PreK Homeschooling Archives

Preschool Homeschool Reading List

September 30, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Reading is a huge part of our homeschool. Huge. The kids spent time reading literally every single day. Based on my experiences in life, I think that the most important part of a good education is learning to love reading. Think about it: If you love to read, you can truly learn anything you want, whenever you want!

Naturally, we try to start our kids out with daily reading at a very young age. So, since Piglet is starting preschool this year, we’ve put together her preschool homeschool reading list. Look out for activities to go along with these stories in the coming months!

Image c/o: Andy-pix / depositphotos

Preschool Homeschool Reading List

1. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

2. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

3. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

4. The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems

5. National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals

6. Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

7. The Mitten by Jan Brett

8. The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola

9. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

10. Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell

11. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

12. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

13. Press Here by Herve Tullet

14. Corduroy by Don Freeman

15. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

16. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

17. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

18. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

19. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle

20. Curious George by H.A. Rey

21. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

22. Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

23. Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry

24. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

Don’t miss these other book lists for kids!

Get more ideas for raising readers on my Reading for Kids Pinterest board!

Free Fall Printables for Preschoolers

September 26, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Preschoolers love learning about fall and autumn! The leaves are changing colors, the air is getting colder, and you can catch glimpses of all kinds of animals!

I love sharing fall printables whenever I can, so I thought I’d share a list of fun and free fall printables for preschoolers that you and your PreK learner can work on together! There are printable activities, coloring pages, crafts, and more – all of which are perfect for welcoming autumn!

If you love these fall printables, don’t miss my Apple Tree Counting Mat for Preschoolers or our Fall Sight Word Flashcards!

25 Free Fall Printables for Preschoolers

1. Leaf Identification Flashcards – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Printable Fall Gross Movement Game – Gift of Curiosity

3. Fall Preschool Song Printable – No Time for Flashcards

4. Nighttime Scavenger Hunt Printable – Edventures with Kids

5. Fall Tree ABC Match Printable – I Heart Crafty Things

6. Fall Preschool Pack – 3 Dinosaurs

7. Fall PreK Learning Pack – Totschooling

8. Fall Printable Activity Pack – A Little Pinch of Perfect

9. Fall PreK Pack – This Reading Mama

10. Fall Clothes Dress Up Printable – Teaching Mama

11. Printable Autumn Leaf Puppets – Picklebums

12. Fall Roll and Color Math Printable – Fantastic Fun and Learning

Pages: 1 2

Preschool Playdough Mats: Apple Tree Counting Mat

September 9, 2016 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

Piglet, our youngest, is starting PreK this year. She is so excited about it.

Of course, she also thinks that she will begin kindergarten immediately after the first day of preschool.

Since she’s working on PreK concepts, I’ll be sharing a lot more preschool resources this year, including preschool playdough mats!

Here in the U.S., we’re all gearing up for fall, so here’s a fun Playdough Apple Tree Counting Mat you can use with your toddler or preschooler too!

Read on to see how to grab this for your students.

And for more apple fun, don’t miss our Apple Alike! Same or Different Worksheets or our Apple Preschool Counting Puzzles!

Preschool Playdough Mats: Apple Tree Counting Mat

Here are the supplies we used for our mats: (Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

That’s it! You definitely want to laminate these first so that they can be reused.

Since the apples are grouped on the trees in sets of four, this was a simple way to work on skip counting.

Just add four apples to each tree and count them.

Use a different color to work on counting and sorting. (How many green apples are there? How many red apples are there?)

Then a little reinforcement. If there are four green apples on this tree and four green apples on this tree, how many green apples are there altogether? Oh, so four plus four is how much?

Next thing you know, your preschooler will be saying that 4 x 2 = 8. 🙂

Scroll down to get your copy of our Playdough Apple Tree Counting Mat!

Check out these other fall learning ideas for preschoolers!

And don’t miss our list of awesome fall books for kids to share this year!

Get more ideas for fall fun with kids from my Fall Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!

Grab your copy of our Printable Apple Tree Counting Mat for free when you sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll receive access to this printable, plus loads of other learning resources, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

This post is part of the Free Unit Studies roundup! Stop by to see more fun posts about Apples and Pumpkins from my fellow bloggers!

Corn Kernel Fall Tree Craft from Play Dough & Popsicles

Kids in the Kitchen: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from Crafty Mama in ME

Learning About Pumpkins {Free Printables Round Up} from Faith and Good Works

Books about Pumpkins for Kids from CraftCreateCalm

Pumpkin Recipes for Kids from FrogMom

Harvest Theme Word Search from Tales of Education at Home

Board Books About Apples and Pumpkins for Toddlers from The Jenny Evolution

Pumpkin Science Activities from iGameMom

Apple Read and Play from My Storytime Corner

Pumpkin Preschool Printables from Living life and learning

Pumpkin Patch Alphabet Match from Schooling a Monkey

Apple Sight Word Game from Books and Giggles

Challenge Math – Apple Theme from Planet Smarty Pants

Simple Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Tots

April 12, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Piglet and I read the classic children’s story Harry the Dirty Dog together and she absolutely loved it.

So, we decided to share a simple art activity together that would help her connect with the events in the story.

And that’s how this super easy Harry the Dirty Dog activity came about.

This prewriting activity is simple enough to try with toddlers, tots, and preschoolers and you can prep it in just a few minutes.

Read on to get your copy of this fun toddler prewriting activity free!

And, for more fun with early education, don’t miss our list of 20 fun printable resources for preschool!

Harry the Dirty Dog Activity for Toddlers

This activity is extremely easy. Honestly. Plus, it’s guaranteed to get your little ones into the story!

What You’ll Need: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

The book Harry the Dirty Dog
Crayola Dry Erase Crayons
A copy of our Clean the Dirty Dog Printable
A laminator

Once you print the Clean the Dirty Dog printable, run it through the laminator.

Then get out your dry erase crayons.

You’ll only need the black one.

I like the Crayola Dry Erase crayons, because they come with the cleaning mitt, which you’ll also need.

In the story, Harry hates taking baths, so he hides his scrubbing brush and runs away from home.

While he’s away, he gets super dirty – running through a construction site, sliding down a coal chute, and so on.

So our first step was to get our white dog dirtied up!

I just turned Piglet loose with the crayon.

Boy, he really got dirty, didn’t he?

Making our white dog dirty was probably Piglet’s favorite part of the entire activity.

When Harry returns home, he’s so dirty that his family doesn’t recognize him.

Frightened, he digs up the scrubbing brush, runs into the house, and jumps into the bathtub.

Once he’s all clean and scrubbed, the kids know that the black dog with white spots is actually Harry, their white dog with black spots.

Naturally, we had to clean Harry up too! And that’s where the dry erase mitt came in handy.

Aw…look how clean he is!

To do this art activity with your littles, get a copy of our free Clean the Dirty Dog printable below!

>>> Clean the Dirty Dog Printable Activity <<<

Want more book-related learning fun? Check out these posts!

This post is part of the Read It, Make It Book + Craft Week linkup from Emma Owl! Get 50 ideas for arts and crafts based on children’s books!

Ten 10 Minute Preschool Activities

February 22, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Have you ever spent an evening planning an activity for your preschooler only to find that it lasted all of 10 minutes? I have. It’s extraordinarily frustrating.

I cannot tell you the number of times I made that mistake with Tigger when she was younger. I’d meticulously plan a unit study, complete with books, games, activities, crafts, and more – only to find that she’d lost interest after just a few minutes.

But let’s be real: Preschoolers are not known for their long attention spans. Which means that when it comes to activities, the quicker the better. And if the setup is also simple, then that’s a win-win!

So here are ten 10 minute preschool activities that are fun, easy to set up, and educational! Don’t worry. With these, your preschooler won’t have time to get bored!

Image c/o: dmitrimaruta / depositphotos

Ten 10 Minute Preschool Activities

Pick a part of the human body and do a craft about it. These can be as simple as a cut-and-paste activity. For example, try this simple hands-on craft about taste buds!
Read a great picture book with your preschooler. If you need book suggestions, check out my list of the best picture books for three-year-olds!
Practice scissor cutting skills. Learning to use scissors is an important preschool skill. This set of bee-themed scissor practice printables is simple to set up!
Go on a nature walk. Take your child outside and look at the plants, animals, and insects in your neighborhood. If you have a lot of trees nearby, grab these free leaf identification flashcards and see how many you can spot!
Learn sign language. ASL is a wonderful language for both deaf and hearing kids and you can learn to sign a few words in just a few minutes! Check out this video to learn how to sign weather words in ASL.
Look through a kids’ cookbook and find a recipe to make together. This list of fun children’s cookbooks features some great selections!
Do a simple science experiment. In just a few minutes, you can show your child a scientific principle or two! Try this quick experiment to learn how to make an egg float!
Design a map of the solar system. Use this set of free printable solar system flashcards to set up a universe on your dining room table!
Make moon sand. When the weather’s nice outside, take your preschooler outdoors and make this recipe for colored moon sand together! It’s an awesome play material and a great way to incorporate sensory integration in your day.
Create a batch of edible play dough. This recipe for edible dairy-free play dough is super fun and super easy to make!

Try these other activities for early learners!

Harry the Dirty Dog Extension Activity

How to Teach Preschoolers to Play Quietly

The Best Picture Books for Three-Year-Olds

For more preschool learning ideas, follow my Learning for Little Ones board on Pinterest!

And for more ideas to teach kids of all ages, check out The Big Book of Homeschooling Ideas!

The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas by iHomeschool Network

This post is part of the “Useful Tasks You Can Do in 5 to 60 Minutes” linkup from iHomeschool Network! Stop by to see the other quick tasks you can get accomplished in your homeschool!

10 Free Printable Flashcards for Toddlers

November 12, 2015 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

We’ve been sharing loads of free printable flashcards on the blog for the past year. Today I thought I’d round up the flashcards that are best for our tiniest learners – toddlers!

Piglet started tot school this fall, so she learns right along with our older kids when we have our homeschool lessons. During tot school, we try to focus on the absolute basics: counting, letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and some animals.

So if you’re teaching your toddlers the same concepts, here are 10 free printable flashcards for toddlers that are available right here on the blog!

10 Free Printable Flashcards for Toddlers

While I’m recommending these flashcards for toddlers, they can really be used for any age at all. Some preschoolers may need to focus on strengthening number and letter recognition, while some grade schoolers may enjoy using the animal flashcards as part of a unit study. Feel free to use them however you see fit for your kids!

Farm Animal Flashcards

Sorting by Color Flashcards

Animal Alphabet Flashcards

Pet Flashcards

Snowflake Counting Flashcards

Spanish Number Flashcards 1-10

ASL Number Flashcards

Sign Language Alphabet Flashcards

Color Flashcards

Shape Flashcards

Preschool Playdough Mats: Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats

October 26, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

As the nights get longer, we start to see more and more forest animals peeking out of the trees in our neighborhood. So, I thought it was a great time of year to introduce a set of Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats!

These would go great with a forest unit study or a unit study on animal homes, especially if your family includes toddlers and preschoolers who are learning the alphabet!

These are wonderful for building fine motor skills and early literacy with young kids! Plus, they’re an excellent choice for quiet time play.

Be sure to check out the rest of our Preschool Playdough Mats, including beach number mats, apple tree counting mats, and more!

Preschool Playdough Mats: Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats

To use these forest playdough alphabet mats, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Color printer with ink
Printer paper
Laminator (This one has been a staple in our homeschool for years.)
Assorted playdough

In this set, you’ll find forest-themed mats for each letter of the alphabet from A to Z.

Both the uppercase and lowercase letters are shown, so you can introduce them both if you like.

To make sure these mats last, it’s a good idea to laminate them before use.

That way, once the kids are done, you can just wipe them clean and store them for another time.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Forest Playdough Alphabet Mats!

Kids’ Books about the Forest:

For even more learning fun about life in the forest, check out these kids’ books about forests!

1. A Forest Habitat by Bobbie Kalman

2. Forest Bright, Forest Night by Jennifer Ward

3. Who’s In the Forest? by Phyllis Gershator

4. Night-Night, Forest Friends by Annie Bach

Don’t miss these other preschool learning ideas!

To get your copy of these Forest Fun playdough literacy mats, check out the details below!

Back to Preschool with Family Fun Friday!

August 27, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for Family Fun Friday! Last week’s party featured plenty of great posts for teaching preschoolers, so I thought I’d feature six of them in case any of you are heading “back to preschool” this month!

Today is also my last time co-hosting the Family Fun Friday linky, so if you want to keep linking up your posts, be sure to visit Monica Pruett at Happy and Blessed Home or Herchel Scruggs at Gym Craft Laundry if you want to join the party going forward.

I’ve enjoyed hosting for the past year and I’ve gotten to feature so many awesome homeschooling bloggers! I hope you’ll keep linking up!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. Head to A Little Pinch of Perfect to learn how to make a Toilet Paper Roll Car Craft!

2. Teach preschoolers how to build CVCE words with the adorable printable Apple Baskets at Life Over C’s!

3. Are your preschoolers learning the alphabet this year? Midwest Modern Momma shares 7 ways to help preschoolers learn the alphabet!

4. Grab the super cute Back to School Counting Cards and Puzzles from Living Life and Learning to refresh preschool math skills!

5. Work on literacy by having preschoolers learn the alphabet with the letters in their names! Jodie from Growing Book by Book explains how!

6. Want to make preschool less “school-y”? Tiny Tots Adventures shares a fun and relaxed way to help little ones learn their ABCs!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Family Fun Friday is a growing link-up with over 200 bloggers sharing their posts each week. Each host shares her favorites from the week before, increasing your chances of being featured. Co-hosts will also be pinning their favorites to a community Family Fun Pinterest Board. This link party opens up at around 4 pm EST on Thursdays.

Please be aware that by linking in Family Fun Friday you give our hosts permission to use your images to create a collage for our features. We may also use the collage to promote Family Fun Friday through our individual social media accounts.

Simple Sensory Play with a Muffin Tin!

August 21, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Piglet is our last child and, I have to admit, I didn’t do many sensory activities with my other kids when they were her age. Until recently, I didn’t think sensory play was really important for kids.

Then we found out that Tigger has SPD, so we started integrating more sensory activities around the house. So, when I heard that Cathy James was releasing a new book that’s all about sensory activities for little ones, I was super excited to try it out! If you’re stumped for ideas, this book is full of simple sensory play ideas that take almost no time at all!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Simple Sensory Play with a Muffin Tin

For Piglet’s first official sensory play attempt, we decided to try the activity “Creative Concoctions” from Cathy’s new book Super Sensory Invitations to Play!

All you do is fill a muffin tin with whatever you have around the house. The goal is to include materials for as many senses as you can.

I took Cathy’s suggestion and used shaving cream, rice, water with food coloring, and dried beans. All of these were things I already had in our pantry. Win!

I will say that I had to be very clear with Piglet that she was not to eat ANYTHING. Otherwise, I’m sure she would have confused the shaving cream for whipped cream. 🙂

At first, I encouraged Piglet to feel the shaving cream. She didn’t exactly like the way it felt, though.

So I gave her a plastic spoon and she was far more comfortable.

I showed her how to add the colored water to the shaving cream. She loved doing it on her own!

Then she started adding rice and the dried beans.

After a while, we ended up with rainbow shaving cream!

Throughout the entire activity, she described what she did: “I mix it up.”, “I’m doing an activity.”, “I stir it.” I guess it ended up being a language activity too! 🙂

That looks like evidence that a tiny person enjoyed herself quite a bit.

All in all, she ended up sitting at our dining room table for nearly 30 minutes with this one activity! I couldn’t believe how much she enjoyed it and it was so simple! I am definitely an early childhood sensory play convert. 😉

If you want to see even more simple sensory ideas from the book Super Sensory Invitations to Play, click the image below to get a look at what’s inside!

This post is part of the Super Sensory Invitations to Play book tour! Stop by to visit the other blogs on the tour to see more wonderful sensory activities from the book!

Aug 2 :: Powerful Mothering

Aug 3 :: The Educators’ Spin On It

Aug 4 :: Simple Fun for Kids

Aug 6 :: Homegrown Friends

Aug 7 :: The Fairy and the Frog

Aug 8 :: Mum in The Made House

Aug 12 :: Mama Smiles

Aug 13 :: Thriving STEM

Aug 14 :: Mom Inspired Life

Aug 19 :: Kids Craft Room

Aug 20 :: Fun-A-Day

Aug 21 :: Look! We’re Learning!

Aug 23 :: Lemon Lime Adventures

Aug 26 :: Bambini Travel

Sept 1 :: Laughing Kids Learn

Sept 14 :: Best Toys for Toddlers

Sept 18 :: Fantastic Fun and Learning

Art and Sensory Activities Galore with Family Fun Friday!

July 9, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

This week’s Family Fun Friday is all about art and sensory activities for kids! We use sensory play a lot in our homeschool, especially because some of our children are living with Sensory Processing Disorder.

Interestingly, though, I’ve found that sensory activities and art projects can be particularly helpful for learning. And that’s why I’m excited to announce the release of the book Learn with Play by the bloggers of the Kid Blogger Network! It’s filled with even more art and sensory activity ideas!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the ebook free in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

As I mentioned above, Learn with Play is a brand-new ebook packed with over 150 different activities for young children! A lot of resources offer suggestions for activities to keep your kids busy during the day, but only a few are focused on educational activities.

What makes this book special is that all of the activities are geared toward helping kids actually learn something.

To get an idea of what’s included in Learn with Play!, check out the two activities below.

As you can see, each activity features a clear picture, a supply list, and full instructions. No having to jump pages on blog posts to know what to do next! 🙂

During Launch Week, Learn with Play is available at the discounted price of $9.99 – a $5 savings off the regular price! To get your copy, click the image below!

Now – it’s on to Family Fun Friday! Be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom to see this week’s posts! 🙂


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. Letters in the Sand shares a fun sensory play activity you can make yourself: DIY Moon Sand!

2. Learn how to make DIY Chalk Paint for Kids over at Mini Monets and Mommies!

3. Mosswood Connections features an Exploring Owls Art Project – perfect for a fall unit!

4. Make your own Homemade Gak with the directions from One Little Project!

5. Learning about Picasso? Art Club Blog explains how to make Picasso-Inspired Pots!

6. Ever think about using sidewalk chalk to make powdered paint? You can with the instructions from P is for Preschooler!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Easy Science and Math Ideas with Family Fun Friday!

July 2, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Are you trying to keep your kids interested in learning over summer break? Last week’s edition of Family Fun Friday featured some easy science and math ideas for kids that I wanted to spotlight today!

Don’t forget to scroll on down and read this week’s newest parenting, homeschooling, and cooking posts!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. If your kids like simple science experiments, they’ll love this one from Planet Smarty: A 5-minute Molecule Attraction Experiment!

2. Research Parent shares a free printable you can use to explore the Relative Sizes of Planets in our solar system!

3. Kim from Life Over C’s shares how you can Use Beads as Math Manipulatives – perfect for little hands!

4. Shark Week is coming up! Brain Power Boy shares a roundup of fun Shark Activities to do with your kids!

5. Grab a set of free Animal Number Puzzles for Kids from Totschooling!

6. And for another early math printable, stop by Life Over C’s to get your Printable Bird Counting Play Dough Mats!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Summer Fun for Preschoolers with Family Fun Friday!

June 4, 2015 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Have a little learner in the family? You’ll love these summer fun for preschoolers ideas from last week’s Family Fun Friday! There were several great posts featuring fun for younger kids, including sensory activities, culinary arts, and early reading!

If you’re a blogger, be sure to scroll down and add your best parenting, cooking, homemaking, and homeschooling posts to this week’s linky!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Britta was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness. This year Britta wants to find that sweet spot between getting more done and enjoying the process. Britta will feature Delicious Recipes. Follow: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.

Christin blogs at illuminate. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three premature children, she’s learned that God is the Perfect Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Christen will feature Inspirational Posts.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. Living Life and Learning shares a great roundup of Summer Preschool Activities!

2. Learn how to make Erupting Sidewalk Paint at Views from the Stepstool!

3. Teach little ones about sight words with a fun Sight Word Bingo activity from P is for Preschooler!

4. Little ones love bubbles! Just Another Mom features a roundup of Summer Bubble Fun Ideas!

5. Have some water play with the Polka Dot Splash Water Game from A Little Pinch of Perfect!

6. Get your littles into the kitchen with Growing Book by Book’s list of Book-Inspired Cooking Activities for Preschoolers!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Color Crafts for Preschoolers with Family Fun Friday!

April 30, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

This week’s Family Fun Friday is all about colors! Last week, bloggers shared some great posts with us and I wanted to feature some of the posts that highlighted color crafts for preschoolers.

Piglet will be beginning her preschool (lite) work this fall and we’ve already started introducing her to colors. With these fun color activities, she’ll learn them in no time! 🙂


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Britta was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness. This year Britta wants to find that sweet spot between getting more done and enjoying the process. Britta will feature Delicious Recipes. Follow: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.

Christin blogs at illuminate. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three premature children, she’s learned that God is the Perfect Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Christen will feature Inspirational Posts.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. This Colored Water Transfer activity from Hands On As We Grow is perfect for outdoor fun!

2. Ten Kids and a Dog explains how to use simple Baking Soda Art to keep kids entertained on rainy days!

3. Cassie at 3 Dinosaurs shares a beautiful way to make Watercolor Butterfly Flower Paintings!

4. Learn how to help kids make Spring Flower Crafts with Pipe Cleaners at Mini Monets and Mommies!

5. The Jersey Momma demonstrates how to make Colorful DIY Squishy Play Dough!

6. Amber at From ABCs to ACTs features a free Spring Flower Color Matching printable!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

5 Simple Activities for Early Readers

April 28, 2015 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Welcome to another edition of the Laugh and Learn linkup! This week, we’re sharing our favorite features from last week and extending an opportunity to share even more parenting and homeschooling posts on four different blogs!

I also wanted to share an article that I got to write over at Thinking Outside the Sandbox that’s perfect if you’re trying to grow young readers in your family. 🙂

5 Simple Activities for Early Readers

Sometimes we can overthink teaching our kids to read. While it’s true that some children need formal instruction in phonics in order to master reading, we can do a lot to encourage them by making literacy a regular event in the home.

The great news is that you don’t need an expensive early reading program to get started! There are lots of simple ways to get kids excited about reading at an early age. Stop over at Thinking Outside the Sandbox to check out five simple activities for early readers!

Five Simple Activities for Early Readers – Thinking Outside the Sandbox

Linky time!

Welcome to our 30th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup. Last week we hit an all time high of 74 links! Thank you everyone for participating and please continue to share so we can continue to grow

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our four favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on four blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help moms learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids and funny things that happen. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.

Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of April 27th:

Written by Annie at Annie and Everything

Written by Jennifer at Study At Home Mama

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up

Free Early Learning Printables with Family Fun Friday!

March 19, 2015 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

It’s Thursday and it’s time for another edition of Family Fun Friday! Last week, several bloggers shared some great free early learning printables that I wanted to feature this week!

If you have preschoolers or kindergarteners, you can use printables to teach all kinds of basic concepts, including letters, counting, simple addition, and science. These printables include all four concepts and are great for homeschool, preschool, or after-school work!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Britta was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness. This year Britta wants to find that sweet spot between getting more done and enjoying the process. Britta will feature Delicious Recipes. Follow: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.

Christin blogs at illuminate. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three premature children, she’s learned that God is the Perfect Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Christen will feature Inspirational Posts.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. Alecia at Learning 2 Walk shares an complete preschool printable worksheet pack that’s all about spring!

2. Tree Valley Academy is continuing their number study series with a free printable number study about the number ten!

3. Cassie at 3 Dinosaurs features a free printable activity to help kids learn uppercase and lowercase letters!

4. From ABCs to ACTs has a super cute bumblebee-themed missing number printable!

5. Monique at Living Life and Learning shared some fun dinosaur simple math worksheets!

6. Annette from In All You Do has an adorable Very Hungry Caterpillar emergent reader printable for early readers!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Fun Preschool Activities with Family Fun Friday!

February 19, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

We have a budding preschooler in our family and I’m already starting to plan fun preschool activities for her! So, I really loved several of the posts that were shared during last week’s Family Fun Friday, especially those that were geared toward young learners.

Today, I’m highlighting some fun preschool activities that are great for encouraging reading habits, fine motor skills, and counting! Scroll on down to read even more great parenting, homeschooling, and cooking posts from some fabulous bloggers!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Britta was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness. This year Britta wants to find that sweet spot between getting more done and enjoying the process. Britta will feature Delicious Recipes. Follow: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.

Christin blogs at illuminate. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three premature children, she’s learned that God is the Perfect Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Christen will feature Inspirational Posts.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. We have a visual learner in our family, so I loved this post about how to teach fractions to visual learners at Living Life and Learning!

2. Q-Tip painting is a simple way to build fine motor skills for toddlers and preschoolers. From ABCs to ACTs shares some free printable Q-Tip painting printables!

3. Who has a child who loves trains? (Raises hand.) Use this adorable train number puzzle from Totschooling to teach counting from 1 to 10!

4. I loved going to the library as a single woman. Going with toddlers? Not so much. Big Family Blessings shares some really smart tips to make library day a success, even with young kids!

5. Roo is obsessed with all things construction, so Sunny Day Family’s Goodnight Construction Site unit is perfect for him!

6. Dr. Seuss “Read Across America” week is coming up in March! Get ready with five Dr. Seuss book units from Finding the Teachable Moments!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Reading and Play Ideas for Toddlers with Family Fun Friday!

February 12, 2015 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Do you have toddlers in your family? It’s tricky to keep them entertained for long, especially if you’re trying to teach a lesson or get them interested in early reading and math.

Good news! This week’s Family Fun Friday is featuring great reading and play ideas for toddlers that were shared last week! If you’re a blogger, be sure to link up your best posts below for a chance to be featured next week!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Britta was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness. This year Britta wants to find that sweet spot between getting more done and enjoying the process. Britta will feature Delicious Recipes. Follow: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.

Christin blogs at illuminate. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three premature children, she’s learned that God is the Perfect Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Christen will feature Inspirational Posts.

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. Make a fun outdoor car track with pavers and chalk with the instructions from Niccola on Tuesday!

2. Early Bird Mom has some tips for teaching kids to play by themselves – awesome if you need a tiny break!

3. Help little ones learn phonics with these adorable beginning sound “pancakes” at Growing Book by Book!

4. Plan a complete preschool year with these preschool homeschool ideas from The Relaxed Homeschool!

5. To help your kids understand what they read, use the activities for reading comprehension from Mosswood Connections!

6. Best Toys 4 Toddlers has a list of simple outdoor play ideas you can do in any weather!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Free Printable Pet Flashcards

February 10, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

We’re sharing another set of free printable flashcards today! These are free pet flashcards, which are perfect for little ones who are learning about animals!

Free Printable Pet Flashcards

In this free flashcard pack, you’ll find flashcards for six common household pets, including:

Puppies
Kittens
Bunnies
Turtles
Mice
And Goldfish!

Combine these with our A to Z Animal Flashcards to teach kids about all kinds of animals, big and small!

Scroll down to get your copy of our free printable pet flashcards!

Kids’ Books about Pets

For even more pet learning fun, try these children’s books about pets! (Affiliate links are provided here. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

1. Tails Are Not for Pulling by Elizabeth Verdick and Marieka Heinlen

2. Pet Show! by Ezra Jack Keats

3. The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini and Bruce Whatley

4. Pete the Cat: A Pet for Pete by James Dean

And see more ways to make learning fun for early grades on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our free printable pet flashcards, click the image or the link below to download them!

>>>Free Printable Pet Flashcards<<<

Bodily-Kinesthetic Learning Style: 5 Tips for Helping Boys

November 7, 2014 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

I blog about boys’ learning and learning styles, both of which are fascinating. Finding out more about a boy’s learning style can be truly helpful and can make a bit difference in his learning life. If you have a bodily-kinesthetic learner use these tips to help him learn.

Teaching boys who have a bodily-kinesthetic learning style requires patience and may take a few adjustments to your homeschool routine.

The main thing to remember about bodily-kinesthetic learners is that they love to learn by doing and they need to be in motion. Boys with this learning style also like physical play such as wrestling and horse-play, they are always tapping, twitching about or swinging their foot, they may be athletic, they need to touch someone when they are talking to them, and almost every one of them has difficulty sitting still!

The great thing about this is that tailoring some of your boys’ learning toward his strengths will result in a better overall learning experience—for both of you.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Learning Style Tips:

Go Hands-On

Manipulatives are your friend. Use things like Cuisenaire Rods or LEGO Math Games and he will be more apt to dive in. Make your lessons hands-on if at all possible. Include things that he can use and manipulate. For example, if you are learning about the Eiffel Tower, make sure to provide materials so he can build a model of it.

Get Touchy Feely

If you want him to remember something put it in his hand. Let him touch it, feel it, take it apart, hold it, or re-build it. By doing this it becomes much easier for him to remember something about it.

Act It Out

Drama is big with many boys who have a bodily-kinesthetic learning style and using it is a great way for them to learn. If you need him to remember something, act it out together. Do an oral book report with a lot of action. Have him act out his answers in pantomime.

Get Loud

Yes, I really mean it. LOL I know some boys are pretty loud already but sitting quietly at a table trying to do work isn’t their style. Allow yelling out answers. Bang things around. Make it fun. If you are working on a project, choose one in which they can move, talk and get loud and you will have better luck.

Move About

Go out and about by using field trips, getting outside, seeing new places, or walking to the park. Get them out of the house and moving around. Getting out works great but sometimes you need to stay home. For those times have boys walk in place, jump, clap, smack, squish, slap, or tap while working. Any movement is going to benefit your boy.

It is true that doing things this way can take a bit longer but planning ahead can help and it is really worth the effort. Use hands-on activities, touching and feeling, acting, noise, and movement to help your boy who has a bodily-kinesthetic learning style. Give him what he needs and see his learning abilities grow.

What do you do to accommodate your bodily-kinesthetic learner? Share your tips in the comment section.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte No Cook Playdough

September 12, 2014 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Hey everyone! It’s time for our 12 Months of Sensory Dough linkup! Every month, I’m honored to co-host this linky with 11 other bloggers, including Dayna at Lemon Lime Adventures, Val & Alex at Glittering Muffins, Devany at Still Playing School, Sarah at Little Bins for Little Hands, Kimberly at Natural Beach Living, Melissa Ann at The Eyes of a Boy, Nicolette at Powerful Mothering, Amy at Wildflower Ramblings, Rachel at I Heart Crafty Things, Michelle at Delightful Learning, and Jennifer at The Life of Jennifer Dawn!

Fall is in the air! We’ve been enjoying our sensory dough this year and I thought “Why not make a fall sensory dough?” What says fall? Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

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