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Homeschool PreschoolHave the time of your life!
I have seen and heard quite a few questions about how to homeschool preschool on forum boards and in meetings lately. It seems that many families are looking into homeschooling as an option before their children are even school age. For that, I am thrilled! However, many of these same families seem interested in “doing school at home” with these young sweeties. Please don’t feel like that is necessary. Let them be the naturally curious learning sponges that they are. Preschool education in the United States is relatively new. In 1970, only 20% of three and four year olds participated in what we would consider pre-school. Preschool - History And Demographics Until recently, most parents never considered "homeschooling preschool" they just taught things as they came up naturally through daily life or play. There is more than enough time for those “workbooks from Wal-Mart” that everyone mentions. (Even then, we’re not into the workbook scene much – and my kids are older.)
I was a preschool “teacher” for several years and parents would always ask me what they could do at home to help their children succeed. Basically, my answer was spend quality AND quantity time with them.
Talk about EVERYTHING!
 Count things. Anything. Stairs, Cheerios, steps to the mailbox. Sing songs/recite nursery rhymes. Old favorites like: Rain, rain, go away. Old Mc Donald. Jack and Jill (my fave). If you can't remember many, get a book from the library. Play rhyming games. You come up with the words to just repeat over and over. cat-fat…funny bunny… She'll get better and start coming up with her own.
Get help in the kitchen. Even very young children can help pour ingredients and stir. Go on nature walks. Be extra observant of sights and sounds. Don't be in a rush. Sort things. Use different categories. Big and small, colors, smooth and rough. The possibilities are endless. Buttons, laundry, money, plastic milk caps, blocks… Play games. Check out my page on games to get an idea of why game playing is important for learning. Find recommendations for educational preschool games here. Don’t neglect gross motor skills! With all the focus on computer learning, fine motor skills are often more developed than gross motor skills in many preschool children. (Not a good thing if you ask me.) Walk on a balance beam (you can make one out of a 2 x 4) or on a chalk line. Throw beanbags in a bucket or through a tire. Sidewalk chalk is great for fine and gross motor. (Fine – holding the chalk, Gross – using big arm movements to draw.) Learn to “pump” on the swings. (I couldn’t believe I was having to push second graders on a swing when I was teaching!) Learn to skip. (Again, one year I taught 22 fourth graders and only 1 knew how to skip!) They are only young once - have fun!
Find out more about free preschool curriculum! Fun Learning Activities for Children is a site where you will find plenty of fun and practical learning activities and teaching ideas to use as you grow alongside your child. Kids Educational Games is a site dedicated to fun games for little kids. Kids love games. Kids learn through play. Scrap and Learn - We've taken the best of notebooking, lapbooking, unit studies and scrapbooking and made a system of learning that will let your student’s creativity and individuality shine through. Free Pirate's Resource List download. Do you have boys? Check out these fun homeschool preschool ideas from Homeschool Your Boys. Leave the Homeschool Preschool page and return to the HBD Home page |
 Field Trips
Organizing Field Trips for Homeschool Groups Provides you with step-by-step instructions on how to plan a successful homeschool field trip for your support group. Click here to learn more.   |
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