In my Homeschooling Q&A Post, Tina asked:
What are a couple of things I could be doing now to get ready for homeschooling since it will be a couple of years before we officially start. And/or, are there curriculums for 3 year olds just to prepare them?
My initial thought is you homeschool your children from the moment they are born. Every little thing you do and say builds bit by bit upon their intellect.
In our family, the littles are naturally schooled from an early age simply because we now have bigs in the house. The littles listen in and absorb bits and pieces here and there. They are eager to learn and do their own “school.” Every child except one has owned their very own copy of Rod & Staff’s Preschool ABC Series. We work through it a little at a time during the school week. They get in some valuable learning and have the satisfaction of “doing school” like the big kids.
When my oldest child begged to do school at an early age, I pulled out pages from his Curious George coloring book, found something on the page I could talk about, wrote a letter of the alphabet at the top of the page that corresponded with what was in the picture, and had him copy that letter and color the picture. Talk about simple and cheap!
I’m also a firm believer in narrating your day. It’s a tough thing for a busy mommy to remember to do, but imperative that you at least make the effort. How do you narrate your day? Just give a running commentary on everything you do with the child whenever they are around. They are naturally curious and naturally spongy (as in they soak up EVERYTHING YOU SAY!) If they are in the kitchen with you, talk about the pots and pans and what they are made of. Talk about how the oven is very hot so it can cook your food and how the gas or electric work. Talk about the items in the refrigerator and where they come from. Do this for everything in every area of your day. Give them tons of information and use big words! (I once caught my husband telling our 18 month old son about Nagasaki during a family walk. Talk about big words and big concepts!)
From the very beginning, you should be showing them that learning is fun. It isn’t something isolated to textbooks and school hours. Make the gathering and sorting of information just part of your lifestyle. Read, read, read to them and talk, talk, talk to them!
For more ideas on how you can prepare your little ones for homeschooling, check out the following:
*My post on How We Homeschool Preschool & Kindergarten
*Work your way through June Oberlander’s:
Slow and Steady Get Me Ready: A Parents’ Handbook for Children from Birth to Age 5
*Read Raymond & Dorothy Moore’s:
Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child’s Education
*Download the ebook:
Finding Educational Activities in the Most Unexpected Places from ManyLittleBlessings.com
{Plus, I have a 20% discount coupon you can use too! Just type in coupon code: RA20}
*Preschool Activities & Reviews at The Curriculum Choice
You can also find me at The Homeschool Classroom today writing on Picture Plays (a great educational tool!)
Mama Mirage says
I 100% agree! Sometimes moms of preschoolers tell me they could never homeschool because they can’t teach and I tell them they already are! They taught their child how to walk, talk, clap, sing, brush their teeth, say their ABC’s and count to 10 already! All homeschooling is is keeping right on teaching them instead of turning it over to someone else. I wrote a post about homeschooling from birth back in September when I hadn’t been blogging for very long yet. I intended to do a part 2 as I had more to say on the subject, but got writer’s block partway through the intended part 2 and so I shelved it until I am hit with the inspiration to finish it. I think I write better when I’m inspired and that people connect better with what I’m saying, so I try to avoid writing anything serious that I’m not feeling passionate about at the time. 😉 Or maybe that’s just a great sounding excuse for my not having finished it in the past 8 months. http://everypreciousjoy.blogspot.com/2009/09/pre-pre-school-teaching-your-child-from.html
.-= Mama Mirage´s last blog ..Feel-Good Theology =-.
amy in peru says
we are SO relaxed about preschoolers. play is SO important! and I love what you’re talking about narrating the day. that is VERY important. the child gains information, but also language skills!
this is what we do and recommend for preschoolers…
http://www.amblesideonline.org/CMAttainments.shtml
the six preschool years are very full if each day is used toward attaining these goals in a relaxed and regular living sort of way 🙂
amy in peru
.-= amy in peru´s last blog ..Wednesday: Geography =-.
Christine (iDreamofClean) says
This is very helpful! “You school your children from the moment they’re born” makes so much sense. Thanks for the resource list. I already have one of the books so now I know what’s next on the list!
.-= Christine (iDreamofClean)´s last blog ..Guest Posting on iDreamofClean =-.
Larry @ Cakeblast says
I agree completely. We use workbooks and flashcards with our four-year old, but make it a game. I already read to our one-year old every day and in my opinion it is homeschooling. We plan to get a little bit more formal with homeschooling next Fall though. We joined a co-op that I think will eventually help with subjects we don’t understand as well as many more qualified parents.
.-= Larry @ Cakeblast´s last blog ..National Geographic and Energizer’s Ultimate Photo Contest =-.
Carol Flett says
I love what you say about narrating your day. It is so important for the children to hear you talk.
And I know first hand how little ones absorb what the others are learning. My grandson learned to read the sounds A, S and a couple of other letters before he could say words when he was just a year old. He was on my lap when I was teaching someone else and related the letter cards with the sounds.
Susan Lemons says
Hello,
Good post. I always express the heart of the preschool years in the 4R’s: Relationship (with God and family-most important), Routine, Readiness (so often overlooked nowadays), and Reading aloiud. To me, the 4R’s are the heart of what every preschooler really needs.
Parents who push early academics often overlook the 4R’s, and other, more developmentally appropriate activities that preschoolers need–learning through real life/hands-on experiences, play, art, and music, finger-plays, etc.
I blog about developmentally appropriate and balanced homepreschooling/homeschooling at http://www.susanlemons.wordpress.com –I hope you and your readers will visit.
Blessings,
Susan Lemons