Every preschool teaches the alphabet. For good reason! The letter names are one of the first things children will be learning when they start kindergarten. Even young kids can learn some of these letter names and sounds. This gets them ahead of the game and they’ll be more prepared for school.

Why Simple is Better

Preschoolers and kindergartners are different. For example, they just don’t want to sit still and pay attention for long. If you have younger daycare kids you’re trying to care for, then formal lessons are even more difficult! Been there, done that.

Nature shows that the child cannot think without his hands and that the hands are the instruments of intelligence…In this period between three and six years, it has been clearly revealed that movement and mind go together.” Maria Montessori

In other words, most preschoolers just aren’t ready for kindergarten yet. They still need to spend more of their day learning through play than doing “work.” That’s why short and sweet teacher-directed lessons are best for preschool. Educational activities can fill the rest of the time.

I Love Coloring!

There are so many great things about coloring. For example, I love that coloring encourages creativity, fine motor development, and color recognition. At the same time it’s a quiet, relaxing (even for adults!) activity and the kids enjoy it. These pages also encourage phonics and letter recognition. No wonder these coloring pages are easily one of my favorite printables! In addition, I think worksheets are a great way to show the kids’ parents what we did and learned about during the day.

We always talk about the letter names and sounds. We trace the letters with our fingers. Then point to each picture as we name it, and listen for the letter’s sound. I then let them go to town with the creative process. Some days we use crayons, markers, or paint. I usually follow the kids’ lead with what materials they want to use.