Simple Formula & Printable for Foundation Presentations

Admittedly presentation prep is the oft forgotten task of our homeschool week.  This past year it too frequently came down to Sunday afternoon, which worked okay, but I was often left thinking we could’ve done more or they would’ve been more prepared if we started earlier in the week prior.  (Our campus meets on Monday.)  There may have even been a week or two where I told them to pick a favorite book or toy for presentations on our way out the door Monday morning.  I’m not telling and my own campus won’t rat me out, right?? 🙂

Well, at the end of this school year, I came up with a simple formula which worked well for my littles and for me.  My littles are 8, 6, 5, and 3 years old.  Obviously the 3 year old is not in a class, but she often likes to prepare a presentation anyway. (Do your littlest ones like to do that too?) This can work for all of them and I think it will be our solution for next year.  

My goal for their presentation each week is for them to have an opening, closing, and 3-4 points in between.  I helped them visualize this by folding a paper in fours or using four notecards.  But now I’ve created this simple printable I can include in their classical notebooks for even easier preparation. You can download or print it here.

Here’s how we’ll use it: 

My 5 year old will draw pictures in each box that remind him of his points.  I’ll write a simple one or two word explanation of his points underneath, so he can start to link the word with the image.  

My 6 year old will also draw pictures and write his own one or two word explanations underneath as reminders while he is presenting.

My 8 year old can draw pictures, if he’d like (he usually does), and will write simple sentence points under each image.  This is not so that he can read his presentation, but so it’s there for him if he needs to be reminded.

I expect this form will help them organize their thoughts and practice committing their presentations to memory throughout the week.  Eventually, I think it will even help them prepare for presentations entirely on their own.  I’m excited for how this will help our family simplify and I hope it will work for your family too!

Any tricks for presentation prep that worked especially well for your family? Do share!