I have to say that the pandemic has drastically shifted the way that I parent and engage with my children. I’m mostly referencing my daughter since my son was a post-pandemic baby. My daughter had just turned 2 before the world shut down. Although her daycare remained open, my husband and I made the decision to keep her home for 1.5 years since both of the organizations that we worked for shifted to 100% remote work.

Let me tell you, that was probably one of the toughest 1.5 years of our lives. Like so many other parents with school-aged children and early learners, we had to figure out how to stay fully engaged with our jobs and our children. Even though my daughter wasn’t school-aged yet, early learning is so important to us and she was already getting a good foundation at her preschool that we wanted to ensure that she didn’t miss a beat just because she was home with us. With some careful research and intentional planning, we found some amazing educational resources that were so helpful to us then that we still continue to use them today.

Miss Monica – Preschool Explorers

I stumbled upon her content from a mommy group I belong to on Facebook and we’ve been hooked ever since. What I loved most about Monica’s content was that she offered simple 15 minutes lessons in a Circle Time format that mirrored what my daughter was already doing in the classroom. My daughter learned her days of the week, months of the year, and colors from the daily repetition of these simple lessons.

We loved these lessons so much that we eventually enrolled her in the Preschool Explorers virtual program that offered 16 weeks of live daily lessons that covered everything from reinforcing days of the week, months of the year, and colors, but also taught basic writing and tracing skills, counting, crafts, and fine motor skills, and fitness. Surprisingly, my daughter really enjoyed these lessons. There was just enough variety in activities that my daughter didn’t get too bored.

Now, my daughter has since transitioned back to school and will be heading to kindergarten this fall, so we no longer need the full week-long lessons. However, we still do Circle Time in the morning and we love love love the weekly craft and skill-building videos she posts to her YouTube channel. They serve as great supplemental activities for what she’s learned in her Pre-K class.

Crayola DIY Projects for Kids

Whether you’re into crafting or not, it’s impossible not to get sucked in by these super simple craft tutorials using America’s most beloved art products (let’s be honest, who didn’t love a good ol’ box of 64 Crayola crayons?). Of course, the videos on their YouTube channel mostly feature Crayola products, but honestly, any comparable products will do and I substitute with other materials often.

The crafts are simple enough that a 4-year old can do them with minimal supervision and it gives them the opportunity to not only practice those fine motor skills, but lets them showcase their creativity.

KiwiCo Science Box

It’s never too early to start introducing your kids to STEM. For your little littles, this is a light introduction to STEM concepts. We’ve enjoyed age-appropriate boxes with activities that range from things that glow to camping to creating your very own nature box. Again, most of the activities require minimal supervision and there are usually 3 activities per box, and it typically takes us 5-10 minutes per activity.

This is a monthly subscription box and prices range from $20-$30 per month. I love that you can select the age range for your children to ensure that you receive activities that are appropriate for your child.

So those are just a few of the educational resources that we love in the Merriweather household. What are some of your favorite resources? Leave me a comment below.