As a mom, there’s nothing more nerve-wracking than sending your little one to their first day of preschool. Although I worry like every mom, I’m happy to say that I’ve found the perfect solution to help ease my nerves–an online preschool!
When I was first asked to try our New Sphere for my youngest daughter, I was interested, yet skeptical. My 4-year-old daughter takes online Spanish classes and loves it, but I wasn’t so sure my energetic three old could sit for a 45-minute class. She will start preschool in a couple of months and I wanted her to feel confident walking into her first day of school. So I agreed to do a trial of New Sphere and I am happy I did.
Not only is she learning important introductory skills like her alphabet, counting, and color recognition, and she is also making friends, doing arts and crafts, and developing her social skills, like raising her hand and waiting for her turn to speak.
So, I enrolled my daughter in an interactive virtual preschool program and it’s been great! She’s learned so much and is now more excited than ever to start school. In this blog post, I’m going to share my honest review of New Sphere Virtual Preschool and why I think it’s a great supplement for homeschooling or freelancing moms.
Online Preschool for Toddlers
Most schools require that kids be at least four years old before they can begin VPK, which is a voluntary pre-kindergarten program that many if not all, states offer. It is free and funded by the state for 3 hours during the day and is a great way to prepare your child for kindergarten.
VPK is great, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start teaching them at home before then! With online preschool programs, such as New Sphere, you can give your little ones a head start on their education from the comfort of your own home.
Virtual preschool introduces toddlers to basic concepts like shapes, colors, and numbers. And since they’re online, you can access them from anywhere – which is perfect for busy freelancing moms. Plus, they’re a lot of fun, so your kids won’t even realize they’re learning!
The #1 Best Online Preschool Program for Toddlers
If you are a stay-at-home mom or a freelancing mom who wants to prepare their child for preschool, then you have to try New Sphere.
New Sphere offers hands-on, interactive virtual classes for preschoolers in three different class settings. You can choose from Toddler & Me, It’s Circle Time and Kinder Prep.
How New Sphere Virtual Preschool Works:
- You and your child have the flexibility to meet once per day (Monday-Friday) on Zoom for 45-50 minutes with the same instructor and classmates.
- You can pick a consistent class time that works with your schedule.
- The class supplies are minimal and are usually household items. The teacher sends out an email at the beginning of the school week, so you can gather and prepare any supplies you may need for the lessons.
- Your child engages in a fun, interactive lesson targeting skills they need to know for school
For my 3-year-old’s learning needs, we did 3 classes per week preschool schedule. She is excited on the days she knows she has class because she loves her teacher, Ms. Katie. The New Sphere teachers are upbeat and highly trained to make learning fun by reading books, telling stories, and singing songs. Ms. Katie knows how to keep her junior class from spacing out and focused on the lesson. When they get distracted or a little hyper, she gently refocuses their attention on the lesson. It’s amazing to watch how my daughter responds to her even through an online platform.
The class size is small to ensure every student gets the individualized academic support they need and has the chance to create authentic connections with their classmates. The class size never exceeds 8 students per teacher. My daughter’s class only has 5 students that show up at a time, which is so nice.
And if you decide online preschool is right for your family, be sure to try a 1-week free trial. No credit cards are required. New Sphere wants all the new families to come and meet their amazing teachers. You can sign up directly on their website for their free trial here.
What is a 3 Year Old Preschool Curriculum like?
New Sphere virtual preschool has an outstanding curriculum. Each program has its own set curriculum.
The structure of the session emulates a preschool day with:
● Welcome / Socialization
● Calendar
● Weather routines
● Letter and number of the week review
● Focus activity of the day.
The curriculum is thematic and the themes change every 2 weeks to keep the learning fun and engaging.
Homeschooling with Online Preschool
New Sphere online preschool has been easy to incorporate into my existing homeschool routine. If you’re already used to working with your child at home, adding in online preschool will just be another part of your day. If you are new to homeschooling, an online preschool can be a great way to add some structure to your day while still giving you the flexibility to tailor your child’s learning to their interests and needs. You can use online resources for as much or as little of the day as you want, and you can tailor them to fit your child’s needs and interests. Plus, there are some definite perks to being able to do school in your PJs!
How Much Does Online Preschool Cost?
New Sphere virtual online preschool classes are affordable. There is a monthly subscription fee of $199/month. The monthly subscription reserves your child’s spot in class 5 days per week. No hidden fees or extra charges. All programs cost the same amount, making it easy to move between programs once your child is ready.
As a hands-on mom who is a big advocate for homeschooling, I’ve spent a lot of money on many resources to educate my child at home school. Between all the apps, the learning toys, the tablets, trips to museums, etc, it can get expensive, but I genuinely feel that New Sphere financially makes a wonderful addition to any homeschool routine. It costs way less than a traditional preschool and gives my toddler the flexibility to learn from home on a schedule that works for me as a mom who freelances.
Teacher Communication in your Virtual Preschool Class
All families have direct email access to their child’s instructor. Every Friday, a weekly email is sent from the instructor to the families recapping the week and providing additional at-home resources to use over the weekend. This email also includes an overview of the following week.
I look forward to getting the weekly email with the supplies list for my daughter’s classes. I am not a fan of searching Pinterest for the latest printable. It can be very time-consuming and I am never sure what to print out. The weekly email lets me know exactly what they will cover each week, what supplies I will need, and includes 1-3 pintables that I will need to print out for my daughter to take part in the class activities. They give us everything we need to us, which makes learning easy.
New Sphere App
They conducted all of our sessions through our app. So I can join the sessions directly through the app or through the daily emails that are sent with join links.
The app contains the lessons and everyday around-house materials (if any) that are needed for the focus lesson.
Free trial with New Spere Online Preschool
So, there you have it. A comprehensive look at New Sphere virtual preschool, one of the best online preschool programs for your little one.
New Sphere exceeded my expectations and luckily did not require my daughter to sit for 45 minutes. My daughter is fully engaged in the class, loves talking to her teacher, and gets excited to see her new online classmates. Whether you’re looking for a full-time program or just a few hours a week of supplemental classes, are homeschooling, or simply just want your toddler off tablets all day, New Sphere is a great option.
And if you decide online preschool is right for your family, be sure to try a 1-week free trial. No credit cards are required. New Sphere wants all the new families to come and meet their amazing teachers. You can sign up directly on their website for their free trial here.