A Happy Home - Preschool Lesson

At this point in our mommy school we have learned about healthy bodies, about me & hobbies, and families.  It has been so rewarding already to see the kids retaining the information they have been taught!

Lesson Topics: Letter D (the sound it makes and writing it properly), homes (similarities & differences, the rooms in the house, and that our attitude effects everyone in the home), using scissors correctly, gluing, and large motor skills.

Letter D:
I start every lesson with a code word.  When I say that word the children are supposed to zip their lips, fold their arms, and have eyes on me.  The code word starts with the letter of the day.  Today's code word was Dad.  We practiced saying "D, 'duh', dad."  The girls then wrote capital and lowercase D on a whiteboard.

HOMES
Different Kinds of Homes:
I told Goofy and Brownie that we don't all live in the same houses.  We talked about some of the differences between their houses (one has stairs, one has two rooms, etc.).  I explained that even though each house is different, they are both good and have the people we love most.  To further discuss the differences between homes, I gave the girls a House Matching activity sheet (above).  We talked about the each house.  For example, the first house is dark and a little scary.  We then examined the people on the page.  I asked the girls to try to figure out which person would most likely live in each house and to draw a line from the house to the person.

The Rooms in the House:
We gathered at the table and I gave the rooms in your house sheets (above).

I let them color the different rooms: kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom as well as the little girl.  I had fun seeing their different coloring styles.  Brownie likes to color everything her favorite color - green.  Goofy colored her little girls' hair to match her own and didn't show much interest in coloring the rooms.  She would much rather be cutting.  

Princess took a lot of time making sure she colored each detail correctly.

Once everything was colored to their satisfaction, it was time to cut everything out.

Brownie gluing the rooms onto her house.

Cutting and gluing was Goofy's favorite part by far.  She knew exactly where she wanted every room to go.

Here is Goofy's finished house.  They used these little houses at home when they did their homework.

What Room Am I In? - Large Motor Game:
After all of that sitting it was time to get moving!  I acted out something that is done in a specific room of the house (for example: brushing my teeth = bathroom).  The girls had to figure out what room I should be in when doing that action.  Then the girls had their own turn doing some actions.  They laughed and laughed when I pretended to sit and watch television.  I guess the dead look on my face had something to do with it.

 

Making Your Home a Happy Place:
It is very common for 3 year old kids to throw fits when they don't get their way.  Your kid never throws fits?  Teach me your secret...PLEASE!  I taught the kids the song "When We're Helping We're Happy."  My mom used to sing this to my siblings and me ALL the time.  It teaches kids to help the other members of the family and that helping others makes you happy inside.

I explained to the girls that the way they act affects the home.  If you are happy, then the house is a happy place to be.  When you're being mean it makes everyone else feel bad.  I let them make their own happy home.

Here is the finished result.  I decided to use a large, red brad to make the house look like it has a nose.  Isn't it cute?!  The little mouth can change from happy to sad.  Goofy absolutely adores her happy house!  Bestie told me that Brownie simply can't stand it when her little house is sad.  (This would make a great FHE object lesson by the way.)   If you make a happy house of your own you will only need one mouth sheet.  I needed two because I had two girls to teach.

Homework: 
Follow your daily schedule.  Walk the little girl through the rooms of the house.

What are some ways you teach your children to be happy and helpful at home?  I would love to hear any all suggestions!

*Feel free print out and use any of the different activity sheets and flashcards.  I only ask you give credit where credit is due.  Thank you.

You Might Also Like:

Heart Scotch - Love at Home FHE Lesson

D is for Dill Pickle - Preschool Lesson

Aladdin Family Fun Nigh