Playing Preschool FAQ

Yes! Both Playing Preschool and its companion program for elementary learners, Branches Curriculum, are fully secular homeschool programs.

Sorting through homeschool programs can feel overwhelming. I totally get it.

As a homeschooling parent myself, I’ve faced the same challenge. I often wish there were an easier way to line up different curricula side by side. That’s why I created a comparison chart to help simplify your search and guide you toward the best fit for your family.

Absolutely! In my “former life,” I was a kindergarten teacher, and when I created Playing Preschool Year 1, I did so with kindergarten readiness at the heart of it. I built the program around the skills and foundational knowledge I always hoped my incoming students would have. Every part of Playing Preschool was thoughtfully designed to support a strong start in kindergarten.

Both Year 1 and Year 2 of Playing Preschool go far beyond simple memorization.

The goal isn’t just to recognize letters – it’s to understand them as powerful tools for reading. We want children to spot letters in their everyday environment, build a solid foundation for future reading, and develop lasting letter knowledge.

Playing Preschool places a strong focus on phonemic awareness which is the ability to hear, recognize, and work with sounds in words. This essential skill is a major predictor of later reading success, and it’s woven throughout both years of the program.

It’s important to remember: alphabet learning doesn’t stop after preschool. Building letter knowledge is an ongoing process that continues well into the early elementary years.

Counting is just one small piece of the math puzzle. Number sense is so much bigger, and it grows with us for years (yes, even into high school algebra!).

In Playing Preschool, we dive deep into numeracy. Kids won’t just practice counting. They’ll explore what numbers mean, how they compare, how they combine, and how they show up in the world around them. We focus on building true number understanding through hands-on exploration and meaningful play.

Also, math isn’t just about numbers. Throughout the program, children also explore measurement, capacity, graphing, and geometry developing a well-rounded foundation in early math skills.

Playing Preschool is designed for children ages 2.5 to 5. Every child develops at their own pace. Some may be ready to dive in closer to 2.5 (I had a child like that), while others might benefit from waiting a little longer (I had one like that, too).

You know your child best, but here are a few signs they may be ready to start after age 2.5:

• They can focus for 5-10 minutes at a time
• They’re beginning to ask and answer questions thoughtfully
• They can start a simple task and follow through to the end
• They have enough life experience and background knowledge to connect with new ideas
• They’re building fine motor skills (many activities include hands-on work)

Playing Preschool is flexible and open-ended, made to adapt to a wide range of learners. Lessons include extensions and add-on ideas, so it’s easy to adjust the challenge level to match your child’s unique needs and abilities.

Yes! Playing Preschool can definitely be used with multiple children at once.

When I first created Year 1, my own kids were 2.5 and 4 – and we did the program together. They both had an amazing experience, learning and growing through the same activities at their own levels.

Playing Preschool is a great fit for siblings with different ages and developmental stages. The open-ended structure makes it easy to adapt lessons so that everyone can participate and thrive.

Playing Preschool is considered an “evergreen” curriculum: it’s ready whenever your child is. You don’t have to wait for a specific season or month to begin. Start in the fall, jump in after the new year, or even kick things off in April. It all works!

Some families like to follow the rhythm of a traditional school year and start in September. Others dive in come January, and many wait until spring as part of their summer learning plans.

The beauty of Playing Preschool is its flexibility. You can begin at the moment that feels right for your family.

Playing Preschool is a digital product, delivered as PDF files. As soon as you complete your purchase, the files will be sent straight to your email. You’ll also find download links listed at the bottom of your receipt for easy access.

And don’t worry: Your downloads never expire. Once you have them, they’re yours to keep and use whenever you’re ready.

I don’t offer printed copies of Playing Preschool. Selling it as a digital download keeps the cost down and makes it possible for families all over the world to access the program.

You are welcome to print one copy of the files for your personal use.

For online print shops, check out:

• Watson Family Press (code: BUSY10 for 10% off*)
• The Homeschool Printing Company
• Family Nest Printing
• Barnes and Noble Press
• Lulu xPress Printing

Print in black and white, lightest weight paper, and double sided. I also have mine spiral bound on the long edge.

*Not an affiliate code, just a very generous offer.

Yes! Of course! Please download this free sample of Year 1, Unit 1 Apples to try Playing Preschool with your family.

As you look through the materials, keep in mind – especially if you have an older preschooler – that the program is intentionally designed to grow in complexity over time.

Just like the first days of a traditional school year, the opening unit is simple by design. It helps set routines, build confidence, and ease your child into the flow of learning. From there, the lessons gradually become more challenging to match your child’s growing skills and understanding.

I recommend starting Playing Preschool no earlier than 2.5 years old – and that’s based on important developmental milestones.

By 2.5, many children are experiencing big gains in communication and motor skills. For the program to be a good fit, your child should be able to focus for 5–10 minutes, ask and answer questions thoughtfully, begin a task and follow through, and have enough life experience to connect with new ideas. Fine motor skills also play a role, as many of the activities rely on hands-on work.

Think about how much growth happens between 18 months and 2 years – that same kind of leap often occurs between 2 and 2.5. Those extra months can make a big difference in readiness.

Alternatively, remember that 2.5 is the earliest I recommend starting, but that doesn’t mean 2.5 is the right starting place for all kids. When I wrote the program, my daughter was 2.5. She did great. She had a ball. Years later my youngest was no where close to ready at 2.5-years-old. I waited to start until closer to 4-years-old with him because earlier doesn’t mean better with kids – look at each child individually to find their right path.

To start, I want to be clear: I’m not a speech-language pathologist (though I deeply admire the work they do). That said, I’ve had multiple SLPs review Playing Preschool, and I’ve had many conversations with professionals about how to support children with speech and language concerns using this program.

Playing Preschool is packed with language-rich moments. It’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce vocabulary your child might not hear in everyday conversation and to model language in a meaningful way. Try making predictions or asking open-ended questions aloud:
“Why is rainbow fish sad?”
“What do you think will happen if he shares his scales?”

For some children, this kind of modeling helps them begin to answer or ask their own questions. For others, it’s a chance to hear new language patterns and vocabulary they may not typically encounter.

This program can be a helpful tool in supporting ongoing speech development, but as always, talk to your child’s SLP first. Show them the free Week 1 sample and get their insight on whether this program is a good fit for your child’s needs.

No problem—your files are easy to find.

Just head to shop.busytoddler.com/my-account and log in using the same email address you used at checkout. Once you’re in, click on “Downloads” to access your files.

Still stuck? Email me anytime at susie@busytoddler.com and I’ll help you out.

Oh no! I’m so sorry you’re having trouble! The files are emailed to you right after checkout and are also attached to your receipt. Occasionally, those emails land in spam, so be sure to check there too.

You can also access your files by visiting shop.busytoddler.com/my-account and logging in with the email address you used during purchase. Look under the “Downloads” section to find everything.

If the site doesn’t recognize your email, it’s likely a small typo at checkout. It happens often and is a quick fix – just email susie@busytoddler.com and I’ll take care of it right away.

I highly recommend using an online printing service instead of a chain copy store – some families have been quoted over $160 at big box centers!

If you do go with a chain store, be sure to follow my cost-saving tips (below), and don’t forget to search for a promo code before you order. A quick Google search can often save you a bundle.

For online print shops, check out:

• Watson Family Press (use code BUSY10 for 10% off)*
• Family Nest Printing
• The Homeschool Printing Company
• Barnes and Noble Press
• Lulu xPress Printing

Print in black and white, lightest weight paper, and double sided. I also have mine spiral bound on the long edge.

*Not an affiliate code, just a very generous offer

Finding the exact books listed in the program can be tricky, and buying them all adds up fast. That’s why Playing Preschool is built around suggested books, not required ones.

Only a few lessons rely on a specific book. For the rest, you can easily substitute titles on the same topic. Any book about apples will work in the apples unit—the goal is to explore new books and spark curiosity around different themes.

Need more ideas? Check out this incredible resource: Happily Ever Elephants, an elementary librarian, created extra book lists for every unit in Playing Preschool Year 1.