My Favorite Pre-K Teaching Tools & Techniques

Welcome to Tuesday talk! Meet your hosts! Becky from BYBMG, Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls, Whitney from Polka-Dotty Place, Elizabeth from All Kinds of Things, Tara from Mrs.Coach Sims, Keri from Living In This Season, Sarah from Abiding In Grace, Lauren from Simply Free , Emily from Morning Motivated Mom, and Jessica & Katie from Sweet Little Ones, Christina from Waltzing In Beauty, Amy from Go Forth and Mother & Michelle from Grammie Time
We are so glad you are here and hope that you will link up with us this week!
This week I am also joining Stephanie from Wife Mommy Me for Mom Talk Tuesdays.

This months theme is: Teaching Tools & Techniques.
As a homeschool mom I am always on board to talk about education on any level but today I want to keep things simple and share some of my Pre-K favorites.

Dot Markers//

Any project that involves dot markers is better than one that doesn't. They are fun, easy to use and free printables are abundant online, like these. Dot marker worksheets offer loads of flexibility as well. If you don't feel like using the dot markers use stickers instead and refine those fine motor skills. 

Scissor Skills//

Scissor skills may be slightly terrifying but under close supervision they are always a hit. What little kid doesn't want to cut thing? They just need some guidance and ground rules on where and when that is okay. I love finding fun and interesting books like Let's Cut Paper. The pages are a bit thicker than regular paper providing the perfect sturdiness for beginners.

You can also find loads of cutting printables online too. 

Workbooks//

Never underestimate a trip to the Dollar Tree or better yet the Target dollar bins. Pres-school work should be simple and fun. Online sheets and printables are abundant but if grabbing some workbooks from the dollar bin is more your style go for it with no guilt. I have been using cheap workbooks for years and I think they are fantastic.

Computer Games//
Nothing makes Emily happier than computer time. We love playing fun educational games on Disney but I try and keep her school games more "business" and less "distracting".

My favorite site to do this is easily Turtlediary.com. They offer a HUGE variety of simple, free games that Emily loves and they even keep them sorted by grade level and subject.

Proper Writing Technique//

As a first time clueless mama I really dropped the ball on this one. I assumed if she was writing letters and they looked decent we were all good (and some may still argue that we were). It wasn't until we began Kindergarten and I started the Handwriting Without Tears book with Marissa that I began to realize just how improper her handwriting formation was. Bad habits were already formed and I spent most of that first year reprogramming her to efficiently and properly write her letters.

If I had to do this all over again (and I have with Emily) I would have done more research on teaching a child how to properly for their letters and supervised those early letter tracing days much more closely. With some work on both of our ends I am proud to say that second grade Marissa has better handwriting than I do when she really applies herself. 

Make Learning Fun//

Most important remember to have fun! Early childhood education should be hands on and exciting. Never underestimate how much a child can learn while playing and when it's not fun any more put it away. Don't worry yourself over what your pre-schooler doesn't know and embrace some of the best years of playing and learning together.

What are some of your favorite Tools & Techniques for Pre-schoolers?!

Now it's your turn.
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