...at least that's how I feel anyway. I've always thought about homeschooling but even though I work from home, I'm a very busy person and I'm just not sure I can swing it. Granted we're talking three preschool age children, so I don't imagine I would have to spend that much time per day schooling, right? This is a temporary thing for me because once they are kindergarten aged they will go to public school like my oldest does. That's the plan at least. I had the twins enrolled for preschool next year at a free preschool but then they called and said they didn't get as much grant money as they thought they would get so they had to cut one class -- the class we were to be in. I can't afford to send two, nevermind three, kids to preschool. I can't even afford to send one to preschool to be honest. So I'm pretty worried about how things will go this next year. I think Homeschooling would be fun and incredibly rewarding, but I'm just not sure I can do it... I'm bipolar, which thankfully is well managed with medication, but I have VERY little patience. So I'm afraid I won't be patient enough for them. Plus, homeschooling three preschoolers my very first time trying this is very daunting to say the least. So could any of you offer any advice or perhaps some resources on where to get started? I've read a TON of information online and several books on the subject but I still feel lost on what my first steps are. What skills does a preschooler need to learn? What are some cost-effective ways I can teach my children. And most importantly, how do I keep from trying to re-create a classroom? I sort of half-a$$ed tried last summer but it was too school-ish and I didn't like it at all. I would like to do unschooling but I'm REALLY lost on how to make that work.... So yes, please give me all the advice you can muster, because I'm going to need it!!! LOL And, thanks in advance!!!!
Why do people put children is school at such a young age when there's no real reason? Just keep them at home and let them be kids. Let them play. You don't need to invest lots of time "teaching" them at this age. You really don't need a curriculum. Just read to them a lot and enjoy being their mom! They'll pick up the essentials much quicker than they will at a preschool.
I agree! I just rolled my eyes when my friend said she was putting her son (then 18 months old) into school. Really? What is he doing there, quadratic equations?? I would just take them to the library and see what events your community has that you can go to. You can find stuff for cheap and even free that they can learn a lot from--and it gives you a chance to get out of the house!
Well...preschool is not mandatory...and it can be really easy and fun to do anyway. Homeschooling is NOT for everyone. If you believe it is not for you and recognize when to cross that line, I applaud you! Anyway...I think that you can do really easy things to help your preschoolers prepare for Kindergarden. You do not have to be formal at all! A lot of kids never go to preschool. So, have fun! Try www.first-school.ws for some fun things to print out for your little ones. Just look up preschool activites online and you will come up with a ton! They can also learn from just playing! They can practice writing in sand or a box with rice or oatmeal in it. They can practice sorting by giving them a paper bag with a color on it...then have them gather all the things they see with that color in the bag. YOu can use that for letter sounds also. Use egg cartons and jelly beans or something for counting. Give them measuring cups and have them play "baking". There is a recipe for aggression cookies...oatmeal, brown sugar, and butter...I don't have the exact recipe...anyway...they can have fun with that. It is not real messy...a bit...and they can have fun with dough. Get counting bears and play money. Have them play store. Include them in everything from cooking to grocery shopping. Just have fun!
Oh...and I agree...school for a young age is not necessary! I include my 2 year old in school only to humor her while I teach my older two.
My thoughts exactly! Preschoolers don't have to be "schooled". They just need to be kids! Of course, working from home, you will definitley need strcuture. You will need a schedule that allows you to get your done while the kiddos don't need your one-on-one attention (naptime would be ideal). You can certainly introduce your children to learning...but I would not push any formal learning at this age. Follow their leads and let them learn at their own paces.
I would NOT send my children to preschool or do "school" with them at that age. If you are sending them to school at kindergarten then you really just need to be their parent until then. Play with them, spend time with them, read, take walks, cook, etc. etc. etc.
Studies have shown that the number one thing a parent can do to prepare their children for Kindergarten is to READ, READ, and READ to them!!!
Thanks for all the replies so far. I know it isn't mandatory. Trust me, I am well aware of that. However, after seeing what my son has gone through with Kindergarten, I know that simply reading to them and playing with them is not going to be enough. They need to know how to write their name, how to do basic counting, colors, shapes, letter recognition, cutting, etc. So I simply want them to be prepared. I don't want to be formal with them by any means. Thank you, Ava Rose, your post was very helpful and informative. I will certainly check out that site. My biggest thing with this is that if I don't schedule a time to do these things, they simply won't happen. So I need to think of it as homeschooling and as though it is a job just like my other jobs. I do not want my children to be behind and I guarantee they will be if I do not do something for them next year. My twins have already had two years of preschool (they got in a year early due to hearing and speech problems). They were mainly just there for speech their first year. But this last year they have learned so much and I don't want them to lose that just because I can't keep them in preschool. So if any of you have any more constructive advice, I welcome it! We each have our own reasons for wanting to homeschool. Some days I think I would love to just pull all my kids out of school and just home school. But I'm afraid I would go crazy LOL That and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to work as much. But it is a thought. Especially when I hear my oldest son whining about not liking school and hating to get up early and all that. So we'll see. One step at a time, right?
Sorry, I would not call this being forced to Homeschool. They are babies, why "school" them? As said above homeschooling in not for everyone and If you feel forced LET THEM BE KIDS... Reading to them is the #1 thing you can do and that is not forcing school on you or them, It is called being a Mom.. Enjoy them while they are young and at home.
You can get preschool practice sheets from the site dltk-kids.com. They have sheets to practice writing letters and numbers as well as sheets to practice using scissors. You can get preschool educational pc games from places like amazon or Best Buy. You can use the starfall.com site for learning letters and letter sounds--it's free and extremely useful. I've been using Bob Jones K5 with my 4 yo and 5 yo. What I think will help you with your patience most is to deal with one child at a time when you work on something. I let one play the education games on the computer while the other does lessons and then flip them. Our formal lesson time quite easily gets done in under an hour (and that includes for both kids). I tried teaching them both at the same time, but my son is much faster at picking up on stuff and it became frustrating to deal with them both unilaterally. Anyway, I hope those ideas help. Oh, and my 5 yo DD has motor skill delays because of her extreme prematurity, so I know how it is to want children with some delays to keep up with their peers as much as possible. Really, try to deal with each child individually while setting the others loose with some educational games or puzzles/coloring pages. You'll keep your sanity much easier that way!
Hi Angela! Homeschooling for preschool need not take all day. Teaching colors, shapes, cutting, writing, ect can be done through out the day as it works out with your working from home. You need not purchase anything as most things can be printed right off the internet. I worked in preschool/daycare and there are tons of free preschool ideas on the web. The only things really needed you probably already have: colors, paint, paper, scissors, ect. Remember just have fun and they will enjoy learning. I think what alot of the ladies are trying to say here is that you dont' have to stress yourself about schooling. I have worked in preschools and there is plenty of playing go on along with learning. Patience is something that i think we all from time to time worry about not having enough. You will find there will be good days and hard days. (((hugs)))
It's true you can't send a child to K not knowing anything. Letting them 'just be kids' is all fine and good until they get to K and can't do any of what the other kids can do. They won't learn to write by being read to, either. K isn't K anymore, it's pseudo first grade. Angela, is there a Y near you that you could inquire about daycare help? Maybe you could talk to someone in the school system about what's expected of Kers to know when they get there. You would then at least have a starting point to put together some kind of plan to get them ready for K.
amen, well said, let them be kids, they grow up so fast and our out in the world fast enough just enjoy them
Angeleyz, I was a preschool teacher for many years before being a homeschool mom, I would suggest making your house set up like preschool zones. Then while you work your kids can play/learn at the same time in the zones. And then you can do the differnt subjects you want to teach them with, circle time, art, connecting dots, finger plays, things that will improve thier fine motor developement are important to help kids as they approach older years. I think it is a good thing to work with kids younger especially if they will have to go out to school later, that way you know you have a good foundation. Work on listening skills, and vocabulary in speach and song. Work on weather, for science, and for following directions you can do all kinds of fun things! I knwo Abcteach has lots of color pages and little mini books you can put together for them to be creative with as well, enjoy your children while you have them!
limited on time so...I confess I didn't read the other answers... PreK is the easiest because...you let them tell you what they want to do. HA! You go get yourself some crafty type things, paint, play doh, etc... Magnet letters on the refrigerator/dishwasher are always a plus. I got a neat alphabet chart from Oriental Trading that has the letter and things that start with that letter printed on a cardboard type material. It can grow with them as they learn the letters and what things start with each letter. I think it was $20 but...not sure. It's like $30-$35 at the educational store. Never underestimate the power of some Press-n'seal and pudding. Yummy. Put the press n seal on the kitchen table and put pudding on it and then let them make letters and shapes in the pudding. Then throw them outside to run in the sprinklers. ROFL Read books to them then read more books to them. Schooling at home is a way of life and the sooner one can embrace that the more smoothly things run. Good luck!
Thank you Sarah, Shelley and Becky for understanding what I'm trying to say and for offering some very useful advice. I appreciate it. I think working with them individually is a wonderful idea. Especially since they get very little one on one time as it is. I'm sure they would love that and I think it would be much less stressful on me as well. Kylie is a little ahead of Alora in some aspects and Alora is a little ahead of Kylie in others so that would be a very good approach. Jada (the youngest) is very bright and has picked up a lot just from her siblings. I'm not as worried about her as I am about the twins. Alora has even been diagnosed as having a generalized anxiety disorder, so I really want her to feel prepared when she enters kindergarten so she is less anxious.
You're probably going to laugh at me for saying this BUT I hope you do come back and give an update in about a year. . .because I have twins and I want to see how it goes! ;-) My 4yo insists on homeschooling bc her older sibs get it so here's what I do with her and the twins who are 2. Hope it's helpful: I choose a letter of the week and make one page in a notebook based on that letter. So for example if the letter is B we might go pick up a balloon. Or for Z we always go to the zoo. I use some of the printables from Nick Jr., christianprintables.com, and ideas from everythingpreschool.com AND the bestest site that I've found is enchantedlearning.com. There is a subscription fee. . .I think it's $20 a year--totally, totally worth it. And of course, others are right--read as much as you can, provide lots of good experiences to talk about. If this helps, I do no more than 30 minutes of work (and if they don't feel like working that long I don't force the issue at that age either) but there's always other things to do like play dough or puzzles, etc. HTH
