Homeschooling CAN start in preschool! When I first started, I was nothing short of intimated. But I know that it is important for my children to not fall behind just because we cannot afford to send them to an actual school.
What Do Kids Learn in Preschool?
A lot of what kids actually need to learn will come completely natural. Through playing, reading, and talking all with the adults and other children in their lives. The rest is all about filling in the gaps.
Academic Skills:
- Identify numbers 1-10
- Be able to count 1-29
- Identify shapes and colors
- Identify the alphabet (lowercase and uppercase)
- Be able to pronounce the sounds of the alphabet
- How to write own name
- How to use a pencil, scissors, and glue
- How to trace shapes and letters
- Be able to rhyme words
- Know the context of today, tomorrow, and yesterday
- Identify the days of the week, months of the year, and seasons
Life Skills:
- Follow directions
- Sit and listen without interrupting
- Take turns and share
- Imaginative play
- Potty trained
- Hand hygiene
- Tying shoes
- Memorize parent's names, phone numbers, and address
- Dress themself
How To Do It
Home schooling doesn't require a lot of money. There are actually a lot of cheap and free resources out there. So don't feel obligated to spend a fortune. After all, a lot of the skills listed above will be learned in their day to day activities and we don't want to completely undervalue that. I try to do a lot of hands on play with about 15-30 minutes of reading and 30 minutes of a structured based learning every week day (weekends are family days).
Figure out what you need or want to teach them. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with all of those amazing Pinterest ideas and Instagram perfect moms glaring at you. You'll see themes on clouds, space, or dinosaurs - and feel as though you are missing something or not doing enough with your kids. But it's important to know that all of these things are just fun ideas, not guidelines or requirements. So what you need to do is set your priorities. Figure out all of the important things that you want to cover, and then fill in the gaps with the rest. It's best to align it all with whatever you child is interested in. Following their lead will not only entice their excitement, but also their learning.
Get supplies. You can never go wrong with having physical representations to show your child. I love to always have crayons, markers, paper, play doh, paint, and whatever craft items on hand. You can also check down below for the exact books and supplies that I use!
Pick the perfect time of day for structured learning. My favorite is always the morning. After having breakfast, baths, and no screen time just yet, it's the perfect timing. Everyone is fresh to start the day and in their most attentive state. And then we still have the added bonus of the rest of our day to do whatever! Which is when I usually try to include a little hands on activity involving crafts, every bit of fun, and subtle learning.
Our "Preschool" Schedule
We don't do it every single day. Remember, most preschoolers only attend class for about 4 hours for 2-3 days a week. And that's all you'll need too! They also aren't "doing school" the whole time. Because kids are always learning in other ways such as asking questions, wanting to help, building, climbing, counting, and much much more. But I do have a bit of a schedule to keep myself accountable for the days that we do have "school".
Our days usually go as followed:
- A nice hearty and healthy breakfast followed by a little play time as mommy finishes her coffee.
- Bath time to get everyone fresh and dressed for the day (sometimes we skip it because well we're not going out for the day so why bother?)
- Reading lesson (which usually takes 15-20 minutes), reading from a few books of their choice, and song time.
- 30 minutes of screen time of their choice of iPad or movie.
- Few pages of workbook or Pinterest learning activity to teach formally.
- Hands-on activity that doesn't require my full attention.
- More screen time, run errands, or play time until lunch.
- Clean up and naps.
- Rest of the day: playing, building, making, etc.
- Dinner all together after dad gets home.
- Play time until bed time which includes usually a book or two and a little more screen time.
What I Work On
Numbers and counting. (1) Number recognition through books, receipts, writing, and hand gestures. (2) Counting out loud in the car, jumps on the bed, dinosaurs being put away, steps to climb, buttons on shirt, and bananas in a bundle (there's so many opportunities for this). Tip: Don't get discouraged easy if they get the counting wrong at first (2, 3, 5). With more repetition, they'll become pros. Overtime you'll even see them going from a lot of guidance through pointing and mimicking to full on doing it on their own.
Alphabet. (1) Letter recognition through the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons which teaches the alphabet by sound and name and Water Wow cards which teach through "painting", are reusable, and keep your little one's attention in a fun way. (2) Writing name through the use of Dry Erase Flashcards which allow for easy tracing. (3) Sounds also through the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book.
Colors and shapes. (1) Baby books such as First 100 Words by Priddy Baby. (2) Activity boards that include the colors, shapes, and a little bit of counting physically. (3) Workbook that teaches just about everything called School Zone - Big Preschool Workbook.
Hands on play. I try to do a lot of sensory play wither through sensory activities or different crafts. I usually try to tie them in with the lesson of that day. Usually with play doh, drawing, painting, or anything else that can physically show them the task at hand.
Comments