NYS Home School and Educational Resources - Newburgh Free Library: Pre-K Resources
Resources to help adults support youth learning and help young scholars support themselves.
New York State Next Generation Standards Early Learning
- New York State Next Generation Standards Early Learning Introduction
The task of revising the Early Learning Standards provided an opportunity to articulate a shared understanding of what young children can achieve with our support. Across New York State, educators, community members, researchers, and policymakers all advocated for what would be best for all children – developmentally appropriate expectations within a context that embraces children’s multiple identities and differing abilities. Standards represent a belief that equitable outcomes among diverse populations are possible when we focus our instruction and programming on who children are and what they need. Standards are only ideals, however, without the investment and dedication of the educators and parents, family members, and other adults in children’s lives. It is their work and protective care that empowers children to reach their fullest potential and makes real the Standards’ potential to equalize academic achievement for New York’s young children. - Interactive Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five
This tool from Head Start's Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center is "a guide to what children should know and do in five central developmental domains." The domains are:
1) Approaches to Learning ("skills and behaviors that children use to engage in learning" such as self-regulation)
2) Social and Emotional Development
3) Language and Literacy
4) Cognition ("includes reasoning, memory, problem-solving...mathematical thinking and scientific reasoning.") and
5) Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development (includes perception, gross motor, fine motor, and health, safety, and nutrition.)
"The...Framework describes the skills, behaviors, and knowledge that programs must foster in all children...[It] is grounded in a comprehensive body of research about what young children should know and be able to do to succeed in school." Click any box in the tool to learn more.
Early Childhood Subject Guide
- Early Childhood Subject Guide
A guide to learning from ages 0-4 with pre-reading and developmental skill builders, activities, resources, book lists, crafts, and more.
Read Online
- Read Free Children's Books Online
Explore our guide with links to many sources of free children's books online. Hundreds of titles available, most with no library card required. - Children's E-books for Newburgh Free Library cardholders
Try one of our e-book collections for kids with your Newburgh Free Library card, including BookFlix. - Selected free booksA curated list of "living books" in a number of subjects
- Folktexts from around the WorldA collection of folk and fairy tales and myths from around the world organized by "tale type" (story structure). For example, stories that fit the structure of Cinderella are "type 510A".
- Using Books To Make Homeschooling Easier For All Of You10 Tips for using books to enrich the homeschool experience.
- How to print and bind online booksA video tutorial on one way to make your own books from online material.
Parent Guides
- National PTA: Family ResourcesIncludes "Parents' Guide to Student Success."
Supplemental Resources
- DayByDay NYFree daily activities for young children and families, including two read-along books!
- DayByDaySCFree daily activities for young children and families, including two read-along books!
- How to Support Your Child for a Very Different School Year
PBS Kids for Parents
Deborah Farmer Kris - Parent/Caregiver Resources in Developmental PhaseResearch has shown that supporting the healthy development of a child right from the start promotes significant educational, social, and financial benefits for children, as well as for their communities.
- Summer Reading at NY Libraries, Birth to 5
Reading with your baby, toddler or preschooler is a special experience. Sharing stories develops language skills, helps kids get ready for school, and is fun! - Totschooling: for ages 2-5
Despite the "tot" in the name, this site has free printable learning games and activities for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. - Create a Preschool Schedule
An example of a pre-school-at-home routine with links to related resources.
Books
The Montessori Toddler by ISBN: 9781523506897Publication Date: 2019-03-19Turn your home into a Montessori home--and become a more mindful, attentive, and easygoing parent. It's time to change the way we see toddlers. Using the principles developed by the educator Dr. Maria Montessori, Simone Davies shows how to turn life with a "terrible two" into a mutually rich and rewarding time of curiosity, learning, respect, and discovery. With hundreds of practical ideas for every aspect of living with a toddler, here are five principles for feeding your child's natural curiosity, from "Trust in the child" to "Fostering a sense of wonder." Step-by-step ways to cultivate daily routines with ease, like brushing teeth, toilet-training, dealing with siblings, losing the pacifier. Plus learn how to: Stay composed when your toddler is not and set limits with love and respect--without resorting to bribes or punishment Set up your home and get rid of the chaos Create Montessori activities that are just right for your one-to-three-year-old Raise an inquisitive learner who loves exploring the world around them See the world through your toddler's eyes and be surprised and delighted by their perspective Be your child's guide--and truly celebrate every stage
How Children Learn, 50th Anniversary Edition by ISBN: 9780738220086Publication Date: 2017-08-01This enduring classic of educational thought offers teachers and parents deep, original insight into the nature of early learning. John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In this delightful yet profound book, he looks at how we learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how we can nurture and encourage these natural abilities in our children.
Math and Science
- Why Preschoolers Need STEM (And How To Start)
A useful guide for how to start STEM activities for children 2-5, including how to make it easy (and why simple is better.) By Kim,Team Cartwright. - Science at Home with the Family
Community Resources for Science: "Science isn’t just for school! Science is the process of learning about the world around you and how it works." - Preschool science activities How to nurture your child's interest in the natural worldArticle by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D. to help parents "design better preschool science activities...Activities that stimulate curiosity, teach science concepts, and avoid overwhelming or boring children."
- 15 Hands-On Math Activities for Preschoolers by Angela Thayer
15 ideas for "daily activities that incorporate math" so young children can "learn through play and hands-on activities" rather than use worksheets. - Mathmatics Enhancement Programme (MEP)
MEP is a simple, structured mathematics program with 6 years worth of lessons included. Uses a "spiral approach" for review. (Orignally from Hungary, hence the European spelling of "programme.")
Homeschool ID
Some organizations/stores will honor homeschool IDs when providing student discounts/offers/etc.
- School ID Card Templates for Word
Download, customize, and print a homeschool ID for your child(ren) with important information. Note: Reset to default margins and paper size before printing. - Free Homeschool ID from Homeschool Buyers Co-Op
Free template to customize and print a homeschool ID online with free membership subscription.
New York State PreK-K Learning Standards: A Resource for School Success
- New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards: A Resource for School Success
This link opens in a new window
This resource was developed by the New York State Education
Department’s offices of Early Learning and Curriculum and Instruction. It is intended to be used as a reference tool by teachers, specialists, and administrators responsible for designing programs for four-year-old prekindergarten students. This resource provides a uniform format for learning standards in all content areas to make it easier for users to read and understand. However, users are encouraged to review the full articulations of the New York State Learning Standards where links are provided since they provide a higher level of detail, additional introductory statements and illustrate learning progressions to upper grades. From a planning perspective, this document highlights the importance of addressing young children’s development and learning across all developmental domains. However, the New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards (NYSPLS) is not a curriculum, assessment or set of teaching strategies. - New York State Kindergarten Learning Standards
See notes on above. - Pre-K- 3rd Grade, Learning at HomeThe Office of Early Learning has provided activities and resources for families and educators to use while children are at home. Some activities are online computer resources, while others make use of non-technological resources.
Full Curricula - For many more resources, see "Free Curricula" tab at top
- Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool (PreK-12th grade)
A curriculum resource for preschool through grade 12. Website text: "A complete, free Christian homeschool curriculum" - Under the Home (K-5th)
This free curriculum contains all the resources necessary for covering 15 subjects for grades K-5 using original, classic texts as inspired by the teaching of Charlotte Mason (1842 – 1923). - Core Knowledge Curriculm (PreK-8th grade)
Knoweldge-based learning guides for PreK-8th grade and units of study all free to download. - Rosegate Harbour
Links to the books covered in the Robinson Self-teaching Curriculum - Kahn Academy
From the website "A personalized learning resource for all ages. Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more."
For many more resources, see "Free Curricula" tab at top
Little House Kindergarten
- Little House KindergartenA full, printable PDF kindergarten homeschool curriculum, available as a pay-what-you-can basis (even if that means $0). The site covers English, math, nature study, music, health, art, science, and social studies.
Learning to Read and Reading Fluency
- 30+ ways to teach the ABCs
From "Teaching 2 and 3 year olds" - fun ideas for practicing the alphabet without flashcards. - Book Sources and Fun Activities
Educational games, activities, and crafts as well as book sources and calendars. - The Measured Mom: Teaching Reading
A very comprehensive site for teaching children 2-5. This section focuses on free printable activites for teaching reading such as letter recognition, phonics, rhyming, counting syllables, and more. - This Reading Mama
A site with thousands of printable resources for little ones learning to read as well as struggling readers. Also contains homeschooling resources. - 15 Effective and Engaging Online Reading Websites and Programs That Kids Need
"Free or low-cost reading websites and apps feature digital libraries to help learners master letter sounds, sight words and reading comprehension" Complied by Prodigy. - Links for free phonics resources
"A list of free phonics [websites] for elementary students" - Free Reading Program
Free, online literacy lessons in a game-like format that cover concepts from pre-reading skills to level 6 reading. Also includes grammar concepts such as synonyms. Home educators are welcome to register for a teacher account. - Under the Home: Charlotte Mason inspired phonics lesson
Free lessons in phonics starting with simple ear-training games (blending sounds), then moving to tongue training (practicing phonics concepts aloud), eye training (matching sounds to letter shapes), and word building (constructing and sounding out words.) - Reading Bear
A thorough collection of short video lessons for teaching phonics sounds. - Natural Phonics Primer
This site provides sequential "exercises for building decoding fluency (accuracy + speed)." The full text, exercises, and video tutorials are all linked for free (with an optional link to buy the primer pre-printed.) - Phonics lessons from How to Homeschool for Free
More links and ideas for teaching reading at no cost. - Progressive Phonics
A free learn-to-read curriculm with practice story booklets (for either printing or use on screen). Sight words are taught around the phonics rules they follow or break; children are not to taught to just memorize these words whole/out of context. Also includes handwriting lessons.
Gameschooling
- Gameschooling
This article on "gameschooling" covers what it is and how it can enrich the homeschooling life. Includes an extensive list of games and more. (This site is from Australia.)
Games by category from Homeschool Hideout
For resources to create your own games, see the "Free Curricula" tab.
Vintage Homeschooling
- How to Prepare Your Child for School with Vintage Learning MethodsIf you would like to try homeschooling methods with vintage style (c.1940-1959) take a look at this article series from "Mid-Century Modern Mommy"
Nature
- Top FREE Nature-Based Learning Curriculums for Schools and Homeschools
An excellent collection of curricula and resources for connecting children to nature and taking schooling outside from Childhood by Nature - Wilder Child: Nature-Connected Parenting
Wilder Child includes a blog with ideas for ways to bond with nature as well as resources for more in-depth wildschooling.
English Language Learner Preschool Activities
- Sea of Knowledge
From the website: "fun, engaging activities designed for preschool, kindergarten, first & second grade. Most of the activities you will find here are tailored to suit learners who are learning English as a second language." Free sign up required.