Home Learning Resources Preschool

Listed below you will find content for your children to practice and review together with you during this school dismissal. Additionally preschool students understand many parts of their preschool daily routine. They should be able to participate with you in following these three steps at home. The three steps are: Plan / Do / Review. Here is an overview to this process you can review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hhYe-KYpEs

1. PLAN: Define for children what "areas" or activities are available for them to do in a certain time frame. Usually for about 45 minutes to an hour. Children will then talk to you about their plan. Their plan may be to only work on one activity the whole time or multiple activities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7BFQJmi7bc

2. DO: Preschool children will then do what they planned. 3. REVIEW: Preschool children will share how they did with following their plan. You can ask

questions such as what was the best part? How did you...? Did anyone help you accomplish...? What other things might you have needed to finish your project? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOIkCwYAgGk

Subject Menu of Learning Opportunities

Early Literacy/Building Vocabulary

Read books, magazines, food labels, park signs ● Talk about colors, feelings, objects and characters ● Talk about different letters they recognize ● Find letters in their name

Exploring Art and Writing Use paper, pencils, markers, pens, crayons, or scrap paper to make cards, draw or build to:

● Write about favorite food or game or place ● Tell, draw or act out a story you have read or created ● Make a note or picture for a neighbor ● Write and spell family names

Mathematics and Science ● Sort objects (silverware, toys, books, marbles, cereal) by size, color, shape

● Count out loud as far as possible ● Identify shapes within your environment ● Build using Legos, blocks or other objects

○ See how high they can make it before it falls down ● Consider following a live camera of animals, wild life, etc. (explore.org) ● Cook together and talk about measurement ● Go for a walk together and talk about the things you see

Home Learning and Digital Options: Preschool

Pretend Play Pretend to be a: ● Police Officer ● Doctor ● Nurse ● Postal Worker ● Flower Shop worker

Help prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner using pots, pans, dishes, play food and possible recipes to follow with an adult

Additional Ideas ● Visit a park or playground ● Do a nature walk ● Ride bikes, scooters or skateboards

Social/Emotional Limit television viewing or access to information on the internet and through social media. Talk to your child about factual information of COVID-19 when asked. Be aware that developmentally inappropriate information can cause anxiety or confusion in young children. ● Maintain a normal routine when possible. Keep to a regular

schedule, this can be reassuring to young children. Given children breaks from learning tasks and activities if they seem overwhelmed.

● Social Emotional Learning Resources for Parents, Educators, and School Communities https://insidesel.com/2020/03/12/covid-19/

● Implement movement in your daily routine at home to reduce anxiety and promote physical health https://www.gonoodle.com/blog/positivity-clarity-focus-strategies-for-nurturing-kind-supportive-emotionally-aware-kids/

Websites and AppsThe National Association for the Education of Young Children website will give you the recommended guidance on how to use technology with young children.

NAEYC Website: https://www.naeyc.org/ 10 Technology Tips for Preschool Parents: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/technology-tips-for-preschool-parents

Utah Education Network: Learn at Home

Utah's Online Library is a collection of electronic resources. It provides statewide access to newspaper articles, magazines, professional journals, encyclopedias, video, photographs, maps, charts, and graphics.

Wellness Resources

Scholastic Free Literacy Home Program: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome/grades-prek-k.html

Sesame Street: https://www.sesamestreet.org/

Khan Academy Kids: https://khankids.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

Preschool Pioneer: https://preschool.uen.org/

National Geographic for Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Optional Apps: Imagination Box - Creation/Art work, important pictures, insert shapes, different colors, etc. Cost: $2.99

ThingLink - Create stories, add videos, pictures, music, voice over, etc.

Suggested Family RoutineTime durations are only suggested and should be adapted based on your needs. Use all or part of this

optional routine

For young children with short attention, short breaks may be helpful during each part of the routine. However, coming back to finish or clean up (even if it didn't last very long)

TimeSuggested Duration

Suggested Activities

7:00 AM 30 min Breakfast

7:30 1 hour Plan, Do, Review (play time) - see details above about how to accomplish

8:30 1 hour Topic Specific Activities - Math, Literacy, Science (Lots of resources listed below)

9:30 30 min Snack - Have children help prepare

10:00 45 min Crafts/Create (draw, paint, write, bake, dance)

10:45 45 min Movement Activities - chores, clean a room, go for a walk,

11:30 1 hour LUNCH - Outdoor play (Play with outdoor toys, ride bikes, kick a soccer ball, play hide and seek)

12:30 PM 1 hour Quiet Time/Nap Time/Story Time - Read a story, act it out, retell

1:30 1 hour Topic Specific Activities - Math, Literacy, Science (Lots of resources listed below)

3:00 1 hour Cooking and Snack (have children help make and clean up)

4:00 30 min Games & puzzles (Hide and seek, duck duck goose, board games, etc)

4:30 1 hour Plan, Do, Review (play time) - see details above about how to accomplish

5:30 30 min Dinner

6:00 1.5 hours Individual free time and Tech time

7:30 Bedtime routine

Activities for Families using JUST Play Dough!! *Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution is encouraged throughout these activities. This can be achieved

through open ended questions (i.e., I wonder how we can make the tower longer?)*

Please pick only 1-2 targets to work on each time you sit down to work on an activity. The activities are meant to be fun and to encourage learning.

Academic Targets - Key Developmental Indicators

KDI: A.2-Planning: Children make plans and follow through on their intentions KDI: A.4-Problem solving: Children solve problems encountered in play. KDI: D.23-Vocabulary: Children understand and use a variety of words and phrases. KDI: D.25-Alphabetic knowledge: Children identify letter names and their sound. KDI: E.32-Counting: Children count things. KDI: E.34-Shapes: Children identify, name, and describe shapes. KDI: E.36-Measuring: Children measure to describe, compare, and order things KDI: E.38-Patterns: Children identify, describe, copy, complete, and create patterns. Developmental Observation Tool: Colors

Measuring Vocabulary o Make playdough with your child, have your child help to plan and get the materials that you need. Talk about how much of the different ingredients you need and which tools will measure that amount (measuring cup, measuring spoon)

Colors o While making playdough, you can separate it into several chunks and add different colors. Ask your child what colors they want and have them help add the food coloring to get it to the shade they want (darker, brighter, more)

o Your child can mix the colors together and talk about the new colors they have made. o What color playdough do they need to make X?

Shapes o Use cookie cutters to cut shapes into the playdough. Talk about what shape you are using and what shapes you need to make different things (houses, planes, cars, superheros, etc) o Use a table knife, popsicle stick, or stick and draw shapes. Talk about how many sides and corners a shape has. Talk about if the sides are the same length or different lengths

Texture Vocabulary o How did your playdough turn out? Is it smooth? Is it hard? (do you need to add more water) Is it sticky? (do you need more flour)

Letters/Numbers o Kids can roll out the playdough (like a snake) and make letters or numbers that they know.

Counting o Kids can count how many things that they have made with their playdough.

Patterns o Using shapes, cut out of playdough or colors of playdough, make AB patterns (red, yellow, red, yellow)

Language Targets Action Words

◦ Focus your vocabulary on action words such as; “smash, squeeze, roll, poke, pat”, etc.  Descriptive Vocabulary using your senses 

◦ Talk about what it smells like, what it feels like, what it looks like, etc.   Verbs 

◦ Use a Plastic Figure such as Batman to see what things he can do with the play dough such as; Can he eat it? Stomp on it? Wear it? Stretch it? Jump on it? Cut it? Separate it? 

Basic Concepts/Prepositions   ◦ Concepts to target; big/small, long/short, empty/full, in/out, on/off, in front/behind, above/

under. Examples: Make long and short snakes, big and small balls. Put the play dough in the container, put the playdough under the container. 

Following one and two- step directions  Emotions 

◦ Playdough is fun to use to build faces with all sorts of emotions, and those activities can spark much-needed conversations about feelings and how to deal with our feelings.

Attention and listening  ◦ Playdough can also help increase attention and focus by staying on task, being part of the

moment. Establishing eye contact.    Nouns 

◦ Cookie cutters are a great tool for this. Label, Label, Label!!! Pretend play 

◦ This is a great activity to follow the child’s lead. Allow your child to take the lead to talk about what they are interested in. 

Fun Activities to do at home with kids: (credit: Seattle Times)

• Make your own snow day. Mix equal amounts of baking soda and hair conditioner to make the softest, nicest-smelling “snow.” We use a jelly roll pan to keep everything contained. Build your own tiny snowman, or just swirl it around into mounds and drifts.

• Blanket forts are the best. Throw a flat sheet over the dining table and presto, indoor tent! Imagine you’re going camping and bust out the marshmallows. Throw some pillows inside and you’ve got a cozy reading nook. Have everyone eat lunch on the floor and call it a picnic.

• Here’s the only recipe for homemade play dough you’ll ever need: 1 cup of white flour, 1 cup of water, ½ cup of salt, 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and your choice of food coloring. (Add peppermint extract for scent.) Stir everything together in a big nonstick pan for 5 minutes over medium heat. The play dough will last for months if you store it in a tightly sealed container. • Foam Dough: cornflour, shaving cream and essential oils.

• Let the kids play pretend doctor; you be the patient. The genius part of this game is you get to lie down. Toy stethoscope, toilet paper bandages and Saltines, done!

• A sensory bin will keep your kids busy for hours. Hours. A big shallow tub works best (like the kind you store wrapping paper in), then raid the pantry for bulk staples like rice or beans. Throw in measuring cups, funnels, a colander, whatever you’ve got in the cabinets. Tip: Spread a shower curtain or sheet on the ground first to make cleanup easy.

• Play hide-and-seek with the kitchen timer. The key here is that kids have to be really quiet to hear the tick-tick-tick.

• Does Costco have any toilet paper left? When the wiping is done, save the cardboard tubes to make your own DIY marble run. Tape (painter’s tape) tubes to the wall and roll marbles or pompoms through the maze.

Credit: (JiaYing Grygiel)

• The very best paint in the world is … water. Send the kids to the deck or sidewalk with a bucket of water and a paintbrush and set your Picassos to work. No mess to clean up!

• Work out some wiggles with a homemade obstacle course. Scatter the couch cushions: Can you hop across all the islands (cushions) without falling into the ocean (floor)?

• Color mixing is endlessly fascinating and all you need is a few drops of food coloring. It is pure magic watching red and blue turn into purple, and purely up to you if you let your tot dump the cups together themselves or maybe just help swirl the food coloring with a straw. Eye droppers are great for practicing fine motor skills.

• More ways to see color mixing at work: Drop M&Ms into a glass of water and watch what happens when the colors dissolve. Or freeze colored water into ice cubes and watch them melt together. • Put hot water on leftover Skittles to create pretty patterns.

• Balloon volleyball is much less destructive than regular volleyball. Balloon catch is much easier for little reflexes. • Play balloon ping-pong — all you need are paper plates, paper towel rolls (or popsicle sticks), and a balloon.

• Our next-door neighbors ordered new furniture, and their big empty cardboard box easily became my kids’ favorite “gift” this past Christmas. These are the only walls they get to draw on, so set them up with markers and crayons. String fairy lights inside and add pillows and stuffies for a kids-only clubhouse.

• Make an ocean in a bottle! Take an empty water bottle, fill half with oil and half with colored water. The waves are mesmerizing.

• Shaving cream smells good and is fun to squish. We pump out shaving cream on the coffee table and let the kids smush it around. (You’ll want to keep a towel on hand.) Bonus points for teaching kids how to write their ABCs in the foam. Invite some dinosaurs and monster trucks to the party and see what kind of tracks they make.

• It’s not bath time yet? That’s OK. Lay down some towels, fill a big pot with water and bring out the bath bubbles and rubber duckies.

• Slime is fun to make and fun to play with. Stir these three ingredients together: a 6-ounce bottle of Elmer’s glue, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and 1½ tablespoons of contact lens solution. Add a few teaspoons of water to make it stretchier, or some glitter for bling.

• A roll of painter’s tape and your living room floor turns into roadways for all those Matchbox cars. Add Post-it notes for buildings. Future urban planner? • Painter’s tape and some balled-up newspaper are all you need for this “sticky spiderweb” activity

• And while you're putting tape down, try playing indoor hopscotch!

• Put a bar of soap in the microwave to make soap clouds.

• Hang a target to test your kid's paper airplane tossing abilities.

• Try out some kid-friendly yoga lessons to keep your kids centered and limber.

• Little kids can give their plastic toys a bath.

• Penny games are fun for kids to play — and all you need are some pennies!

• Preschoolers can continue to learn how to draw letters with an easy-to-make sugar-writing tray.

• Play kid-friendly games on Amazon Echo/Dot or Google Home.

• Balloon rockets are super fun and — bonus! — teach an important science lesson. Tape straw to ballon. String yarn through straw and attach string to wall. Blow up Ballon and release, sending the "rocket across the room"!

• Cut a pool noodle in half to make a marble racetrack.

• Freeze water to play mini ice hockey.

• If all else fails...let your kids play dress up in the far end of your closet.

5 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Help Your Child’s Speech and Language Skills 1. Read to your child

• Set aside 20 minutes per day that are just for reading, keep it sacred • Point out written words as you read • Ask child questions about the pictures and the text • Try holding the book upside down and see if your child can correct it • Find books about your child’s interests

2. Review past events with your child

• After a fun activity, ask your child questions about what happened (Ask Specific Questions e.g. “What did you like best about ___?”

• What parts did your child not like? • What would your child improve if they could do it again • Try to put pieces of the event in order, sequencing

3. Go on a walk and talk about what you see

• Let your child take the lead and talk about whatever they’re interested in

• For young children, o label what things are called and label actions you see people

doing • For older children,

o play I spy with adjectives (e.g. “I spy something that is big, green..)

o Ask your child questions about what they see

4. Research a topic that interests your child

• Use your computer or books at home to research info about something your child enjoys

• For Younger Kids o Look at pictures, find nonfiction books on the topic, find general

information • For Older Kids

o Write down interesting facts about the topic

o Find books with in-depth information o Find someone who knows about that topic and go meet them o Tell others about what they learned about the topic

5. Have a distraction-free Family meal together

• When you turn off the distractions, there’s more time to talk • Have everyone take a turn talking about a topic, if your child

struggles, have him go last. examples: o Favorite part of the day o A challenge you overcame o Something you learned o Some place you want to travel to someday o A profession or hobby that you would like to learn more about

• For younger kids, make the activity easier, for example, everyone could name one food when it’s their turn or say their favorite color. Sit down with your child, no distractions, and ask what’s on their mind, ask what they want to talk about

• Let your child talk and then expand on anything they say • Listen intently • Don’t correct your child, just add to what they say

• Demonstrate good conversational skills like eye contact, body language, turn-taking, etc.

School is not in session…

How can my child work on his/her speech & language skills?

If your child is working on speech sounds….

First, check yourchild’s IEP or otherpaperwork to makesure you know whichsounds or patternsyour child is workingon, and what positionor level (ex: L in thebeginning of words &short sentences, S atthe end of words, orfinal consonants inwords). Keep in mindthat you will want topractice one sound orpattern at a time.

1 Make (or search online) for a list of words with your child’s sound(s) in the right spot. Try to find a list of at least 10-20 words that are fairly common one- or two-

syllable words, and write them down. You can have your child draw a picture next to each one – you will use this list to practice later! (You can also use index cards to createyour own flashcards.)

l i o n

l i p sHelpful websites for lists:

https://www.home-speech-home.com/

speech-therapy-word-lists.html

http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/?page_id=55

2

Spending 5 minutes a day (or every other day) practicing your child’s sounds can be very effective! You can have your child say each word on your list 5 times each correctly, make up a simple or silly sentence for each word, or incorporate some of the following

activities to make it more fun!

Pull out a board

game (checkers,

Sorry, etc.) or a

puzzle, and have

your child say a

target word 5

times before

taking a turn or

adding a piece to

the puzzle.

Find some dice, and

take turns saying a

target word the

number of times

that comes up on

the dice. Each

person then

receives that many

”points” – keep a

tally and declare a

winner at the end!

(what we usually focus on in speech-language therapy is increasing awareness of the target sound in words, and getting a high number of correct productions)

© 2020, Natalie Snyders, MS, CCC-SLP www.slpnataliesnyders.com

In this unique case, the author gives permission for this file to be emailed & shared online. Do not remove her copyright information.

You may need to remind your child how tomake the sound; say, “Look at my mouth!See how I do X to make this sound? Let’slook in a mirror together. Now you try!”

Read a book together,

and listen for words

with your child’s target

sounds. Practice the

words on each page.

ALL AGES AND GRADES

School is not in session…How can my child work on his/her speech & language skills?

If your child is working on language skills….(Exact language skills targeted in your child’s IEP will vary, but may include things like increasing overall

understanding & use of vocabulary words, answering & asking WH questions, understanding how items go together in categories, understanding how two things are similar and different, using correct verb

tenses, expanding the length of sentences, describing, and more.)

© 2020, Natalie Snyders, MS, CCC-SLP www.slpnataliesnyders.com

In this unique case, the author gives permission for this file to be emailed & shared online. Do not remove her copyright information.

Many language skills can be targeted through playing together with an adult! Choose an activity such as Lego blocks, Play-doh, catch, dinosaurs, or action figures, and follow your child’s lead. Have your characters interact & talk with each other, narrate aloud what you are doing or creating, or sort things into groups that are alike (ex: all the bigdinosaurs, or all the red pieces).

PLAYWhen interacting with each other,

model full sentences and expand on what your child says (add 1-2 words).

Child: “Her can fly.”Adult: “Yes, she can fly fast!”

Child: “Here a cookie.”Adult: “That is a big cookie! Can you

make a small cookie too?”Child: “Here!”Adult: “Thank you! I love chocolate

cookies.”

Child: “Uh oh! Tower all gone.”Adult: “Oh, the tower fell down! How can

we fix it?”

Playing simple games such as Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Memory, Hi Ho Cherry-o, Go Fish, & Uno can provide great

opportunities to practice turn taking skills, following directions, asking and answering questions, using full

sentences, understanding concepts such as more/less and next/first/last, and many more skills!

GAMES

BOOKS

PRESCHOOL & EARLY ELEMENTARY

TIP: Sometimes we might use ”communication temptations” in therapy – where we might deliberately leave a tight lid on a container or put something out of reach on purpose - so the child will need to request help.

Reading books together is one of the best ways to build language skills!

Choose a picture book to read together. Read the words, but also talk about the pictures; read books more than once! • Point out details you notice, and try to guess together what might

happen next (ex: “Look, she has a raincoat and rain boots. What kind of weather do you think it is outside? What season is it?”).

• Connect details from the book to your life (ex: “Look, they are going to the petting zoo! Remember when we went? What were your favorite animals?”).

• Talk about how the characters might be feeling (ex: “Oh, she lost her favorite toy! How would that make you feel?) in the different situations in the story.

If you need online book options, try getepic.com (free 30 day trial) or storylineonline.com (free).

March 2nd is Dr.

Seuss Day! Read a

Dr. Seuss book

together. Look for

rhyming words.

Plant a small pot

with seeds. Talk

about your actions:

dig, dirt, seed, poke drop, cover, water.

Mix a few drops of

food coloring in

water. Add new

colors and talk

about the changed

colors.

Talk about smells

during mealtimes

or at the grocery

store. Sweet, sour, stinky, yummy. What do you like?

Read a book

together about the

color green. (Go Away Big Green Monster! Blue Hat, Green Hat.)

Find things around

your house that are

green. Label them

“green ______”

Make green gelatin

and cut it into

different shapes

before eating.

Name the shapes!

Read a book about

farm animals.

What sounds do

they make?

Draw together.

Parents draw what

your child draws.

Ask your child to

show you how to

do it.

Make silly sounds

and copy each

other. B-b-b-b-b.

S-s-s-s. Pada-pada-

pada. Weeyo-

weeyo-weeyo.

Talk about open

and close while you

put away the

dishes together.

Make something

green for dinner.

Label it. Do you like

it? Try one bite to

see.

Visit a local farm to

see the animals and

talk about sounds,

size, and colors. Do

you see any baby

animals?

Find 10 things

around the store

that are green.

Find the letters in

your name while

looking at a book

together.

Go to the library

and check out a

book about

dinosaurs to read

together. Look for

simple words.

Are you wearing

something green

today? Who is

wearing green?

Give them a high

five!

Did your seeds

start to grow?

Bombard new

words: small, grow, taller, green, smell, flower..

On a rainy day, talk

about it while

watching the rain

fall. Falling, wet, cold, water.

March 20th is the

first day of Spring.

Talk about Spring

and read a book

together about

Spring.

Make faces to each

other and talk

about happy, sad, mad, scared,

surprised, tired.

Build blocks

together. Talk

about short, shorter, tall, taller, top, under, next to,

front, behind.

Go the the park.

Label the fun things

to play on at the

park. Swing, slide, ladder, bridge monkey bars.

Act of service. Take a flower to

someone. Talk

about the color and

smell of the flower

before you give it

away.

Go for a walk and

look for flowers.

What colors do you

see? Did you need

an umbrella?

Open a familiar book and have your

child “read” it to you.

Pick a letter of the alphabet and look

for it on signs while you are out running

errands.

Look at family pictures. Label pronouns and actions: He is

swimming. She is riding.

Label the items you need to set the

table. Talk about where each item

goes.

Practice putting on your jacket by

yourself and talk about first, next,

last.

Wash toys and talk about dirty and

clean.

Play hide and seek. Be sure to call out

“Where is ______?” and answer “Here I

am!”

Dye Easter eggs and talk about the colors. Also talk about lighter and

darker

Wipe the table after dinner. Try wiping fast and

slow, up and down, go and stop.

Talk about your clothes as you get dressed. Do you

need to button, zip, or pull them on?

Move clothes from washer to dryer

and talk about wet and dry.

Check out a library book about

bunnies/rabbits to read together.

Look around the house and find 5

things that are hard and 5 things that

are soft.

Sing “If You’re Happy And You

Know It”. Make up actions. Let your

child lead you.

Play “I Spy”. Practice the phrase “I see a ________”.

Read a book about plants growing.

Go for a walk and see what is

growing.

Measure everyone in the family. Talk about tall, short,

taller, shorter, and growing.

Stack plastic cups and count how high you can stack them

before they fall down. Talk about

tall and taller.

Put your hands together and

compare whose hands are big and whose are small.

Look for oval shapes around the house and while

you are at the store.

Act of service: help someone with

a chore and talk about helping and

be kind.

Make a snack mix and eat it while

talking about sweet, salty, crunchy, soft.

Read a book about Spring. Talk about what is happening

outside.

Play a game with the whole family.

Have everyone announce “My

turn!” when it is their turn.

Fine Motor Activities to Recreate At Home

Rubber bands & a pool noodle floaty

Rubber bands & a soup can

Feed the frog using pom poms Pipe Cleaner

Legos, cup of water and a dropper tool

Felt circles

Whisk and pom poms

Pipe cleaner, floral foam and beads