I’m in disbelief we’ve completed our first year of Homeschool! Wow! My daughter just completed Kinder reading and math this year, and next school year, she’ll be doing a mix of Kinder and 1st grade level work. That is a huge plus about homeschool-that I can differentiate based on what my child(ren) need! We’ve had a lot of fun this year establishing a framework for what our homeschool days look like, and we’re ready to loosen the reigns a bit for summer.
At the end of this post, I have outlined some resources and tools we loved at age 4/last summer. For reference, my children are 5 and 2!
So while I’m already looking ahead to next year (and yes, already starting on planning some things…), here is what I have on the docket for us for the summer. We have a beach trip, many mountain and pool weekends planned, VBS, two weekly enrichment activities, and some day trips planned. We also can’t wait to hang out with our friends who follow a traditional school schedule and who will be out of school for summer. But what do the rest of our days look like?
I have lots and lots of playing envisioned for my children. Lots of homemade popsicles, lots of sensory activities, and lots of art projects. While I don’t mind a mess (if it’s cleaned up that is!), you all know I do like some structure and not every day is a free for-all, even if it IS summer break!
Our typical morning routine is TV, breakfast, play, and then heading upstairs to all get dressed and brush teeth. This summer, I am using this precious time in the morning to cuddle on the sofa while we’re all still in our jammies to dive in How Great is Our God devotional. We’re just a few days in and the facts you learn about how intricately God created the world around us is mind-blowing! Lord, thank you for your precision in all you’ve created!
If you’re looking for a devotional to do with your children this summer, I would recommend this one (there’s a few by this same author, Louie Giglio) or the Who is Jesus devotional. We completed this during Lent, and it is hands down my favorite. Sometimes you need the simplicity of a text written for children to deepen your own understanding of the Bible, too. Summer is a great time to commit to this 40-day devotional!
As for summer review, we really loved the Moffatt Girls Preschool Summer Review Pack last summer, so we will be working through the Kindergarten Review Pack this summer. It is 6 weeks long, all organized each week by day 1, day 2, day 3, etc. All you do is print! We will most likely only do 4 of the 6 weeks, but these will be a daily part of my daughter’s summer days. They should take her no more than twenty minutes total, and can be accomplished independently.
This year I chose to organize each day in a sheet protector, so she just pulls out what is in her daily sleeve each day to complete. I didn’t want to hole punch it all, because some sheets require her to cut/paste, so if it’s in a binder, she would not have easy access to manipulating the sheets to complete them. I cut the days of the week in vinyl and basically made each sleeve a daily “pocket”.
Each Sunday, I’ll switch out what’s in the daily sleeves (pockets), just like I would during the school year with her daily bins. Side Note: Another reason I chose to organize these in a binder is so they would feel different than her pulling work and supplies from her daily bins during the school year.
So what else will be doing?
READING.
All I really want for her now that she is an emerging reader is to read! I want her to establish a love of reading and right now, her curiosity and desire to read is so strong so I want to encourage that as much as I can! Just like I use to tell my third graders, you become a better reader by reading, so let’s get to it!
I have purchased three sets of phonics readers, and she is already blazing through them! Here are my favorites: Pete the Cat Readers, Fancy Nancy Readers, Bob Books (the best!) We will be enjoying stage 2 in Bob books, but they offer a few different stages of skill levels for your child!
Read Aloud Time: On the sofa or (front porch rocking chairs!) this summer, we’ll be reading Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey together. I would also recommend Little Pilgrim’s Progress. I have waited all school year to dive into this. I have heard so many children and parents love this series, and I’m super excited!
If your child is entering Kinder or PreK next year, and you’re wanting something to “do” with them this summer that is more so just exposure and fun, here are some of our favorites in the Sloop Household:
- Three Letter Word Puzzle Flash Cards
- See & Spell Puzzle Boards
- Zingo! for Pre-Readers
- Bob Books stage 1
- Alpha Tales Boxed Set
- Preschool Summer Review Pack
- Good ol fashion Dominoes
I would also say never underestimate the impact playing board games and card games as well as reading aloud to your child has in preparing them for the skills they’ll develop in the future!
We’re closing out our school year mid-May, and we’re so ready for the fun things on the horizon. Happy Summer, friends!
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