Deciding To Homeschool A Preschooler- Where Do I Start?

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Deciding To Homeschool A Preschooler- Where Do I Start?

When I first began thinking of preschool homeschooling my son I had no idea where to even begin. I had worked as an assistant teacher in a preschool setting before, so I knew the basics of what children this age did in preschool, but most of my teaching experience was with older children. I worried that starting my son at two years of age was too young and if it would even be possible to do at home. I was familiar with homeschooling but always assumed that this was something that was done with school-aged children. I am so thankful I researched the matter further and was astounded at the information I was able to find while doing searches online. After much research and thought, I decided the main thing I wanted to give my son at this age was exposure. I wanted to introduce him to thematic units like colors, numbers, shapes, and animals. I wanted him to learn from life experiences and develop life skills. I also wanted to introduce an age-appropriate understanding of our faith in the Lord. With these goals in mind I was able to narrow down exactly what I hoped to accomplish and find a curriculum to help us meet those goals.

The toddler and preschool stage is such a crucial time in which children start to develop life skills that will take them into adulthood. Learning to use a utensil, brushing their own teeth, and dressing themselves may seem like simple tasks of no coincidence to us as adults, but these are big milestones for your child that will help them to become independent. Their ways of doing things may not be exactly right at this stage, but always praise them for trying and encourage them to do so. These are things that may not seem to be a part of preschool learning, but these are in fact some of the most important things.

A majority of learning for a toddler and preschooler is done by playing. This is such an important part of their growth and expecting them to sit still for lessons is really asking too much at this stage. I’ve found that we can accomplish so much by incorporating learning into our play. While we focus on a certain theme, color, and number during the week, we do it by playing. Colors can be reinforced with finger painting or picking up leaves and identifying their colors, numbers with counting our snacks or toys, and letters with pointing to them while we read a story book. My son will occasionally sit down to do a focused activity, such as coloring, but right now the priority is for him to discover the world around him in a natural and fun way. The older the child, the better their focus will become. The goal now is exposure and discovery.

The homeschool curriculum I use with my son is from Brightly Beaming Resources. This program appealed to me for many reasons, but mainly because it was aligned with the goals I set forth in this venture and it’s also free to use. All of the materials and even support groups can be found online. The lessons for my son’s age group are short but focused with plenty of wiggle room to make changes to the lessons if necessary. I think it’s an excellent program for preschoolers that isn’t too time consuming as far as lesson planning, but again, there are many approaches to homeschooling and you may find another program or approach that is a better fit for your own child. To explore the different approaches of homeschooling, this article at The Home School Learning Network is a great starting point. You might also find that developing your own way of preschool homeschooling appeals to you, and that’s certainly alright, too.

If you are thinking of preschool homeschooling, I would first encourage you to brainstorm exactly what you want your child to discover. There are so many different curricula and ways to approach preschool homeschooling that you are sure to find one that fits your lifestyle and goals for learning. Explore different homeschooling methods and glean from them the things that are important to you. It will definitely be a trial and error adventure in the beginning, and your days won’t always run like clockwork, but you can eventually find a comfortable pace and scope of learning tailored to your child.

Please contact me with any questions or comments. I’d love to hear what you would like to discuss in this monthly column on preschool homeschooling.

Mandy is a preschool homeschooling mom to her two year old son. In her column “Knee High Homeschoolers,” she writes about the joys of homeschooling a preschooler and shares helpful links and practical information gained from experience. Visit her blog, Inching Along.