Learning Time In Our Little Home

The hubster and I are prayerfully considering whether we should homeschool our kiddos or send them to a private school. This is not a decision that we take lightly so we've given ourselves the year to think, talk, and pray about it.

In the meantime, I've started doing "learning time" at home on Alex's off-days. I went to the local Dollar Tree store and picked up some things to help us in our time together and was happy to find work sheets that build on what he's already learning at Preschool. We practice his letters, math skills, shapes, and even try our hand at some arts and crafts. :) {He likes the math more than the art.}

This past week, Alex was learning the letter "K" so I built our own learning time around that.

When we sit down to do learning time, we begin by singing songs, going over our counting and letters, and then talk about the specific letter he's learning at school. He can practice writing his on the dry erase board {from IKEA} and on his dry erase Printing Practice sheet {from Target's Dollar Spot}. I show him a few times and then he tries with my help and then on his own. {I'm sure you can see a clear difference. lol} 

Then, we talk about our "Attitude of Gratitude" and pick 5 things to be grateful for. This list changes with every Learning Time and I love listening to what he comes up with.

After that, we read a story together. Since April first was approaching, I chose this book {April Foolishness}. He loved it and wants to read it over and over again. 

We played with these foam letters and pegs. {Lauri Tall Stacker Pegs A-Z Pegboard Set Uppercase} Eliana kept busy with these while Alex and I moved on to his work sheets.

He LOVES doing the mazes but needs a little encouragement to get into coloring. LOL I give him a sticker on each page he completes and he seems to feel more "accomplished" after I do that. It's the little things... ;)

Here, we practiced writing the letter "K" and did a connect the dots activity. Then, we wrapped up our time at the table with a lacing activity. This cute kitten is from the Melissa & Doug Lace & Trace Pets set. In the past, Alex would attempt this and then walk away from it but I'm proud to say, he completed it on his own with a little encouragement. :) 

Our "Learning Time" was finished with some sensory play at our new Sand & Water table from Step2 {more on that coming soon}. I filled it with rice and the kiddos absolutely loved their time there. It does get on the floor but I'm happy for the mess if it keeps them occupied and playing together. :) 

I'm hoping this is a habit that sticks whether or not we decide to homeschool. Having time together to learn and have fun with it is so important. I adore this time with my littles and they've been so responsive to it. 

Is there something you do in your home to encourage growth in learning? I'd love to hear your ideas. 

**This is not a product review. I'm just sharing what we do in our home and thought it would be nice to link to the sites where you can find the things we use in case you're interested in getting it for yourself.**