Teaching Tots- Kindergarten and Preschool Supplies

We just finished a series on what your child is expected to know for Kindergarten. Next, we are going to go through what they should learn in Kindergarten and how to effectively teach preschool and Kindergarten while working during these unprecedented times.

Teaching and caring for a younger child while working can be more challenging than teaching an older child. Older children understand you need to work, and they can be easily set up with their homework or other activities without too much supervision. Toddlers and young children have no such understanding. They want our undivided attention as much as possible.

Luckily, there are some things we as parents can do to encourage their learning without it taking every moment of our day.

Teaching young children takes more supplies than older children. So to prepare for this series, this post will go over what I expect you to have on hand for cheap or free, and what you should have generally on hand to make any number of activites.

These supplies are general and do not include toys or specific manipulatives you might need for teaching specific skills. They are supplies that can be used in many ways to make any number of activities.

Depending on the age of your child, you may have a good portion of these items already. If you don’t, no big deal, just get them as you need them. Remember, I am all about saving you money. I’m going to do what I can to give you inexpensive options and keep the list as small as possible. Don’t just go out and buy everything on the list. Your child may not be ready for some of the items, and that is okay. When they are, you have the list here to get what you need.

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. When you click these links, I may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything, but it helps me to run this site. I only promote products and services I use and love.

Things You Should Have On Hand

These are things I assume you have just lying around your house. Most of it is stuff you would have considered trash before your baby was born. If you don’t have something on this list, you should be able to find it for free. Seriously, please don’t spend money on anything on this list.

Boxes

Small and large, thin and thick, cardboard or plastic. Boxes of every size, shape, and weight are useful. Larger boxes can be taped together to form a playhouse, fort, lemonade stand, or as a place to color. Small boxes (like cereal and other food boxes) can be used to make fine motor or other learning toys. Keep a small, but diverse amount of boxes around.

Paper Tubes

Toilet paper tubes are the most ubiquitous, and they are very useful for all kinds of activities. But there are also paper towel tubes and mailing tubes. Long, thin tubes make for great trumpets. Wider tubes can be used to make stilts or other fun projects. There are infinite things you can do with paper tubes. Make sure you keep a couple on hand each week just in case.

Paper

Computer paper, extra notebooks from school, newspaper, leftover wrapping paper, whatever. You need paper to draw on, to rip, to crinkle, and to craft with. In most cases whatever you have on hand is just fine.

Magazines/ Paper Ads

From cutting out pictures to use for assignment or to practice cutting, to paper mache materials, those circulars can be used for all kinds of crafts. You don’t need a large stockpile, but consider keeping some around once the little one starts playing with scissors and glue.

Lids

Lids can make fantastic manipulatives. You can save them with the threads to make games and practice opening bottles, or you can use them to make alphabet letters or numbers. When it comes time to make game pieces or toys with many pieces, lids are an easy answer.

Most bottles should just get recycled. But save the lid. Keep a gallon bag of all kinds of lids and use them as needed to make new activities.

Bottles

You don’t have to stockpile bottles, but they can be occasionally useful for sensory toys. Use old soda or water bottles to make sensory bottles. A 2-liter bottle can be turned into a rocket. A milk jug could be used as a watering can.

The good thing about making these kinds of projects is you generally know you will be making them with enough notice to find and save an appropriate bottle.

Clothes

Dress up encourages your child to learn to put on their own clothes while giving them a window to imaginative play. It also helps them learn to use zippers and buttons.

Go through your closet and find clothes that are too small for you and use them to make a dress-up box. Then include dress up where you can. Use it to act out scenes from history or the books you are reading. Pretend to be a princess and teach them diplomacy with their teddy bears. Practice buttoning and unbuttoning shirts.

Anything you already have is good enough.

Scrap Cloth

Wait! Don’t trash that ripped underwear or that bleached shirt! They can become great learning tools.

At some point, threading beads on a string will lose its challenge. When that happens, it is time to introduce sewing by hand. Scrap pieces of cloth are a great place to start.

They also make fantastic rags for learning to clean or wipe up paint with. Or your child could turn them into Barbie clothes. Keep a small stash of clothing items that are beyond their useful life so your child can turn them into something else.

Cardboard

Beyond boxes of various sizes, it is helpful to turn some boxes into just cardboard for projects. A little cardboard can be turned into a puzzle, sandpaper letters, color tiles, or shapes. There are infinite possibilities.

I tend to keep any double-thick cardboard and then one box’s worth of cardboard around for when I find something that needs it. You never know when a project would benefit from a little cardboard.

Baking Sheets or Other Pots/ Pans

At this age, sensory play is still a big part of a child’s development. They need to feel different textures and find things. Baking sheets can be used to hold shaving cream, make music, or serve as a board for magnets.

If you don’t have a baking sheet, a shallow pot or pan could do most of the same things, while also providing a container for pouring. These are just useful tools to have around.

Egg Cartons

These are great for sorting, making pretend spines or dolls, matching, and for creating counting games like mancala. You don’t need a lot of these, but if you don’t clean out egg cartons quickly, it is probably worth having one in reserve for when you need it.

Tiny Edible Manipulatives

It is so much more fun to count blueberries or to sort mixed vegetables than it is to do the same activity with pompoms. Edible manipulatives can create a world of fun and open new fine motor activities to younger children.

If your child is ready to push small items into a bottle, but they are still mouthing everything in sight, then they can push peas (or berries or cereal) into that bottle instead. Who cares if they eat it?

Anytime something calls for small pieces, you can usually replace those pieces with something edible. Often that makes the task more interesting. Food is still a good thing to play with. The more they play with their food, the more they like it.

Deck of Cards

Everyone should have some sort of deck of cards. It doesn’t have to be standard playing cards either. Skippo? Uno? Anything with numbers that are sorted into some kind of category will work for our purposes.

But seriously, you should have a deck of cards.

Paint Chips

I’m not saying you have these necessarily lying around, but you should have easy access to them at the paint store. When you go into the home improvement store, swing by and pick up some paint chips. Get vibrant, true colors, not only shades. While you are there also pick up some stirring sticks.

These are fantastic for color matching and color learning.

Consumable Supplies

The supplies on this list are incredibly helpful and have diverse uses. By the time our kiddos are 5 or 6, most of us have most of these, but since you are about to spend a lot of time teaching your little one it is worth checking your stash.

Construction Paper

From learning colors to making thanksgiving turkeys and birthday cards, colored construction paper is a must. Keep a small pack and use it for all kinds of arts and crafts.

Lamination Sheets

Paint

Finger paint, watercolor, food coloring. Whatever your paint preference, you should have some available for your child to practice writing and painting with.

There are ways to “paint” without getting too messy so make sure you have some kind of paint available.

Crayons

Younger children benefit from fat crayons, but older children should have transitioned to the normal-sized crayons. There are also bathtub crayons and sidewalk chalk, both of which are fun different ways to color.

Gallon Sized Zip-Top Bags

Practice opening and closing them, and use them to contain messy objects and activities to minimize the mess. There are a number of ways these could be used, so keeping some on hand is generally a good idea.

Pompoms

These are great for all kinds of learning. From sorting to learning how to use their fingers, pompoms make fantastic learning tools for years. Be sure to have many different sizes and colors. No matter how many you have, you will find ways to use them all.

General Art Supplies

Tape and Glue

Glue sticks, liquid glue, clear tape, colored tape, packing tape, and painters tape are all helpful for a number of activities. Painters tape can be used to create a hopscotch board in the living room, or an obstacle course through the house. Colored tape, clear tape, and glue are useful for all manner of projects and crafts. And packing tape can tape down an activity you don’t want your child to pick up.

Markers/ Pencils/ Pens

Things to write and draw with. I mean, how can you write without a writing implement?

Erasers

This is self explanatory, right? Try to find some big colorful ones that are fun to use.

Stickers

Dry Erase Markers

Thin dry erase markers can be used on laminated activities and whiteboards to create activities that can be reused. Kids can also use them to draw on windows.

Dot Markers

These are great for identification exercises. Get a pack with a bunch of colors to make it fun.

Composition Book

Yes, even 2-year-olds can use composition books. Younger kids use them to color in, place stickers, and practice writing and cutting. Older children will actually write and build interactive notebooks in them. And if you have kids of multiple ages, the younger ones will feel included if they have the same or similar supplies as their older siblings.

Beads

Beads can be used in projects, or to just practice stringing and lacing. The older the child is, the smaller the beads you will need. Include older kids in building your bead stash.

Yarn/ String

Yarn can be used for everything from sensory play to art projects and learning to write. Get an assortment of colors. If you don’t have a yarn stash yet, consider getting a sample pack like this one. You can get a ton of colors for a lower price.

Play dough or Equivalent

My daughter is allergic to wheat, so playdough isn’t something we can just buy. But there are other options we use. She helps me make bread and plays with the dough before I leave it to rise, and we use kinetic sand. You can also make your own playdough or salt dough, and there is always clay for older kids.

Regardless of what you choose, your child needs to play with dough to improve hand strength and dexterity. You should also give them tools to play in the dough. Things like scissors (plastic safety scissors), rolling pins (a piece of dowel), molds (cookie cutters), and plastic knives. Most of these tools can be found around the house for free or cheap, or you can buy them in a set.

Organization Supplies

The following supplies are useful for presenting tasks and keeping them organized when not in use. You don’t need to use all of these, but you should have some kind of organizational system. The better organized you are, the easier this will all be.

Baskets/ Bins

Baskets of every size are useful for children. Smaller baskets can house and display toys with small parts, larger baskets can hold blocks and whole categroies of toys.

We use big baskets or bins to separate toys for toy rotation. There is a basket by the door in our house that holds shoes. Smaller baskets provide a home for reusable window stickers near the window she plays at.

Supply boxes

If you are going to actually homeschool, then you will need boxes to organize your supplies. It is helpful to have a box for crayons, one for colored pencils, and one for markers that the child can just grab when they need it.

Store art supplies by activity type and make the boxes easy to grab. It will make your life a whole lot easier.

Binder or File Folders

You are going to have a lot of printables. There are mats of letters, numbers, and shapes that you can print out and use for tracing or mouldig out of play dough. There are puzzles, mazes, and find it puzzles that you can reuse to reinforce learning just about anything.

You could have manipulatives like paper dolls that dress up in period clothing, or frogs that dissect. Binders and file folders are convienent ways to store it all so you can find and use your activities.

Card Boxes

Flashcards of some variety are a must, and you will need a place to store them. We store ours in a small plastic bin and keep the packs separated with paperclips and the rubber bands they use to hold broccoli together. But you can get dedicated boxes for flashcards if that is more your speed.

Trays

Shelves

Having dedicated shelves for toys with an easy to understand organization system is the way to get children to clean up after themselves. When homeschooling, it can be useful to not only have shelves the children can access directly, but also a set of shelves in a closet or cabinet that holds toys being rotated out. That way you can rotate the toys so the tots won’t lose interest in them.

Single Hole Punch

3 Hole Punch

If you choose to use a binder to organize your child’s school papers, you are going to need a 3 hole punch. Get one that is easy to use and your child can help you use it and organize their own papers.

Books

Children need books. And when we are all stuck in qarenteen, it is even more important. Books can be used to introduce situations and places your child cant visit this year. They are vital for language aquizition and vocabulary building.

If you would like me to do a post on books, I have more than enough suggestions for books to teach most concepts.

Larger Items

The items on this list are immensley helpful, but may not be accessible depending on your situation. If you can get your hands on them, they make great investments into your child’s education and your sanity.

If you don’t have some of the things on this list, that is okay, I will include recomedations for adjustments.

Printer

A printer is one of the most useful things I have in my arsenal for homeschooling. It has paid for itself many times over.

With a printer, you can print out flashcards, stories, and coloring pages. Art projects are easier, and getting the child information is easier.

If you don’t have a printer and can’t afford one, there are many printing services available. I would download everything you need to print (probably mostly flashcards) onto a flashdrive and then have them printed somewhere like STAPLES or Office Depot.

Computer or Tablet

Beyond all the printable resources, and game ideas on the internet to help your child learn, there are also a ton of games designed to help them learn to read or build math foundations. Often these games are free on the computer/ online, but cost money as an app.

If you have an old computer, tablet, or phone they can use it can give you a much needed break. If you don’t, that’s not a big deal. Experts are always warning us about screen time anyway.

White Board

Having something like a white board or chalk board will decrease the amount of clutter and trash you generate. It can also provide an anchor point for all the things you need to go over every day.

While white boards often seem expensive, you can make one for cheap. Just head to the home depot and pick out an acrylic or plexiglass sheet for $50. Then screw it into the wall and instant white board.

If that is even too much, drawing on the glass of sliding glass doors or windows can be a great substitute. Be sure to teach your kids to be gentle though, you don’t want to break the glass.

Climbing Equipment

Kids need to play. They really do.

Climbing not only expends energy, it also improves core strength and problem solving– laying the foundation for writing and math. Normally, kids have access to playgrounds and school gyms. That isn’t the case right now, so it is important to figure out how to provide that outlet right now while we are all at home.

There are a bunch of cheap ways to create climbing rigs. I have personally made one, and am in the process of making another. If you want a post on creating climbing opportunities, leave me a note in the comments.

Beyond DIYs, you can purchase a playground set. There are often sets available at a discount on apps like letgo and craigslist.

Or, if you are lucky enough to have access to trees, those always work too.

Swing

Not only does swinging improve core strength, it also improves balance.

When we swing, the fluid in our inner ear moves, giving us information on where we are in space. As adults, we no longer notice how that fluid moves around in normal motion, but babies and toddlers still do. They are taking all their motion and inputs and still trying to parse them.

To them, swinging feels similar to walking or running, without having to significantly move their body. This gives them a low-stakes way to figure out how motion is supposed to feel, which in turn improves balance and motor planning.

Hanging a swing outside is always a good option, but indoor swings are fantastic too. I personally recommend a space to hang a swing outside, and a place to hang one inside. Younger children are good with a simple bucket swing, but older children love simple silk slings they can either swing or spin on. I recommend getting both and oscillating between the two.

Plants/ A Garden

Young children naturally want to spend 4 or more hours a day outside. They are one with nature in a way few of us adults can truly understand. Caring for a garden not only gives the family an excuse to get outside, it helps children understand lifecycles and ecosystems while giving an introduction to science.

And if the garden grows food, it also teaches where food comes from and how much work goes into what winds up on their dinner plates while encouraging a healthy diet. There is nothing quite like eating a strawberry or tomato straight from the garden.

The biggest thing a garden teaches is that the work produces its own reward. Building a strong work ethic starts early, and this is a great way to start.

Dedicated Play Space

Before you get on my case about not having a big space, I’m not talking about a dedicated play room per se, just a space where the kids have free reign to play where their play stuff goes. This can be a dedicated shelf in the livingroom with a small space in front of the couch where they can tumble and be kids. Or it could be a dedicated play room.

Just like you need space where you can do the things you need to stay sane, so do your kids. They need to tumble, climb, dance, run, and explore. Find a safe place in your house where they can do all of that without being reprimanded. Then put their toys there with an organizational system they can understand and use (this helps them clean up on their own).

Dedicated Quiet Space

Most of us don’t work where we sleep or where we relax, and children shouldn’t either. It sends too many mixed messages.

But like most of us, children need more than just work and sleep. Sometimes they need time alone to regulate their moods or get away from an overstimulating situation. And each child should have their own quiet space.

These spaces don’t have to be elaborate. My daughter’s quiet space is a box turned on its side. When she is overwhelmed, she crawls into the box, closes the flaps and just sits quietly for a while. Sometimes she brings in a crayon and colors on the box or brings in a book and “reads” for a while.

The space just needs to be a place where the child can go where no one will disturb them. It could be under the dinner table or kitchen island, on the couch under a blanket, in their bed or room, a pile of cushions in the corner, or the space under the stairs.

Whatever your child chooses, make sure to keep it a peaceful space for them, and encourage them to go to it when they are overwhelmed. If they are crying and need to calm, don’t send them to their quiet space (unless they go on their own) go with them and sit in the quiet space until they calm.

Please note: this is not a space of punishment. Children should never be punished in their quiet space, nor should they be sent there for a timeout. It is meant to be a safe space they can escape to when they are overwhelmed.

Summary

Most parents collect most of these items over time. Dont go out and buy all of these right now, but factor them into your budget. Eventually your child will benefit from having access to each of these items.

Next week we will start our true Teaching Tots series. Each article will feature one skill and ways to teach it from babyhood through kindergarten/ first grade. Regardless of your child’s age, you should be able to jump right in at their skill level and help them learn what they need to.

Beyond what children are supposed to learn in kindergarten and first grade, what skills would you like to see covered? Knife skills? Cooking? Folding? Let me know in the comments!

I can help you set up your home school or pod. Send me an email to schedule a free consultation.

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