We have had to think outside of the box to include all of their learning styles while giving them the same activities. Here are some of the activities we have come up with to keep their interest.
First, we use a lot of material from our favorite homeschooling website found here. We use the "Getting Ready 1" program and supplement with materials we have on hand. I like the use of music, stories and crafts included in the program. I have a child who is very hands on and loves music. He doesn't like anything that is going to take a long time to complete. His twin does like music but really enjoys stories and art and takes her time on everything. Gremlin just likes to be in the middle of it all and wants to be sure not to miss out on anything.
These are some of the crafts found in the "Getting Ready 1" program for the letter B.
I enjoy the Montessori way of teaching and in following that philosophy, sand writing or drawing is a great activity for children to grasp the way letters and numbers are written and shapes are drawn. We use letter cards, both upper case and lower case, face down on the table. Each child takes a turn drawing a card. The letter on the card is the letter they draw in the sand. I found finger painting trays and sand at Michael's. This activity is great for my hands on and artistic learners. Sometimes we also play ABC music quietly in the background. Luke spends a little more time on each activity when the music is included. Peaches really liked helping Luke and Leia.
We have tried sand with Gremlin but she is still young enough to want to eat the sand. The packaging says not to ingest so we have to keep her busy with something else.
Gremlin really enjoys sorting even if she doesn't really grasp the concept of categories. She just loves moving objects from one place to another. I use just about anything for this activity. We use small eraser shapes, buttons, glassy stones found in fish tanks, beads and sometimes crackers and grapes. She does need to be supervised so that she doesn't choke on the manipulatives...hence the use of food when supervision is minimal. We use small cups, bowls and ice cube trays for sorting containers.
Here she is using the glassy stones and ice cube trays. She likes to have two different ice cube trays.
I love bulletin boards. However, I do not have the wall space for them. I have already put up a calendar/weather center and an alphabet train. I feel like there is a need for numbers, shapes and colors as well. My solution is a mini cubical or learning station. I used laminated flashcards attached to a display board with poster tack. I used the poster tack so that I can change the bulletins with each child's needs without having to buy another display board. I put two clothes pins in the center attached with self adhesive magnets so that each child can display artwork, worksheets or pictures. It can also be used for holding daily assignments. I believe I found all of the flashcards on this website. You just have to join and search for what you need. It's an amazing website with tons of resources for every age group.
My twins love having a "private office" to work in. :) These learning stations have helped my visual learners as well as my artistic learners. My older children personalized their own and even put their names on them.
A favorite activity is paint dots. These can be used for so many different activities. I purchased my paint dots at Walmart during their school supply sale.
My children really enjoy the Do-a-Dot worksheet found here. Even Gremlin could participate. Can you guess which ones she did? ;)
It is always fun to find new ways of teaching our children. I hope some thing here helps spark some ideas for you and your family.
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