The Reason I Wrote Playing Preschool

I wrote Playing Preschool in the late-night quiet with baby monitors beside me because my family needed it. I knew at-home preschool was right for us, but I couldn’t find a curriculum that was robust, play-filled, and comprehensive. There had to be something better. So what did I do? Grabbed my laptop and started writing. Here’s how it happened.

The Playing Preschool Origin Story

Back in 2016, I had an infant, a two-year-old, and a three-year-old. Life was messy, loud, and exhausting, but it was also beautiful and joy-filled – and I was deep in it.

Preschool was looming for my oldest, and I wasn’t sure how it would work for us.

How would I juggle baby naps and school drop-offs?
Could I still have adventure days with all my kids?
Would they have time to play together to become friends?

And then I saw the preschool price tag.

I sat down to do the math on our future, trying to add and multiply three kids and a few years of part-time preschool for each. I sat stunned and stared at the calculator like it had betrayed me. How could preschool cost more than a brand-new car?

I started searching for an at-home option – something simple, smart, and play-based. Instead, I found worksheets, computer programs, busywork, and a few blog posts with scattered ideas. Nothing was as comprehensive or hands-on as I knew preschool at home could be.

So I did what came naturally to me as a former teacher: I opened my laptop, cleared the crumbs off the keyboard, and started writing my own curriculum.

RELATED: Learn more about my at-home preschool curriculum, Playing Preschool.

How I Wrote Playing Preschool

Playing Preschool was born at my kitchen table. I wrote in the quietest hours – after baths and bedtimes, long after that first middle-of-the-night feeding – and woke up to parent and teach all over again.

I leaned on my degree in elementary education, my background teaching kindergarten and first grade, and my years working for a school district in curriculum development. I asked my mom, also a former kindergarten teacher, to proofread every lesson. My kids tested the activities. I poured all that experience and expertise into this program.

Playing Preschool officially launched in 2017. I wrote it for myself, but I hoped it would help others, too. I’m so glad you found it.

RELATED: Curious about at-home learning for the elementary years? Check out my newest program, Branches.

The Success of Playing Preschool

When I wrote this program all those years ago, I had no idea it would impact families around the world. Since its release in 2017, Playing Preschool has been used by parents, grandparents, and caregivers, and become one of the most popular home-learning curriculum available. In 2018, I released a second year of the Playing Preschool program.

Families have used it for their oldest, and then again for younger siblings – getting the chance to experience all the fun memories again and again. It has become an anchor for so many families in these tender early years of learning and connecting and I couldn’t be more honored.

Whatever is drawing you to Playing Preschool – the flexible schedule, time together as a family, the price tag – I am so honored you are here. Seeing Playing Preschool memories being made with so many families is truly the greatest gift.

Susie Allison, M. Ed

Susie Allison is a former elementary school teacher with a Master’s in Early Childhood Education. She’s also the creator of Busy Toddler with more than 3 million followers across social media. Susie is the author of the popular Playing Preschool curriculum and recently launched Branches, her elementary-level homeschool program. For more than a decade, Susie has been a trusted voice online in parenting and education.