Early one Monday morning as a principal, the Holy Spirit grabbed my attention. It was a Monday like any other during that season of my life. I went into my school's staff lounge to place yellow slips into the mailboxes of teachers that had not yet submitted their lesson plans for that week. I'll never forget: as I placed a yellow slip into one math teacher's mailbox this particular morning, it was as if the LORD stopped me and said (though not audibly), "Larry, where is your plan? You want your teachers to have lesson plans, but where is your plan for your own life, your spiritual development, your marriage, your parenting, and the discipleship of your own children?"  

Certain moments and seasons of life require that we stay home more than is typical. In my case, more than me or my people would like! Staying in because of inclement weather, illness, or any other reason typically requires a bit more creativity in keeping young troops from getting too restless. Sometimes I struggle to drum up this creativity. I am so thankful for the myriad of free, online education resources and activities available, but I do occasionally find myself slipping into what feels like a black hole of trying to find the right activities. So I asked three Kindergarten teachers what activities they recommend for parents and preschoolers spending extra time at home. Here are some of their suggestions, along with related links that I've sifted through...

Even if your child is not going to be the next Beethoven or Yo-Yo Ma, adding music and movement to your child’s routine can have a great impact on their development. And not just their musical development. “A music-rich experience for children of singing, listening and moving is really bringing a very serious benefit to children as they progress into more formal learning,” says Mary Luehrisen, executive director of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation.