Healthy Body Homeschool Unit Study: Helping My Strong-Willed 4-Year-Old Build Healthy Habits
Healthy Habits, Healthy Body If you’ve ever tried to convince a very opinionated 4-year-old to brush their teeth, wash their hands, or eat a vegetable — you already know the struggle. I know it well, too. (And this is why we now have the Healthy Body Homeschool Unit Study.) Lil Miss Mouse (our sweet and spunky 4-year-old) is full of life, imagination, and a strong will. And while I absolutely love her firecracker spirit, I’ll be honest — it has made some things really challenging. Like… convincing her to brush her teeth without a fight. Or getting her to wash her hands after using the bathroom without a dramatic sigh. Or asking her to eat something green without the dreaded, “I don’t like that.” I get it. To her, brushing her teeth just feels like an annoying task I was forcing on her. Washing her hands is boring. Eating healthy isn’t as fun as eating dessert. But I worry about her health when all she wants is junk and she resists brushing her teeth, ya know? And honestly? I don’t want healthy habits to feel like a power struggle — I want them to feel natural for her. Something she actually wants to do. So… I got an idea. What If I Made Learning About Good Habits for a Healthy Body FUN? One night I had a thought: What if I approached this differently? What if I turned healthy habits into something she could explore, play with, and learn about in a hands-on way — instead of something I just nagged her about every day? I know that kids learn better and remember more when they learn through playing. I decided to create a few little activities to help her understand why we brush our teeth, wash our hands, eat healthy, and stay active. But then… I did the ADHD thing and I researched and hyperfocused and next thing I knew, I was elbows deep in a unit study. The more I brainstormed, the more I realized there was SO much I wanted to teach her about taking care of her body — not just hygiene, but also nutrition, exercise, and rest. And the more excited I got, the more I kept adding to it. And then, BOOM!, I had a fun, full, (and fabulous) Healthy Body Homeschool Unit Study. And honestly? It turned out way better than I expected. The Best Part About the Healthy Body Unit Study – She Likes It When we sat down at the table for the first lesson of the healthy body unit study, Lil Miss Mouse was immediately drawn to the pages on brushing teeth. We talked about germs (bacteria,) cavities, and brushing teeth before diving into the activities. And you know what? She had fun! She drew and erased and cleaned food bits off the teeth at least a dozen times. She did the same with the flossing activity. For each, I demonstrated the correct technique and had her practice. The next day we did a lesson about healthy foods. We sorted foods into “more healthy” and “less healthy” categories. For many reasons, we are just sorting foods into things we should eat more often and foods we should eat less often. (We do have things we avoid altogether, like artificial food dyes, but that’s a whole different lesson.) After that, she started pointing out healthy choices during meals or asking “mom, is this more healthy or less healthy?” Making wise food choices became just a little bit easier. Funny: when I asked her to circle all the ways she likes to play and move on the exercise page, she circled all of them. Every single one. (She hasn’t even ever played tennis!) But I’m not surprised because this girl loves to move. Inspired by that activity, I decided to get a kite from Dollar Tree and teach her how to fly a kite. We have had great weather for it, she loves it, and now we have one more way to get fresh air and exercise together. =) We’ve Still Got a Ways to Go, But We’ve Made a Good Start Now don’t get me wrong — we didn’t magically solve everything overnight. There are still moments when she sighs dramatically about stopping to wash her hands. But good habits take TIME. She understands why we do these things. She knows that brushing keeps her teeth healthy, eating fruits and veggies makes her body strong, and washing her hands keeps her from getting sick. And while we’re still working toward consistency, I can tell you this: And honestly? That’s more than I hoped for when we started. And Now It’s a FULL Healthy Body Homeschool Unit Study (and It’s in the Shop!) I ended up turning everything we did — all the lessons, hands-on activities, and printable worksheets — into a Healthy Body Homeschool Unit Study for kids ages 4-6 complete with a parent/teacher guide. SIXTEEN pages of unit study, SIX pages of parent guide, and about two weeks’ worth of lessons (should you choose to space it out that much.) It covers things like: And also? It’s just… fun. Short lessons. No lengthey lectures. Just play-based learning that helps kids understand why their health matters. It’s On Sale Through the End of March Since I know so many other homeschool moms face the exact same struggles I did, I put the Healthy Body Unit Study up in my shop — and it’s on sale through the end of March. If you want to check it out, you can grab it here: Healthy Body Unit Study And if you do end up using it with your kids, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook [@ClassicHousewife] — I’d love to see it in action in your home. It’s nice how something that started out as me trying to solve a problem turned into some way that I can help other families do the same. Isn’t that one of the good things
Countdown to Thanksgiving!
The last two months of the year are my FAVORITE months of the whole entire year! Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas… not to mention sweater weather, fireplaces, hot chocolate, and fuzzy socks. It’s the coziest season of all. Now that Lil’ Miss Mouse is 4, she’s participating in traditions that she will possibly remember into her adulthood. But also, if you’ve ever had a 4 year old you’ll understand, she’s in that impatient “when will it get here” but “I can’t read a calendar yet” phase. *So fun! Old School Paper Chains I remember making lots of construction paper chains when we were kids. (Back in the “good ol days.”) I continued the tradition with my big kids because it’s a great visual for kids who can’t read yet – and now it’s Lil’ Miss Mouse’s turn. On November 1st we made a chain to count down to Thanksgiving and she’s been taking off one link each day. Of course, you don’t have to countdown the entire month – you might prefer to do a smaller time frame (only us crazies do the entire month.) 😉 Oh, but you might notice that my countdowns count.. up? I find that it’s easier at this age. We took off the “7” chain link today on the 7th. It “maths” well for kids who aren’t proficient at counting backward. The chain getting shorter is the visual countdown, not the numbers on the links. And While We Count Down… Meanwhile, there are a lot of days between now and Thanksgiving. What else shall we do? This is also my favorite time of year for baking. It doesn’t get too hot in the kitchen, comfort foods are perfect for the season, and well, I just like carbs. We have been shopping for supplies and we have plans to make cranberry orange scones, cranberry nut bread, and more. Bake, bake, bake! Lil Miss Mouse is an eager apprentice, and while she helps she’s practicing hand/eye coordination, following steps, counting, and more. Not to mention that she will gain a confidence in the kitchen as she grows that is worth even more. Count Down With Me I’ve uploaded a printable countdown set for you – free of charge – to count down the days with your own kids. It’s flexible and can be used any year for any length of time. You can assemble your chain to count up or down, or however. Click here to download the free Thanksgiving Countdown Paper Chain. Share your pictures with me and tag me on IG if you’d like, @classichousewife, I’d love to see how you use them. And meanwhile, look for other ways to enjoy the season, too. Baking, giving, journaling, whatever! God bless!
Which Letters to Teach First For Reading: One Gentle Approach
There’s no universal prescription for which letters to teach first when teaching preschoolers to read. Each reading curriculum follows its own path. In my post about teaching phonics to preschoolers, I mentioned that one gentle approach is starting with a small group of high-frequency, high-return letters—letters regularly encountered in beginning reading words that work together to form many simple words. Why start with a small list of letters? The National Center on Improving Literacy similarly recommends beginning with high-utility letter-sound relationships so children can begin working with words as quickly as possible. Starting small provides a solid foundation for further growth. Caveat: This is of course referring to the learning step AFTER your child knows all 26 letters of the alphabet, and knows their basic sounds. Teaching the alphabet is Step One. So. Which Letters to Teach First? Meet “The First Eight” Let me introduce you to a gentle teaching tool, a free download called The First Eight. This set uses the following eight, common, high-frequency, high-utility letters: a, e, i, m, n, p, s, and t. Together, these three short vowels and five consonants can be recombined to build 24 simple consonant-vowel-consonant words. There are even more possible combinations, but we begin with 24 real, approachable words. Why these eight? The three short sounds (short a, short e, and short i) immediately open the door into three short vowel groups. Adding the additional five consonants introduces eight different CVC word families: -an, -ap, -at, -en, -et, -in, -ip, and -it. (And more when you move into the Gentle Phonics series.) The 24 CVC words taught with these letters are as follows. Short A CVC Words List Short E CVC Words List: Short I CVC Words List: How to Introduce The First Eight Gently Using the philosophy from “Teaching Phonics to Preschoolers,” begin with introducing and modeling the letter combinations without pressure. Using physical activity or hands on manipulatives, ask your child to copy and reproduce the words sounds and combine them together. When they’re ready, ask them to start making words with the letters themselves. Tracing and writing are added when their hands are ready. Begin With a Few Words. Choose 3-4 cards from one family, such as mat, sat, and pat. Model Before Expecting. Introduce the cards, spell the words, sound them out, say them. Build the Words. Use tiles, magnetic letters, or alphabet clips to build and sound out the words on the card. Building words with physical letters allows practice when handwriting isn’t ready. Play Copycat. Ask your child to copy the sounds you say and build the words you build. Turn Learning Into Play. Play “Word Hunt” by laying a handful of cards on the table and your child to find one of them, or putting cards on the floor and asking your child to jump onto the right one. Trace or Write the Words – When Ready. When their little hands are ready, they can work on writing the word, sounding it out, and saying it, in one smooth process. Sheet protectors and dry erase markers can be used for reusable practice. Know When to Pause. Frustration is information – a sign that your child’s brain needs a break. It does’t help to push learning once a child is frustrated. Remember: learning is a rhythm, not a race. What if my child isn’t blending yet? Blending two sounds together is a completely different skill than recognizing a letter and knowing a sound it makes. This is a new skill! If your child is struggling to get from m-a-t to mat, don’t worry. What can you do to help? It can be helpful to go back to modeling. Slowly blend sounds together and “mash them” into the word to demonstrate. Ask your child to listen while you do it, and then copy it back. Reduce the workload to a few words and play games with them. Be silly. Pretend to be a slow motion robot stringing one sound into the next. Keep it light until it clicks. Once your child is ready, add more similar words and watch the understanding bloom. Download The First Eight for Free