Must Have Supplies for Unplanned Homeschool Days

You know those days when you just can’t bring yourself to plan out your homeschool days (or weeks)? That’s me most of the time.

I used to feel terrible about it, super guilty. I felt like I wasn’t giving my child enough rich and varied learning experiences.

But then I remembered that between the ages of 0 to 5 (I would even argue up to 7), children need to play, be outside, have social time with peers and adults, feel loved and connected with their carers, and have opportunities for independence.  

So now, I roll with it and trust that my child is learning what she needs to learn, whether I’ve carefully curated an activity for her or not.

With all that said, sometimes I get caught with the ‘what should I do? I need my child to be working independently right now!’ bug. 

What helps me get through those dark moments is falling back on ready-to-go supplies that I always have in my home. 

The following supplies can be used by children who are 3+ with minimal or no supervision; younger children will require some supervision for safety. Obviously in all cases, please use your own judgement as a parent. 

Stickers

I love stickers for their fun and versatility. I don’t know any kid who doesn’t like playing with stickers. They are so easy to find and usually very cheap. I ALWAYS have a stash at home. 

If you want to know how to use stickers to build language and literacy in your little ones, check out my post which has a bazillion ideas for you to try out!

Sensory material 

In the early years, children learn primarily through their senses which is why ‘hands on learning’ is such a big thing! And it’s why I love sensory materials.

My favourites are play dough and kinetic/magic sand which are always available at home.

These materials build fine motor strength in the hands, help children calm down and regulate through the sensory input, and their open-ended nature engages the creativity and problem solving parts of the brain. 

You can also add tools such as cutters, scissors and rollers to make it more exciting and for additional fine motor work, but the material itself is usually interesting enough for young kids and can keep them focused for a long time.

Other great sensory options are dried beans, rice, smooth pebbles, and so much more.

Audiobooks and podcasts

This is hands down the best way to keep my child occupied for HOURS. I discovered this tool when my child was 3 years old and I was blown away by how totally engrossed she became listening to stories. 

She often chose to occupy herself with an open-ended toy at the same time, such as blocks and this kept her engaged for hours at a time (this is not an exaggeration).

I like to use podcasts that have stories for little children because they’re free and quite short, which is appropriate for young ones’ attention spans.

Free on Apple Podcasts: 

• ‘Once Upon a Crescent’ for stories with Islamic messages (American)
• Little Stories for Tiny People (American)
• Super Great Kids’ Stories (British)
• Sleepyhead Stories (American)

Others:

• Cbeebies Radio on BBC Sound (British)
• Story Party on Audible (we got to keep this for free when we signed up for a free trial) (American)

We also sometimes listen to other free stories online such as Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit, depending on my child’s mood and interests.

Range of art materials

Art is so important for the development of creativity and self-expression so I always like to have a variety of art materials on hand.

This is a list of materials I have accumulated over time and which my children still use:

• Animal and letter stampers
• Crayons and colouring pencils
• Felt tip pens
• Paint sticks 
• Dot markers/stampers
• Child-friendly scissors 
• Glue sticks and PVA glue
• Chalk
• Acrylic and water paints
• Cotton buds (for use with paints)
• Scrap paper and recycled cardboard
• Magazines for cutting

The variety keeps things interesting and keeps the kids occupied for a long time.

Movable alphabet

Having a movable alphabet has been so useful for days when I know I want my child to work on language but I haven’t really managed to plan anything out. 

I can usually just think up some short words on the spot and ask my kid to have a go at making it by identifying the correct sounds.

It’s also a great material for the child to explore naturally if they’re interested in making up words, so it’s very handy to have around just in case!

Math manipulatives or loose parts

Similarly to the movable alphabet, I like to have on hand any kind of math manipulative for spontaneous maths. 

A manipulative is simply something a child can hold and feel, and for maths you want a large quantity of the same type of item to help the child do various math-based learning.

This may include counting, one-to-one correspondence, addition, subtraction, patterning, etc.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a few resources which have been used a lot by my preschooler including snap cubes and beads. 

However, I would also use everyday items like coins and whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves) to mix things up and keep things exciting and interesting.

Open-ended building materials

Play cannot be understated in the early years. Play through building and construction is crucial to the development of problem solving, spatial awareness, creativity and so on.

I have amassed various types of building toys over the years.

Our hands down favourite is magnet tiles. This is such a brilliant building toy. The magnets continue to pique interest for years. For younger children, they are great for helping reduce frustration since they stick together and don’t fall down as easily.

Other fantastic open-ended construction toys include wooden blocks, Lego, and stickle bricks. 

Plus, a bonus is that we’ve never used any of the expensive branded versions of the above and my children have had them for years, still going strong.

Books

When all else fails, no planning has happened and there is no interest in much else, we are more than happy to snuggle into books and read for our homeschool time.

We have a collection of gifted, second hand and bought books and our local library as a resource. 

Homeschool can be whatever you want it to be.

The main thing is to trust that your child is learning no matter what and there are plenty of opportunities and ways for that to happen throughout the day.