Playing Preschool Year 2

Playing Preschool is an ebook. The PDFs will be delivered to your email address immediately after checkout. They will also be listed at the bottom of your receipt.

The downloads for Playing Preschool do not expire.

I do not sell a hard copy. It’s more cost-effective to sell the program as a digital download, and it also allows me to offer the program worldwide. The program can be used digitally or printed. You are permitted to print one copy of Playing Preschool for your use.

For online print shops, check out:

• Watson Family Press (code: BUSY10 for 10% off*)
• The Homeschool Printing Company

Print in black and white, lightest weight paper, and double-sided. I also have mine spiral-bound on the long edge.

*Not an affiliate code, just a very generous offer from a small business.

The age range is broad: from 2.5 to 5 years old.

Here’s why: this is an open-ended program. It meets children where they are developmentally by asking open-ended questions and using open-ended activities. Children of varying ages can be asked the same questions, but answers will differ based on their developmental level. Unlike workbooks and computer programs, Playing Preschool works across a wide range of developmental levels thanks to this technique.

For example, a three-year-old and a five-year-old will answer the question “Why do you think an apple is round?” in vastly different, but valid ways. An open-ended program, like Playing Preschool, allows for variations and child-led learning as opposed to fill-in-the-blank or multiple-choice learning.

I always recommend starting with Year 1, no matter what. I was a kindergarten teacher, and I wrote Year 1 from that lens.

I started by determining my “wish list” skills that kids would enter kindergarten with, and that list ended up full of thinking skills, rather than memorized skills like the ABCs or counting. I built a program that goes beyond memorized learning and into these so-called “thinking skills” as well as exposing kids to a breadth of background experiences and knowledge that are critical.

Playing Preschool Year 1 is filled with skills for kids that span multiple subject areas, such as sorting (used in reading, math, and science). I never dreamed I’d write a Year 2 (that just happened). My goal was Year 1 as a way to set kids up for success into Kindergarten.

I also wrote Year 1 when my oldest was 4+. At that time, he knew all his letters and numbers, and could read numbers to 1000. He was well into addition and even beginning to toy with repeated addition, aka multiplication. But I wrote this program to take him deeper into his learning and help him develop richer skills, because I knew, as a teacher, that memorizing facts is actually a really low-level, basic skill. Sure, it’s fun that he could memorize quickly, but I wanted to see him doing more with his learning.

During Year 1, Playing Preschool focuses on sorting and classifying data, reading a graph, conceptual understanding of numerals, addition and subtraction, understanding the various uses of numbers beyond counting, recalling key details, retelling information in sequence, non-standard forms of measurement, predicting, and understanding cause and effect. Year 2 expands on the work a child did in Year 1. Without it, Year 2 can feel bulky and clunky.

The open-ended activities (many of which I pulled straight from my kindergarten and first grade classrooms) allow kids to explore, create, imagine, evaluate, and build their knowledge with their hands. I also added extensions into the program as simple ways to “up the challenge” for children who are ready for that.

I set the earliest starting age at 2.5 years old for several developmental reasons.

At 2.5, there are often some big gains in communication and motor skills. For the program to be a success, the child needs at least a 5-10-minute attention span, the ability to ask and answer questions thoughtfully, and the ability to start a task and see it through to completion. They also need their own life experience and background knowledge in place to make sense of the new information being shared. Playing Preschool also requires a lot of fine motor skills needed to make the activities work.

When we think about a child and age differences, consider the impact six months can have, from 18 months to 2 years old. That same kind of giant leap happens between 2 and 2.5.

Alternatively, remember that 2.5 is the earliest I recommend starting, but that doesn’t mean 2.5 is the right starting place for all kids. When I wrote the program, my daughter was 2.5 years old. She did great. She had a ball. Years later, my youngest was nowhere close to ready at 2.5 years old. I waited to start until closer to 4 years old with him because earlier doesn’t mean better with kids – look at each child individually to find their right path.

I strongly suggest looking at online options for printing the program, rather than a chain copying center (which I’ve seen quotes as high as $160!). If you do have to use a big box store, make sure to follow my suggestions (below) and do a quick Google search for a promo code.

You can also check with your local library, as many have inexpensive printing options. Your files do not need to be printed at once. You can print unit-by-unit.

For online print shops, check out:

• Watson Family Press (use code BUSY10 for 10% off)*
• The Homeschool Printing Company

Print in black and white, lightest weight paper, and double-sided. I also have mine spiral-bound on the long edge.

*Not an affiliate code, just a very generous offer from a small business

No, Playing Preschool is a secular homeschool program. It doesn’t align with any religion, but is flexible and can be adapted to your family’s values.

No. There is a master supply list for the whole year in the Start-Up guide that you’ll want to make sure to have on hand. There are also a few unit-specific extras needed (like seeds for the plant unit or a stuffed animal for the teddy bear unit). Each unit plan includes a two-week supply list comprised of supplies from the master list and those few unit-specific items.

What’s on that master list? It’s stuff you probably already have, like sticky notes, playing cards, washable paint, and construction paper. It’s “Busy Toddler” style supplies.

I built Playing Preschool this way on purpose. You shouldn’t need a shopping spree to teach your preschooler at home. Most of what you’ll need is probably already in your home.