all the letters that are not vowels. Say, “Z says /z/ like zebra.” Try to ask your child a few times a week (during bathtime, driving in the car, etc.) to tell you the sound of Z. (Don’t forget to include some previously learned letters, especially those vowels!) If they need help or say it incorrectly, model the correct way by repeating, “Z says /z/ like zebra.” Always say it with its example word. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes)
  
  
• #2 Continue going through your letter flashcards 2–3 times a week. By this point, it usually takes less time since your child has fewer cards to practice. Revisit cards your child has mastered only occasionally. Make sure you are mixing up the order of the cards. Pay special attention to the vowels. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes throughout the week)
  
  
• Complete a “Find the Letter” worksheet to locate all the upper and lowercase Zs. Use a marker, highlighter, or dauber to mark all the letters they find. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes)

Math

Objectives:

• Counts nickels by 5s to 100
  
  
• Knows own birthdate
  
  
• Reads time on a digital clock

Parent instructions

Choose one activity a day with the exception of #2, which should be done several times a week if possible.

Activities

• You have probably already reviewed your child’s birthday with them when you were studying the months of the year. Ask them now if they remember what season their birthday is in. Then, ask them if they remember the month and finally the day. If they recall it, wonderful! Find it on the calendar together. Perhaps mark it with a fun sticker or drawing. If they are not sure or don’t remember, review this several times throughout the week until they can name their birthday quickly and confidently. (Estimated Time: 10 minutes)
  
  
• #2 Using an easy-to-access digital clock (perhaps on your phone or the microwave), help your child practice reading the time. Show them the colon (:) and explain that it separates the hour from the minutes. Show them how to read first the hour and then the minutes. Children sometimes need help remembering to read the minutes as one continuous number (1:33 read as “one thirty-three,” not “one three three”) (Estimated Time: 15 minutes spread throughout the week)
  
  
• Review with your child that nickel is equal to 5 cents or 5 pennies. Have your child count out 20 nickels by 5s (5, 10, 15, etc.) up to 100, placing one on each multiple of 5 on the 100s chart as they count. Then, have them count the nickels by 5s again as they place them on top of a dollar bill. Reiterate that 5 nickels equal 1 dollar, which also equals 100 cents or pennies. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes)

Fine Motor

Activities:

• 1 tripod grasp activity
  
  
• 1 spherical grasp activity
  
  
• 1 bilateral hand coordination activity
  
  
• 1 in-hand manipulation activity

Parent instructions

Choose one fine motor objective each day and then select an activity that practices that objective from the list in Appendix A. Feel free to choose more than one activity or work on more than one objective a day if you like! Just remember that little hands tire easily and short, regular practice sessions are better than long, sustained ones. (Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes)

Download the Appendix A that lists all the fine-motor activities.

Social-Emotional

Objectives:

• (Self-awareness) Speaks out for or takes appropriate action to defend self or meet own needs/rights

Activities

Choose one activity a day (Monday - Thursday)

• While playing with toys, role-play situations where another child snatches a toy or asks for a toy they are not finished with. Give your child strategies and useful phrases for responding, such as “I am using this right now, but when I’m done I will give it to you.” Talk about how sharing doesn’t mean you have to give everything away but that you can work with others to find a solution if you both want to use something. Take turns being the “taker,” and think about different ways you can stand up for yourself if you are faced with someone like this. (Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes)
  
  
• Repeat the above activity with different situations your child may encounter (bullying, another child not following the rules of a game, etc.) and include not only example responses but guidance on when and how to seek the help of an adult. (Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes)
  
  
• Read books about characters who stand up for themselves. (Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes)