As news rapidly evolves regarding the spread of COVID-19 and precautions we should take, parents continue to face child care challenges. Questions about how to care for children and how to maintain and promote learning are abundant. While K-12 institutions have widely moved to online learning, parents of young children, especially those in preschool or Pre-K, are at a disadvantage. It is likely that many child care providers and early learning centers will offer parents guidance and resources for working with their children, however, these items may be limited and only reflect a fraction of what your child’s experience might have been like in child care.
You may be familiar with the adage, “Parents are a child’s first teacher.” The spread of COVID-19 and the restrictions it has encouraged are reminding us of it each day as we adjust to working and caring for our children from home simultaneously. Many parents may feel unequipped to teach, but in reality are well suited to the task. Teaching simply means embellishing daily routines with fun tasks and activities. Reading recipes, drawing items around the house, and sorting laundry are all ways to learn while at home.
FunShine Express has served in-home or family child care providers since its inception, so much of our curriculum revolves around what can be done at home with simple supplies on hand. With this in mind, we have just what parents need to support children’s learning during this uncertain time. FunShine Express offers easy-to-use curriculum that is aligned to state standards. It’s theme based and self-guided. Parents can choose from two curriculum programs:
FunShine Digital
Ready-to-use daily lesson plans with a searchable database of over 15,000 activities
Curriculum Kit
Materials for 15 art projects, a math game, learning center materials, and a curriculum guide with activities to support teaching the alphabet, reading, and numeracy.
We also offer free online resources, including writing practice pages, character stories, and Spanish word cards (shapes and colors). As parents take to Twitter and other platforms to plan, share, and troubleshoot schedules, you can save time and stay organized by choosing reliable early learning curriculum for your homeschooling. Remember, it’s okay for learning activities to happen occasionally. Be sure to balance your children’s needs with your own during this uncertain time.
You can browse and test this one-day sample from our preschool curriculum. Or, try this simple science activity from our April curriculum guide:
Matching Sounds 
Suggested Materials: plastic eggs, dry items to fill eggs, tape
Organize a center where your child can practice listening skills. Fill plastic eggs with different materials (beans, rice, pebbles, sand, beads, coins, etc.) to create pairs with matching sounds. Tape the eggs shut. Have your child shake the eggs. Challenge him/her to find the pairs with the matching sounds.
For more information about using FunShine Express, visit funshineexpress.com or call 1(800)340-8103.
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