Preschool homeschool: using the flashcard set (once a week)
The group uses one large flashcard to talk about a thank-you situation before anyone writes. This once a week plan is for preschool children in a homeschool group.
about 4 and 5- 5 to 7 minutes missions
- once a week
Using the flashcard set for preschool in a homeschool group
The group uses one large flashcard to talk about a thank-you situation before anyone writes. In this homeschool table, preschool children (about 4 and 5) practice with “The stop at the crosswalk.” Mr. Diaz, the crossing guard, he held the sign and waited until every child was on the curb. The once a week calendar is the one that fits: This is the once-per-week format from the second half of the manual, written for groups and clubs that do not meet daily. One meeting carries the mission. A single home task goes in the activity book. Do not try to compress five school days into one hour.
The homeschool parent leads. The mission should not crowd the rest of the homeschool day. Stop at the time limit even if the child wants to keep decorating the note. Children answer in one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle. The spoken line is “Thank you for helping us cross..” The note line is “Thank you for waiting until we were all across..” Alison Gilham’s program supplies the manual, the activity book, and the flashcards; this page is the plan for this group and this kindness.
Who is in the homeschool table
Home-schoolers use the same missions teachers use in class. The manual, one activity book, and the flashcards fit on the kitchen table. An all-inclusive home-schooler package is available in English and Spanish. Daily schooling can follow the Monday–Friday format. A weekly gratitude block can follow the once-per-week format.
Plan 5 to 7 minutes for preschool. Most preschoolers dictate. The adult writes the name and the short line. A child who wants to mark the page can draw the helper and trace the words Thank you. The homeschool parent holds the manual. Children hold the line about Mr. Diaz once they can say what happened to the stop sign.
Words to say about Mr. Diaz
This is a script the homeschool parent can say with preschool children during using the flashcard set. It uses “The stop at the crosswalk,” a practice situation for this plan. It is not a list of the 30 printed flashcards. Those cards stay in the set and match the activity book. Use this script when you need the words in the room.
homeschool parent: “We are going to thank Mr. Diaz. Mr. Diaz is the crossing guard. Here is the kindness: he held the sign and waited until every child was on the curb. It happened at the crosswalk. Look at the stop sign.”
homeschool parent: “A thank-you that fits is ‘Thank you for helping us cross.’ Say it with me.” The group repeats it. Then one child says it alone. If they drop the kindness and only say “thank you,” ask what Mr. Diaz did, and have them put that piece back in the sentence.
homeschool parent: “Someone might answer, ‘You are welcome. Stay on the curb until I say so.’ We do not mock that voice. We say it so children hear that thank you lands on a person.” Ask preschool children, who are about 4 and 5, to try the line looking at a partner. one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle.
One once a week meeting in the homeschool table
This is the once-per-week format from the second half of the manual, written for groups and clubs that do not meet daily. One meeting carries the mission. A single home task goes in the activity book. Do not try to compress five school days into one hour. In the homeschool table, the homeschool parent has one sitting with preschool children, about 4 and 5. Do not replay a school week. The mission should not crowd the rest of the homeschool day. Stop at the time limit even if the child wants to keep decorating the note.
Age tips for preschool (about 4 and 5)
Preschool children can learn why thank you matters before they write much. They need a picture, a person, and one clear kindness. A long talk loses them. The leader shows the moment, the children say a short line, and the group stops while the words still feel friendly. For this homeschool plan, keep the mission inside 5 to 7 minutes. one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle.
The note for Mr. Diaz
The note can be a dictated sentence. The child supplies the person’s name and the kindness. The adult prints it on the activity-book template so the child can see that spoken thanks and written thanks are the same idea. For this kindness the sentence is “Thank you for waiting until we were all across.” It has to mention the crosswalk or the stop sign, not a general compliment to the crossing guard.
Copy-ready lines for “The stop at the crosswalk”
Spoken line to practice: “Thank you for helping us cross.” Reply children may hear: “You are welcome. Stay on the curb until I say so.” Note line to write: “Thank you for waiting until we were all across.” Spanish line for the same kindness: “Gracias por ayudarnos a cruzar.”
Classroom and group notes for the homeschool table
Home-schoolers use the same missions teachers use in class. The manual, one activity book, and the flashcards fit on the kitchen table. An all-inclusive home-schooler package is available in English and Spanish. Daily schooling can follow the Monday–Friday format. A weekly gratitude block can follow the once-per-week format. The mission should not crowd the rest of the homeschool day. Stop at the time limit even if the child wants to keep decorating the note.
If preschool children stall on Mr. Diaz
Draw a curb line on the floor. Nobody says the line until both feet are on the safe side. A child who keeps thanking the homeschool parent is avoiding Mr. Diaz. Send them back to the crossing guard and the moment at the crosswalk. Whispering “Thank you for helping us cross.” counts.
What Mr. Diaz's lesson needs
The flashcard set has 30 cards, 8.5 by 11 inches, colorful, with rounded corners. The cards mirror the activity book so the group can look at one situation before writing. Each child needs Why and How To Say “Thank You,” the classroom edition: a saddle-stitched activity book with situations for saying thank you, the How To Write A Thank You Note template, and extra pages to practice. The Operation Thank You Manual is 98 pages. The first half is the Monday–Friday classroom sequence. The second half is the once-per-week sequence for clubs. The manual, the activity book, and the flashcards are available in Spanish. The MISSION Reminders Supplement can be added when some children speak Spanish. Extra activity books are sold in packs of 10. For “The stop at the crosswalk,” also set out the stop sign. Hold one card. Ask what the person did. Match the card to the page in the activity book only after the children have said the kindness in their own words.
Spanish materials in this group
If any child in the homeschool table speaks Spanish at home, order the Spanish activity book for that child and keep the same situation. The Spanish line for this plan is “Gracias por ayudarnos a cruzar.” The English line remains “Thank you for helping us cross.”
Home work after The stop at the crosswalk
Thank the adult who walks you across a street or a parking lot, and name the place. Write that in the activity book so the family sees Mr. Diaz's kindness, not a blank “say thank you.” The note can be a dictated sentence. The child supplies the person’s name and the kindness. The adult prints it on the activity-book template so the child can see that spoken thanks and written thanks are the same idea.
Books for this homeschool preschool group
Spoken practice about Mr. Diaz can start in the homeschool table today. The activity-book template matters when preschool children are ready to write “Thank you for waiting until we were all across..” If a sponsor is funding this homeschool group, parents get a sample letter, and shipping is included on full and partial packages. The leader can ask at no cost.
Questions leaders ask
Let's Grow a Culture of Thank You.
Whether you're a parent, teacher, organization, business, or individual looking to make a difference, there's a place for you in the Culture of Thank You.
Let's help the next generation learn to recognize kindness, appreciate others,
and say “Thank You” with meaning.