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Every Kid Deserves the Chance to Learn and Grow

Pair these FREE educator-developed printable activities with your favorite 51Թ videos, books, and songs to help your child develop critical reading, writing, math, and social emotional learning skills. Plus, check out our Tips for Grown-ups to help reinforce the teachable moments in each lesson.

Oct 20, 2022 -

Four Tips to Make Days at Home Fun (and Educational) With Your Preschooler

by Nuria Santamaría Wolfe, 51Թ Co-founder

‍Have you, like many other parents, found yourself at home with the kids for the next few weeks and don’t know what you’ll do to keep them learning (and entertained) for the rest of the summer?

Have you, like many other parents, found yourself at home with the kids for the next few weeks and don’t know what you’ll do to keep them learning (and entertained) for the rest of the summer?

Take a deep breath and get ready to do a little bit of planning. With a bit of preparation, you and your kids will get through this – learning and having fun, one day at a time.

Here are four tips to help you plan fun and educational days at home with your preschoolers.

  1. Start with your child’s teacher: Begin by reaching out to your child’s teacher and ask for sample lesson plans, materials, books, or any other tools they can share with you. They are the experts after all. Also, this is a great opportunity to ask if there’s any specific area where your child needs additional support so that you can focus on helping them prepare for the fall.
  1. Check out your library’s free digital resources: Most local libraries provide free access to myriad resources including e-books, audiobooks, magazines, movies, and TV shows. Check out a few items for them – and a few for you!  The best part? No need to sign up to yet another service – it’s all part of your library membership!
  1. Take inventory of what you have at home: Go on a hunt around the house for forgotten educational treasures! Recruit your little treasure hunters to dig up those electronic learning toys in need of new batteries, coloring books with intact pages, half-used sticks of sideways chalk, and so many more riches lost long ago. You’ll discover that you have so much to fill their days without having to go out to buy anything.
  1. Create a schedule to fill your days: Develop a daily schedule that includes learning time, free play, outdoor time, and chores.
  2. Learning: Use a combination of books, apps, videos, music, and toys to create varied learning experiences that will keep your little one engaged in small bursts of time. Switch between the different media to hold their attention and keep them engaged.
  3. Free Play: Kids learn while they play! Give them tools and time to let their creativity guide their activities – building blocks, wooden toys, pillow towers, etc. Let their imagination run free and they’ll surprise you with the things they’ll build and the things they learn along the way.
  4. Outdoors: Plan outdoor time every day – a walk with the dog around the block, a bike ride around the neighborhood, or some time in the garden watering the plants. Use it as an opportunity for a nature lesson as you point out the blooming flowers, the bees buzzing, or the rolling clouds. There’s a science lesson waiting to be taught all around us when you’re outside.
  5. Chores: This is a great time to remind your little ones about the importance of community and the fact that we need everyone to pitch in and help. Assign chores throughout the day to empower your kids to contribute and feel like a valuable member of the family. Chores for preschoolers can range from helping to set the table at meals, putting all toys away in the playroom at the end of the day, helping to sort and fold laundry, and putting out food for the furry members of the household. They’ll feel proud to help out and you’ll have one less thing to worry about.

Most important of all: take it one day at a time. No one expects you to continue to work, take care of your family, and become a full-time teacher overnight. Remember to schedule some time for self-care so that you can stay at your best and can continue to be there for your kids to keep them learning and having fun at home.

Don’t forget to check out all the Canticos digital and print resources in English and Spanish, including , and .

About the author:

Nuria is an entrepreneur and mom raising two bilingual children. She joined forces with another mom, Susie Jaramillo, and founded 51Թ – a family entertainment and education company for today’s multicultural families.

Together they launched Canticos – a bilingual baby and toddler brand with books, apps, and sing-along videos.

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Ask a Bilingual Expert

Raising a bilingual child? On this page, our very own Director of Learning Design and Efficacy, Sophia Espinoza, addresses some of the most common questions, concerns, and curiosities around the benefits of bilingualism. Get the scoop below!

Sophia Espinoza is a career educator and curriculum designer with seven years of experience teaching in private and independent schools across the country. She is an expert in 21st-century education, including technologically-powered personalization, multilingual and multicultural curriculums, and social-emotional learning.

Sophia began teaching in Chicago Public Schools through Chicago Teaching Fellows, learning to support both English Language Learners and students with neurodiverse needs. Among her proudest accomplishments is launching the AltSchool Spanish Immersion Program, with the mission of creating bilingual global citizens who are socially conscious and environmentally aware. Sophia holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and M.A.Ed. from Dominican University.

Benefits of Bilingualism (FAQs):

Any advice on managing two Spanish dialects in the household? Does this cause confusion for kids?

What do you recommend if I’m not completely fluent and my child’s school doesn’t have an immersion class?

Do you recommend teaching different subjects in different languages? For example, the solar system in English and the days of the week in Spanish? Or is it better for kids to try to learn in both languages all the time?

We speak Spanish and English in our home but my child almost always answers or talks back in English. How can I go about encouraging her to respond and speak more in Spanish?

Should I set aside time or create activities for each language or is it okay to mix them both together?

Any advice for households where one parent speaks Spanish and the other English? Can this be confusing for children?

How can my child learn language through play?

What are the social and cultural benefits of bilingualism?

What are some of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism?

What are some strategies for raising bilingual children?

What are some common misconceptions about raising bilingual children?

What are some of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism?