Homeschooling Preschool
I was scrolling Facebook this morning when an advertisement in my news feed caught my eye. As I read through the ad, this is what jumped out at me: “And without professional training along with field-tested experience, it’s unlikely that you’re able to effectively homeschool your preschoolers.”
Wow. I think my jaw literally dropped open.
If the author were claiming this about high school, I might have given him a pass (not that it would be accurate, but more understandable), but this man was talking about preschool.
I am here today to tell you that if you’re considering homeschooling your preschooler, YOU CAN DO IT. You don’t need a degree, a teaching certificate, or a decade of shadowing other instructors. You need to love your child and want him to succeed. Everything beyond that is extra.
Extra?!
Whaddya mean, extra? Surely my child needs to learn something!
Well, yes. But that doesn’t require anything fancy. It doesn’t require anything expensive. It doesn’t require extensive planning and prepping. Young children are like little sponges, absorbing everything around them. I’m sure you’ve witnessed it already – the way they imitate those around them, ask to help with whatever you’re doing, and learn things you didn’t even set out to teach them. Their naturally curious minds want to and will learn.
You Can Do This!
So how do you homeschool a preschooler? There are thousands upon thousands of curriculums, activities, and ideas for teaching preschoolers, and it can get overwhelming just thinking about the options. If you enjoy planning activities, then plan activities. If using a curriculum gives you the confidence you need, then use a curriculum. But don’t do those things because you think they’re mandatory, or that you’re failing your child if you skip them.
These little ones need love, they need to have stories read to them, they need to be included in your day, and they need play. Really, that’s it.
Think about it; you have been your preschooler’s teacher from the start. How did your child learn his name? Grow his vocabulary? Learn to wipe up spills? How did she learn to ride a bike, throw a ball, brush her teeth, put on her own shoes? Everyday practice with you. Reading with you. You can do this!
Preschool Can be Simple
Homeschooling preschoolers can be so simple, so fun, and so rewarding. Enjoy your time with your babies and don’t let anyone tell you you’re not capable because you don’t have a certification or degree.
If you need more encouragement, here are some excellent articles to check out:
I also have a few posts about everyday activities, such as cooking with preschoolers, and links to some gentle preschool curriculums. If you’d like to peek inside the life of a preschooler in our home, you’ll be able to read that soon.
As always, feel free to send me an e-mail if you have questions. If I can’t answer them for you, I can point you to someone who can.
You can do this!
(I wish it went without saying, but I feel like I need to add a caveat: this article is addressing the fallacy that parents are incapable of teaching their own children, and giving a boost of confidence and encouragement to families who are considering homeschooling their preschoolers . If you have your children in a traditional preschool setting or you are a preschool teacher, this is not an attack on you, your choices, or your profession. It is validation of a non-mainstream choice, and a parent’s natural ability to teach their own babies.)
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