If you’re a mom with a little one that was faced with the decision whether or not to homeschool you’re not alone! Instead of sending our preschooler in, I chose to research and line up some really wonderful materials for the best DYI preschool subscriptions.
I wanted something that wouldn’t take all day. Afterall it’s preschool and still have to tend to his baby brother. I wanted something we could concentrate on 45 minutes at a time while his brother napped (or less!) A curriculum that was fun and engaging. I love what we gathered, and most importantly that my son also loves it.
4 Weeks to Read
My main focus I knew would be to teach my son to read before kindergarden. The problem was I had no idea where to start. He knew his alphabet already and a lot of phonics as well.
But when it came time to put letters together, we got nowhere. Does this sound familiar to you? After quite a bit of time researching, I found 4 weeks to read. I was skeptical we would see results that fast. But guess what? We did!
My son started reading words. The whole book story comprehension took some time but it isn’t specific to the program. My son absorbs what is being said instead of what’s happening in the story.
What’s Included in your preschool subscriptions
We received 53 small, short books. A teacher parents manual, a workbook for your child, flashcards and fun character cut outs. We also received a CD of the program songs but it wasn’t needed. All the songs are conveniently on YouTube!
Sure enough in less than a month, my son was sounding out letters, blending them together until he knew what word it was. The instruction manual was very easy to follow and no prep work was needed. After a couple lessons both my son and I knew what to do.
4 Weeks to Read fyi is only a one time purchase.
The Preschool Box
This box arrives monthly and it’s filled with fun, educational activities with a focus. For example one day the focus will be the letter A that comes with an alligator to create. It will teach your child practicing with child scissors and taking direction. Then you’ll proceed with a worksheet to practice writing out the letter in addition to the number of the day.
A different day will be painting or counting with bugs! My son absolutely loved that part. Inside some boxes you will also receive a fruit pouch and a book! Now that is MY favorite part. Quality preschool subscriptions include books!
What I also really liked about it is that your child is able to do some activities by themselves. For example while he glued a learning craft, I was able to clean up the kitchen counter. I also really appreciated the emphasis on fun learning. This is afterall preschool as I mentioned.
And while curriculums are beneficial, I don’t believe it should be overwhelming. The Preschool Box was a great balance. I will note that my son could have benefitted from it earlier when he was 3 instead of 4. Since he already knows his alphabet, and phonics, a lot was just review and practice for him. Which he needs so it’s still beneficial.
They also have one time theme boxes such as a Halloween box. It includes several Halloween books and sticker activities. My son went crazy for it! You can find a subscription at The Preschool Box.
ABC Mouse
You may have seen this one at your local library. It’s how we got hooked on it. Now I will say I prefer old fashion books and materials. However ABC Mouse is the kind of QUALITY screen time you shouldn’t feel guilty about.
It has soo much to teach based on age! It helps with reading, comprehension, math, critical thinking etc. I love that it incorporates games in learning. For example it has a classroom that you can pretend purchase things like pets, toys furniture. Well for every book the child reads or plays an educational game, it gives him tokens to accumulate to buy these things.
My son has “bought” so many pretend pets, ha ha ha. He looks forward to reading just to get more tokens. It also allows him to have independent time. There are books that are read to him and he can click on the screen for instructions to be read to him as well. You can get preschool subscriptions with them on an annual basis also fyi.
Bilingual Household
Both my wife and I speak Spanish and want to ensure we pass the gift of being bilingual to our boys. One of the wonderful preschool subscriptions I found a few years ago is Solbook Box. It’s a subscription service that send you books in Spanish and books in both Spanish and English. The baby books even come with an activity toy that goes with the theme of the box.
You can actually read in detail and see photos in a review I did. Vanessa the founder even has a separate class called Bilinguify that helps parents teach their kiddos how to learn Spanish!
So these are our 4 favorite subscriptions for preschoolers. They are quality, fun and intentional subscriptions that are worth every penny. We exchange dates for 4 Weeks to Read and The Preschool Box.
For example Monday and Wednesday we do The Preschool Box. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday we do 4 Weeks to Read. My son will do ABC Mouse through the day several times a week while I am putting his brother down for a nap or feeding him. It’s actully really helpful because he doesn’t feel like he’s doing school work. He genuinely believes he’s playing games so it’s a win win.
And the Solbook box is enjoyed throughout the month. Let me know your experience with any of these. Which is your favorite and why. Also if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out.
Love,
Angelica