How to Homeschool a Preschooler: Tips and Tricks
Hi and welcome to my website! I am thrilled that you are here! My hope is that you will find everything you need to become the homeschooling mother that you always wanted to be! Please write in the comments below if you have any questions or want me to write about something specific. Please, let me know!
A little bit about me: I am a mother of four children and have been homeschooling for almost four years (some years have been part time homeschooling). My oldest is nine years old and my youngest is one years old. I feel that I have gained some experience on how to homeschool and how to homeschool young children. Therefore, I want to share about it in this blog. Hopefully it will help you in your homeschooling journey!
Here is my trick when it comes to homeschool children in the preschool years: I don’t homeschool them! I mean, there is no reason to homeschool very young children. In my opinion, the preschool children need a safe, warm and a joyful home. They need a peaceful life, free from worries, where they are allowed to enjoy their childhood with their parents (mostly one parent, since the other one has to work). The only thing I do when it comes to teaching a young child (that is from a book) is to read to them when they are old enough to sit in my lap and listen to a story. I wait until they are ready and interested enough to look in a book with me. And that’s it. I strongly belief that we should not be pushing our children with academics too early.
Books that I recommend are Home Grown Kids, Better Late than Early, The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook, Home Built Discipline, Home Style Teaching and Homespun Schools by Raymond and Dorothy Moore. I also suggest that you read more about this in my other blog, Pros for Homeschooling.
“It is customary to send very young children to school. They are required to study from books things that tax their young minds…. This course is not wise. A nervous child should not be overtaxed in any direction” – Child Guidance p.300.2 (Ellen Gould White).
Life is a lesson in itself
Living together in a house with little kids gives you many opportunities to teach. This kind of teaching is not about teaching algebra, how to read and write. The teaching is more about safety, hygien, forming healthy habits and being content and happy with life. The formal teaching comes later in life.
The good news that I want to share with you here in this blog is that you do not have to teach everything in the beginning. In the early years it is a good idea to save your energy as a mother and build a strong foundation for the child’s future life. Do no worry about their education when they are so young. The most important thing is that you give them a good example to follow. You “teach” them language skills by speaking clearly and correctly to your child. You teach them how to manage a home, how to speak friendly to guests and how to create healthy balance between recreation and work, etc.
One thing I do regularly though, is that I read to them. One of the reasons why I love to read to my children is because they will get a good education on grammar and language arts, and learn how to read. They will learn that you can get a lot of good information from books and by reading to them, you will inspire them to read for themselves later in life. They will see your love for books and imitate you. They will also learn how the letter sounds when you read to them. Read aloud will teach your child to read and this is how my oldest learned to read.
Whatever needs to be done in the house is a lesson in itself. You need to empty the trash bin, wash the floor, cook, speak kindly, exercise and take care of yourself etc. There are endless opportunities for learning, and the child who stays with you will see all this and learn from you. I have kept all my preschool children home with me. This phase of their lives (and still is, because my youngest children are still in the preschool years) is the perfect time to learn life skills from daily life as they spend time with their homeschool mom.
I believe that preschool activities should be play-based and that children should have the freedom to be kids, enjoying life without worries and sorrow. “During the first six or seven years of a child’s life, special attention should be given to its physical training, rather than the intellect. After this period, if the physical constitution is good, the education of both should receive attention. Infancy extends to the age of six or seven years. Up to this period children should be left, like little lambs, to roam around the house and in the yards, in the buoyancy of their spirits, skipping and jumping, free from care and trouble” – Child Guidance p.300.3 (Ellen Gould White).
The Home: Home School
As I see it, the child’s education is based a lot on what is done in the home and outside the home with the family. Early childhood education is based on learning from daily routine, free play, and meeting the child’s interests. For example, my five year old girl loves to draw. Therefore, I will supply here with paper, pencils, erasers and pens etc. I also enjoy creating different educational worksheets for my children. Check one of my many free worksheets on this website, by clicking on “Free Printables”. My girl has especially loved working with my Valentine’s Worksheets. These Whale Crafts and Whale Worksheets have also been fun to work with.
Field trips are a great way to add fun learning experiences to preschool-aged children. As a homeschooling mother you create your own schedule and decide the pace of your homeschooling. You have the time and flexibility to spend special time with your pre-k aged child. Younger children have a natural curiosity and love to go on these little trips with you, and together with older children too.
A trip to the supermarket includes many learning opportunities. You can prepare the trip by talking about the food you need to buy and what you want to cook. You teach the child why it is important to eat healthy and how to create good habits when it comes to grocery shopping, cooking and planning.
When you arrive at the supermarket you engage the preschool age child and let him or her partake of the whole process of picking the right groceries and paying for them. Of course you will need extra time to do all this, and maybe you won’t have your child with you every time you shop at the supermarket (because it is time consuming). But taking the time to have your child by your side, teaching them these essential skills in life, you and your child will be blessed.
When you arrive back home, your child can help you put everything away. In that way, the child will know where all the groceries are in the kitchen and learn the best way to preserve food in the home. Relax mama, you can do this! Take a deep breath and embrace the homeschool journey! Do this when you have plenty of time and can enjoy shopping with your child!
If you are new to homeschooling and not sure how to do all this, I recommend checking the blog about The Homeschooling Mother: Things that You Should Know. Remember that the goal of homeschooling a preschooler is to foster a love of learning and provide a supportive environment for exploration and growth. Keep the atmosphere positive and enjoyable, and don’t forget to have fun along the way!
Spending Time Outdoors and The Importance of Play
A lot of time should be spend outdoors. This is a challenge for mothers with infants/very young children and during winter time. But a little bit is better than nothing, right? If it is very cold outside, maybe 10-15 minutes can be your goal. The children (and you) will feel refreshed by the fresh air and getting out in the nature. My experience is that outdoors reduces a lot of tension that easily builds up inside the house. Nature has a calming effect on us humans and I believe God created us to spend time in nature.
“Children should not be long confined within doors, nor should they be required to apply themselves closely to study until a good foundation has been laid for physical development. For the first eight or ten years of a child’s life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, the mother the best teacher, nature the best lesson book. Even when the child is old enough to attend school, his health should be regarded as of greater importance than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded with the conditions most favorable to both physical and mental growth” – Child Guidance p. 300.1 (Ellen Gould White).
Outdoor exploration could include walks, visits to the park, take a trip to the zoo. In the winter we love skating on the ice, skiing or taking a walk in the forest. The children love snow, and building a snowman or building a snow house is always fun. The seasons are fun and there is always something to explore in nature.
Teach Them To Be Useful
Little children should also feel that the mother needs them and that they can help their mothers with the home duties. Allow them to help you and work with you. They can do so much more than we think! Hands-on activities is a great idea to teach your child important skills in the home.
“The mother should be the teacher, and home the school where every child receives his first lessons; and these lessons should include habits of industry. Mothers, let the little ones play in the open air; let them listen to the songs of the birds and learn the love of God as expressed in His beautiful works. Teach them simple lessons from the book of nature and the things about them; and as their minds expand, lessons from books may be added and firmly fixed in the memory. But let them also learn, even in their earliest years, to be useful. Train them to think that, as members of the household, they are to act an interested, helpful part in sharing the domestic burdens, and to seek healthful exercise in the performance of necessary home duties” – Child Guidance p.301.1 (Ellen Gould White).
Homeschooling With Joy Mini Course
This Homeschooling With Joy mini course will teach you how to homeschool and mentally thrive as a mother.
If you’re considering homeschooling but don’t know if it’s the right thing, or if you are struggling with homeschooling, this course is for you! In this course I will walk you through seven reasons for homeschooling, how to homeschool in three simple steps and how to mentally thrive as a mother. By finishing this course, you will have the courage to homeschool your children and be able to do it with joy!
This Mini Course is for you if you are:
- Considering homeschooling but not sure if it’s the right thing
- Wanting to homeschool but don’t know how or where to start
- Homeschooling, but struggling
- Feeling stressed and overwhelmed by homeschooling
- Struggling with depression and pessimism as a homeschooling mom
- Not thriving in motherhood
What’s included in this Mini Course:
- 50 pages of how to Homeschool With JOY
- Video lessons
- Helpful printables
- Inspiration and encouragement
- All you need to know to get started Homeschooling with Confidence!
