15+ Simple Ideas to Teach Kids at Home & Free Printable (Love to Learn Linky #6)

Whether you are a homeschooler or think homeschooling is crazy, as a parent you have a special role in your child’s education.  It is important to show you are interested and involved in helping them learn and grow! That is why I am so excited because next week we will be sharing our first A-Z themed Tot School and Preschool ideas.

The posts will include:

• Crafts
• Games
• Activities & Sensory Ideas
• Recipes 
• Book Inspiration
• Snack Ideas
• Free Printables

If you haven’t already, make sure to Subscribe to A Little Pinch of Perfect by Email so you don’t miss out. We would love for you to join in!

Before school is in session, let’s start thinking like an educator. Here are my tips to help turn the average parent into a teacher:

• Collect garbage: All my life my mom (retired elementary school teacher) was collecting boxes, bags, plastic containers, lids, buttons, paper scraps, packing material… anything that can be used to count, sort, create, or play with has now become an important resource-so grab a bag and start collecting!

Sneak Peek of what’s to come 🙂

• Dollar Store/Dollar Bins: Don’t have supplies yet? Find a few cheap supplies at your local dollar store or dollar bins (I love the Dollar Tree and Target, they both have great teaching supplies). It doesn’t take a classroom full of stuff for a child to learn. 

• Library: Books, books, and more books. If you haven’t visited your local library, now would be a great time. 

• Printables: There are amazing printables online to help kids learn every subject! I have teamed up with 2 wonderful blogs who have amazing free printables: 
• Totschooling–one of my favorites is the Free Board Book Printables for Toddlers

• Eager Ed -use our exclusive discount code: PINCH50 for any products you want to buy 
• I have also started a collection of resourceful printables here:  

Follow A Little Pinch of Perfect’s board Printables on Pinterest.

• Plastic: Specifically a laminator or laminator sheets, page protectors, or plexiglass. Once you have a printable in hand, it’s a great idea to put it under plastic so you can reuse it. We have all of the above with a bunch of dry erase markers so we can enjoy our printables over and over again without having to waste paper or printer ink.

Sneak Peek of what’s to come 🙂

Sneak Peek of what’s to come 🙂

• Play with Food: Cooking together is a great way to spend time side-by-side while learning. Also, there are some great food products (inexpensive too) that make awesome manipulatives, sensory activities, and craft supplies like beans, noodles, rice… 

Sneak Peek of what’s to come 🙂

• Repeat: Repeat activities and concepts. My mom has often told me that kid’s need to hear things at least 20 times before it sticks in their brain. Although I am sure your kiddo learns amazingly fast, be prepared to repeat yourself. 

• Observe Surroundings: There is so much in our daily environment that can be used to teach; numbers, letters, colors, textures…

• Ask Questions: Asking questions is a great way to find out what your kiddo understands and how they are processing the information presented. Questions also helps them think analytically and can be used as a way to guide the activity. 

• Know your Child: The great thing about teaching your own child is you know your child best. That means you can adapt activities and present information when your kiddo is in the best mood for participation and learning. 

Sneak Peek of what’s to come 🙂

Now it’s time for the Love to Learn Linky. Last weeks party was filled with great ideas, thank you to all who shared. This weeks features all called out to me because I have home education on my brain.

If you were featured, be sure to grab a button!

Love to Learn Linky

Now it’s time for some more links! I hope you’ll join me and a few of my friends for a brand new linky party.

Bloggers, share your posts every Thursday and watch as we round them up and share them all over the place. Almost anything goes, we’re just hoping your activities teach kids (or us!) something (science, art, cooking, behavior, crafting, parenting etc…).

The Love to Learn Linky is hosted by:

Left Brain Craft Brain (leftbraincraftbrain.com): Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama writing about crafty ways to encourage creativity (and brain power!) in our kids. Each of her projects gives kids the chance to learn about a new subject and do something crafty at the same time.

Totschooling (totschooling.net): Viviana is a blogging mom to a toddler and a preschooler, sharing ideas and resources for early education. She specializes in unique, hands-on printable activities that are educational, fun and inspire creativity in young minds.

One Time Through (onetimethrough.com): Sue is an Elementary School Teacher currently on leave to be at home with her preschooler son. She shares ideas for connecting and learning with kids through meaningful, play-based activities that nurture curiosity and creativity.

A Little Pinch of Perfect (alittlepinchofperfect.com): Katie combines creativity, play, and learning for the perfect mishmash of fun activities that keep kiddos entertained throughout the day. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of play and feels that all activities naturally provide a fun way to learn.

Love to Learn Linky Etiquette:

• Posts should be about educating our kids in any way – science, art, cooking, crafts, behavior, parenting, etc. Please keep them family friendly and please no Etsy shops or giveaways unless they are relevant to the topic.
• Upload your direct post link to the InLinkz widget. Link up to 3 posts.
• Like the hosts on Facebook:  A Little Pinch of Perfect, Totschooling, One Time Through and Left Brain Craft Brain.
• Or follow the hosts on Pinterest: A Little Pinch of Perfect, One Time Through, Left Brain Craft Brain, Totschooling.
• Post our button on your site.
• By linking up, you agree to have your images shared with credit.

Link up and grab a button!

Love to Learn Linky: An InLinkz Link-up