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Using a literature-based curriculum is so much easier if you get everything organized first. These are my tips for planning Before Five in a Row.
planning before five in a row
I knew that I wanted to use Before Five in a Row with my youngest this year.  But I also knew that I was already very busy with teaching my other children (not to mention homemaking and other activities!).
So, in an attempt to make the experience as stress-free and enjoyable as possible, I decided to organize everything in advance.

Planning Before Five in a Row

First, I ordered books, including the Before Five in a Row guide.

Then I ordered the other books we would need.  We have a very small library system in our town, and they don’t even have most classic children’s books.

I knew I could use inter-library loan, but I didn’t want to rely on that for all of the books, as it would just be too much to ask of our librarian, and it would also be a huge hassle for me. Also, the book selections are what I consider to be classic children’s books that I wanted to own.

So, I sold some books and other things that I no longer needed with the hope of making some money to cover this year’s school book expenses.

It’s nice owning the books, as these are classics that we’ll enjoy for years to come, and it saves so much time and effort that I would have expended in just finding books.  I did decide to get a few of the more expensive (out of print) books through inter-library loan, though.

Before Five in a Row Books

Here are the books we’ll be enjoying together this year:

Printables

The next step was to print off all the printables I decided to use.  I went to Homeschool Share, Homeschool Creations, and Confessions of a Homeschooler for most of these.  And Michelle at Delightful Learning has been a huge inspiration!

I already had this plastic bin that will accommodate hanging file folders, and I had all the folders too, so this seemed like a great place to store all the BFIAR stuff I was accumulating.
After printing off lap book pages and other printables, I made a labeled file folder for each book and filled it with the materials we would need.  I also made a list of the order I hope to focus on each book, as some of them seemed more suited to a specific season.

Now, when I’m ready to do a new book, I simply pull that file, and I’m ready to go!

I’m also planning to do a Letter of the Week type of thing (although I’ll probably spread each letter over more than one week), so I made a folder for the letter of the week book pages, and also these fun playdough mats.
And I laminated everything!  I love laminating things.  Ever since I was in kindergarten and my teacher put a laminated turtle on my desk with my name on it—I thought it was the most amazing thing that you could encase something in plastic like that!—I’ve loved laminated things. I know it sounds weird, but I just love it. 🙂
Anyway, for years I longed to be able to laminate things. And now I have my very own laminator! Thanks to my mom for giving me my first one, and to my husband for replacing it with this one after my original one (a different brand) broke.  🙂 It really helped as I was planning Before Five in a Row activities.

Letter of the Week

These ABC Bible verses go great with our letter of the week study (we’re using the pre-reading program).

I love these do-a-dot pages from Confessions of a Homeschooler:

And we really like the free ABC snack plan you can find here:

All About Reading Pre-Reading

We also decided to add the All About Reading Pre-reading Program to our BFIAR studies, and it is excellent!

Lap Journal

I loved Michelle’s idea to create a lap journal instead of lap books.  I’ve done lap books before, and this idea of a lap journal is totally superior, in my opinion.  So, I got a binder, page protectors, cardstock, and glue, and now we have a lap journal started for Before Five in a Row.

I’m looking forward to watching this journal fill up with memories of all the lovely learning times we’ll have together.

Resources

For Before Five in a Row inspiration, I highly recommend these sites:

I also started a Pinterest board just for Before Five in a Row ideas, and you can find that here.  I’m sure I’ll be adding to it as the year progresses. For homeschool and preschool planning, I’m using this weekly homeschool planner, which you can use year after year.  It’s a pdf document that you can type your information into and then print and file in a 3-ring-binder.

To see what we’re using this year with our older children, click here!
Delightful Learning

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Hi, I'm Joy!

I'm a homemaker and homeschooling mom of 5. For over 25 years I've been cooking from scratch and making homemade bread for my family of 7. I love sharing sourdough recipes, easy dinner ideas, and simple DIY projects for your home.

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47 Comments

  1. Tabitha says:

    I got a kick out of your love for laminating. I have a similar love for perforating!
    Thank you for the concise and yet very thorough post, I have bookmarked it for when I am ready to start our BFIAR journey in a few months.

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      🙂 I might have gone a little overboard with the laminating! Enjoy your BFIAR journey!

      Reply
  2. Cathy says:

    Thank you so much for taking the time to post this… it is a huge help to me. I am currently an American teacher in Cambodia on an assignment to bring special education to rescued children with special needs. I will be training a Cambodian to teach the children, and I wasn’t sure where to start, as I have only taught in the public schools (not homeschool curriculum). We will be starting with BFIAR since the children have never had schooling before, even into their teens. Thank you for making a difference, even across the miles!

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      Cathy, I’m so glad this was helpful to you! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some encouragement today! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Erica says:

    Your post has been a huge blessing for me! I am on the hunt for a suggested list of books by season and wonder if you don’t mind sharing yours? I have a handful of them at home but the rest are new to me and I have yet to read them so I’m not sure where to add them while I plan this year. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      I’m so glad it has been helpful, Erica! I’m sorry I don’t have an exact list of when to use each book. We used BFIAR 3 years ago, so I can’t remember exactly how I organized them. 🙂 I can tell you that I did “The Snowy Day” in winter. “My Blue Boat,” “Yellow Ball,” “Kittens for Keeps,” and “Blueberries for Sal” are suited for summer. I think we also did “The Carrot Seed,” “The Little Rabbit,” and “Play With Me” in spring. The others are less season-specific. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Lacey says:

    I followed the link to find out more about lap journals instead of lap books and it took me to her main page and when I clicked on fiar link it took me to a lot of fiar entries by her and others But didn’t find lap journals. Would you mind emailing me the link to a specific post if you know it? Thanks!

    Reply
  5. The Hermans, Brian, Stephanie and Sophia says:

    Thank you for this post. My daughter is almost 2. I have just started planning my own simple preschool ideas for the coming year. A friend had pined some far things on Pinterest, including this article. Your organization tips are so great. While my little one is not quite ready for this yet, I will definitely be coming back to this later. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      You're welcome! Enjoy preschool with your daughter! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Stephanie says:

    I found this post through a google search for Before Five in a Row ideas and just want to say thanks! We have a 2 1/2 year old, a 15 month old, and are expecting our third in just over a month and I've been wanting to put together some preschool ideas to use in the fall with our oldest. I love the way you've organized everything into folders so the ideas are ready to go when you're ready for each new book. Hoping to complete something like this before I'm in the midst of life with a newborn again! Thanks for the ideas and God bless!

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      Hi Stephanie! How nice of you to leave an encouraging comment! 🙂 I'm so glad if this was helpful, and I hope you have a lovely year with your little ones!

      Reply
  7. Denise Skelton says:

    Thanks for these posts! Did you make the B collage page that is pictured in this post? Is it downloadable or did you find it elsewhere? I am sure I could make one myself, but I am all about simplicity right now! Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Michelle says:

    Wonderful, just wonderful! Love how you planned, printed, organized, and laminated! I'm getting ready to start over with my youngest and am going through the resources for B4FIAR on the link-up. Thank you so much for linking-up and sharing! And for linking back to me in your post! So appreciate you! ~Michelle @ Delightful Learning

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      Thank you so much, Michelle! Your blog has been such a wonderful resource for BFIAR inspiration! Thanks so much for all you do, and many blessings on a new BFIAR year with your youngest!

      Reply
  9. April SM says:

    Are coordinating the Letter of the Week with the books you are reading? If so what letters with what books? I am also planning on doing both but I was wanting to try and match the letters with the books.

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      No, I wasn't quite that organized–that's a great idea, though!

      Reply
  10. Stephanie says:

    I was in the process of doing the same thing when my sister sent me the link to your blog. Great idea to put them in folders in a file storage box! Love it!
    For some reason, when I saw the book titles listed above, I thought I'd be able to click and it'd take me to a blog of your experience with the book but it took me to Amazon instead. Would you be willing to add a link next to the book title to take us to your post on the book? Sorry to be a pain! Thanks for all you do!!!

    Reply
    1. Joy Kincaid says:

      Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie! I'm glad if this was helpful to you. I'm not blogging right now, but if I ever come back to it I'll consider linking the book titles with posts about the books.

      Reply