As a mother to twins on a budget, full-time private preschool isn’t an option. We really can’t fit it into the budget unless I go back to work full-time and then, I’m just working to put them through preschool.
For us, the stay-at-home mom scenario with preschool a couple of mornings a week is what works, but I’ve been looking into options for helping them with some of their educational goals and I’ve recently come across the ABCMouse.com website.
This site looks like it would be a fantastic resource for mothers of upcoming preschoolers. As an educator myself, I’m always on the hunt for new ways to incorporate learning into the lives of my children and while I’m a bit technology shy with my girls – I think a program like this one could be beneficial to supplement the two mornings a week my girls will attend preschool and what we’ll do at home otherwise.
Additionally, for children who show interest in computers, iPads and other similar tech products, this would fit their need to interact with those things. I know my girls are consistently attempting to tap away on my laptop, so with some guidance I think ABCMouse has potential to give them that “screen time”.
What I’m Enthused About
While I haven’t tried out the program yet because my girls are only 2.5, I love that ABCMouse offers a free 30-day trial membership before you sign up for their official paid membership, which will allow time to properly investigate whether this program will have the ease of use we need and if it will be a good fit for our girls’ individual learning styles. Although with the varying activities on the site, I don’t think that should be a problem.
Additionally, I could easily see myself signing up for the regular membership because $7.95 per month is definitely affordable when you consider a multiple kid household if you’re running a school-like schedule where they each have a daily turn using the curriculum they provide.
After looking at their Frequently Asked Questions, I found that they allow three children per account, so if you have more than three children, you would pay two monthly fees.
Speaking of Curriculum
Here’s a snapshot of what they offer:
- 450 lessons, 3,000 learning activities that are updated constantly
- Read books, play games, paint pictures, listen to music
- Virtual field trips to zoo, aquarium,  library, virtual toy store
- Includes printable worksheets to extend beyond the screen
- 6 levels of learning – two levels at preschool (3+) , two levels at Pre-kindergarten (4+) , two levels at Kindergarten (5+)
- Tracks your child’s progress and offers a virtual ticket reward system
- Everything online – can be accessed from anywhere
There’s so much more to this program than what I’ve shared here, and I’m so excited to offer this to my girls when they turn three and are ready to sit and enjoy all that ABCMouse has to offer. I really think it has so much potential for extending their learning from the comforts of home.
Images: ABCMouse.com
