Our Homeschool Preschool Routine

I started preschool at home with Pooky last year, and we're doing it again this year along with some friends. Here is the routine we have found successful for us. (Notice I said "routine" and not "schedule." We don't follow a rigid time structure, we just go with the flow, but each morning that we do preschool follows a similar pattern.)

Free Printable available in Resource Library

I created a printable visual schedule for you to use in your own homeschool preschool. It’s available in the Resource Library which is free to anyone who subscribes to my newsletter. (Just fill out the form under the comment section of this article for immediate access.)

Free printable visual schedule clipped to a ribbon

Printable visual schedule in a pocket chart

Kids thrive on routine. They can’t control much in their world, but if they know what to expect, it creates a calming effect on them.

Using a visual schedule helps kids see what’s coming next. See the bottom of this post to read how you can download yours from the Resource Library.

Here is the Homeschool Preschool Routine we used for two years of preschool.

Free Play

After our breakfast and morning chores we head downstairs to our "classroom" and Pooky has time for free play. This is usually play time with

• educational games,

• blocks,

• magnetic letters/numbers,

• puzzles,

• books, etc...

I use this time to make sure I have everything set up and ready to go for our morning activities.

(I do all the real prepping the night before.)

Circle Time

I hesitate to call this circle time because if you're only homeschooling one kiddo, you can't make a circle. But most people are familiar with that term, so I'll stick with it.

We use this time to go over

• the day's weather,

• calendar,

• we sing the alphabet

• and count 1-10 together.  

• I also do a quick review of our theme

• and we review the visual schedule for the day (morning).

 Letter of the Week

I always do a whole alphabet activity first, (like this Alphabet pom-pom sensory bin) then we do a couple of hands-on activities (playdoh mats, dot painting, etc...) to provide exposure to the letter we're currently studying.

• playdoh mats

• dot markers

• letter puzzles

Check out my Letter Study board on Pinterest for ideas.

Read Aloud/Snack Time

I've always found it helpful to provide snack while reading to children. It keeps them sitting still and quiet (for the most part) allowing us to get more out of the book(s) we read together. I read two or three picture books related to our theme. Check out my Storybook Activities board on Pinterest for ideas.

Math Time

We use this time to work on math concepts. I always do one counting activity along with one other mathematical concept such as sorting, shapes, sequencing, and patterning. We use printables and manipulatives (legos, counting bears, pom poms, buttons, etc...) for these activities. Check out my Counting Activities board on Pinterest for ideas.

 Art Time

For me, "art time" encompasses a variety of arts (music, dance, crafts,etc...) We might do a very simple craft related to our story or theme. Or we might put on some music (classical, folk, or kid friendly) and dance with scarves or sing songs with hand motions. We also play versions of musical chairs that tie into an educational concept. The educational value here includes things such as fine motor and gross motor skills. It is usually also the way we learn about colors. Check out my Art Activities for Kids board on Pinterest for more ideas.

Outside Time

We usually end our preschool day with outdoor time.

• I may set up one of these outdoor sensory bins that don’t need clean up.

• Or we might use our travel-size kid-friendly microscope to do observations.

• Or I might just make it free-play time.

This is the preschool routine that worked for us.  Yours may look similar or very different.  Be sure to think about your own family's style when creating your routine and remember that you can adapt it at any time to fit your needs. For more preschool ideas, check out my Preschool at Home board on Pinterest. Or you can check out the link below to see how other people are doing preschool at home.

Keep in Mind:

As much as kids like routine, they can get bored easily. Even though you will work through the subjects (math, reading, art, etc) in the same order most days, don’t do the same kinds of activities every week. Kids need a little novelty and surprise to stay curious and engaged.

Please share this article with others by pinning the image below. Thank you!

Looking for other preschool routine ideas? Check out my round-up post of Eight Different Styles of Teaching Preschool at Home where I share posts from seven other bloggers who are making preschool at home work for them.

You may also be interested in our Letter of the Week Themes A-Z.

For access to the Preschool Visual Schedule, simply fill out the form below the comments section to subscribe to my mailing list. I won’t spam your inbox, and I won’t sell your email. Once subscribed, you’ll immediately receive an email with the password and link to the Free Resource Library where you can print any of the printables made for this site.

The image above is a sample of the visual schedule. The actual printable comes with 5 pages of pictures for you to choose from so you can customize your preschool routine.