He does read to them sometimes at night. GD5 is very verbal and will monopolize all of his time. GS4 and GS almost 2 can use more attention from him. SIL was home schooled through 8th grade, so I don’t think he believes a lot of this is necessary. I know what worked for DDs, and DD1 does too - but DD1 has her hands full after her maternity leave ends (she is the backbone of the family, and also has it all working). I just do what I can when I visit, and encourage DD1. I do not use flash cards (or rarely use); worksheets they do at day care. Have done a lot of pre-reading and reading with GD5 when she was 3 and 4, and other things earlier. GS4 follows along when he wants to, and can use 1 on 1 because otherwise GD5 answers it all. GS4 will be in 4K in August, and GD5 with be in K in August. Anything at home will help them do really well at school.
What do you mean when you say “pre-reading” as opposed to “reading”??
I even played Uno with 2 year olds. They don’t get the strategy of Reverse or Wild Cards, but they really liked playing a 'Big Kid" game (their 5 year old brother played and was a card shark) but they could match a 2 or a 7 or a blue card or red card.
My 25 year olds still like to play Pretty Pretty Princess and make their boyfriends wear the earrings and necklaces.
Seriously, they don’t need to do really well in school in pre-K and K. The unfortunate reality is that in many public schools, especially in ECE, teachers focus on getting the kids in the class up to whatever level is preset for that grade in the curriculum. If a child already knows how to do everything he/she is “supposed to” do by the end of pre-K or K, many teachers will do very little academic with them and instead focus on the kids who don’t know their letters yet.
It IS important to read a lot to young children, but that’s mostly for vocabulary building.
I say this as someone whose child was reading chapter books at age 4—early reading doesn’t confer a long term benefit. Just as for most purposes it doesn’t matter whether a child learns to walk at 9 months or 15 months, it doesn’t matter whether a child can read at 3 or 7, as long as they learn to do it well.
My child definitely did not benefit from reading in preschool. In kindergarten and most of grade school, he was partnered with the difficult kids, hoping he’d be a “good influence” and asked to tutor. He had no peers until about 5th grade, after switching schools. He was happy they allowed him to roam to upper grade classrooms to select reading materials he was interested in instead of “age appropriate” stuff that bored him to tears.
We read often to S and D. S was reading in preschool. D didn’t start reading until 1st grade. Both are voracious readers. Both were fine scholars. We never did flash cards, pre-reading, sightwords, signing or anything else.
We love Sequence for Kids too!
CT just passed something that brings back play based instruction for Pre-K, K and 1, and up to grade 3, I believe, as an option. I’m all in on this one!
My kids went to a play based instruction preschool. They were only in preschool 3 hrs/day when they were 3/4 and then 5 hrs/day from 4/5. The rest of the time, they played with me and each other.
I recommend Rat a Tat Cat and other games by Gamewright. My kids loved them and the kids I babysat did too. My granddaughter is only 1 so I have to wait a while 
Oh you just cost me plenty.
It took me all of one minute to scroll through the Nordstroms sale to say no way!
I purchased a Bugaboo travel crib for the littlest one because some of her older cousins are still using theirs, so no hand me downs. 
My GD also goes to a very play-based preschool. My D refers to it as “hippie school.” Very kid-centric, no worksheets, no writing, though loads of being read to, and hands on exploration. She’s going there for Transitional Kindergarten next year (fall birthday so misses K cutoff) so will have to see if letters or words show up. Smart kid, but not reading-oriented yet. Some concern because dad is dyslexic, but way too early to tell, or worry about it.
Apropos of nothing, but just have to say that GS2’s favorite sentence now is “Didn’t see THAT coming” which he always uses appropriately. Extra fun because he wasn’t talking, or walking, at all six months ago. We actually didn’t see THAT coming.
I utilize a combination of easy reading books/early reader, as well as lots of phonic things. Utilizing some of the different things at hand.
For example, I don’t remember what the little kit is called, but it has some 3 word cards (word and picture) that you put on the stand, and these 3 spinning letters (the consonants are on 4 sides of the square, while the vowel stays the same on the vowel square) on 5 little wooden pegs, so each wooden peg has ‘a’ ‘e’ ‘i’ ‘o’ ‘u’ as the middle letter (in one color, I believe red) and the consonants are in another color, I believe blue. There is a slot for the wooden peg rest on under the picture. So the child identifies the vowel and puts that peg under the picture, and spins the wooden consonants to match the picture. I also made up additional little cards for words that can be made up with the pegs.
Phonics is part of early reading. So ‘CH’ words for example. Hard and soft consonant sounds with the pictures and match on her pre-school worksheets.
At pre-school/daycare, they do lots of letter tracing, and sheets where there are pictures with words that begin with a letter or a sound combination like ‘ch’.
I talk about how GD has memory for words, and she remembers the words from her early reading stories. We talk about how she has all these words that she knows and learns. I got a set which has little paperback books that have a short sentence on each page, but have repetition of certain words or phrases. These give little successes on early reading. When I return a month or so later, we read together some of these very short books. How to sound out words. There are these books that are identified as early reading. Over time, she has more words known and more short books read.
GD5 has a little magnet set of 20 animals. I wrote out the animal names on a piece of construction paper in alphabetical order, and she matches the animals with their names.
Children can entertain themselves with books once they gain some reading skills.
DD1 has 4 children, age 1 month to 5 years, and the older ones gaining learning ability, can also model and help the younger children.
Games and fun learning at home. Outdoor play. Family activities.
DDs began piano lessons at first grade (and other instruments later) - DD1 played in a French horn choir all through college, and did 8 years of Piano Guild (superior first year, and top talent on remaining years until she didn’t have time her last 2 years of HS for Guild but continued piano lessons through HS); DD1 has a piano and she will start with some piano books with the older two that are like violin Suzuki learning (where the student can begin at an early age) – once things settle down for them. I thought first grade was fine for DDs starting, and DD1 will use her own judgement with her children. GD5 and GS almost two are very musical with lots of singing. This younger grandson at a very early age would sound out tunes. GS4 will follow along his older sister.
DDs also were part of a gymnastic program in early elementary, and they may end up doing that more at home with a gym mat and doing things like hand stands, front rolls, pull ups. Since DD1/SIL both work FT (while I was SAHM after DDs were age 3 and 5). Upper arm strength was very helpful for them to earn Presidential Physical Fitness in grade school and middle school. They participated with middle school track, and volley ball.
DH, DD1, and SIL have fabulous memory skills, as does GD5. Time has to be given to GS4 alone, because his older sister will answer everything (so his own classroom at school, and individual time at home). It will help to have GD5 with reading, and time/attention can be given to GS4. GS4’s memory is fine; his sister is just ‘over the top’.
We watched sesame street and electric company and sometimes reading rainbow when any/all of us were interested. S learned about spelling from sesame street, the day grover or someone said e-x-i-t is exit. Thereafter, S would pester tourists to help him read signs at aquarium and zoo if I couldn’t stand still too long with D in stroller.
A friend’s three children called the UPS truck the “ups truck” – that is, the word “ups,” as opposed to “downs.” I thought it was adorable. And true.
When my children were little, they called the UPS truck “the gramma truck.”
My three-year-old GS loves board game and jigsaw puzzles (100 pieces!) So far, his favorite “competitive” board game is “Sneaky Snacky Squirrel” - and I use the term “competitive” loosely. It’s a cute game and has won lots of awards.
As for cooperative games, he likes “Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes” (bonus: it features Pete the Cat) and “Eye Found It Busytown” (great if your child likes "I Spy). He likes them so much that he plays with the board and the pieces even when we’re not playing the game.
Will be in serious grandma mode next week.