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How to Homeschool Preschool

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Are you wondering how to do a homeschool preschool?  Teaching a preschooler at home can really be a lot of fun. It does not have to be complicated or even too involved.  This post will gently guide you through how to do it and remove some of the stress or fear you may be feeling about it!

How to Homeschool Preschool from Teach Beside Me

I have had lots of preschool teaching experience in my lifetime and really enjoy teaching this age.  They are so adorable and so eager to learn!  All of this preschool teaching helped me to feel ready when I started our own homeschool preschool.

Would you like a FREE printable Preschool Planning Guide? It is a FREE gift to my subscribers! Click below to get access.

 

Preschoolers need a gentle approach to learning. They do not need intense academics, just keep it light and enjoyable while they are young.

Some kids are more motivated to learn than others, even at this age. I was so surprised to see the difference of learning styles and motivation in my first two. My oldest knew his letters and numbers at a year and half. My second was still struggling with them at age 5. Child number three has a whole new style of learning! Be aware of your child’s needs and desires while they are young and follow their lead to some extent.

During the preschool years kids are really learning so much. Most of the things they need to learn at this stage are life skills and understanding right and wrong. They naturally want to learn new things and will ask a lot of questions about how things work and why things are the way they are. They are highly curious at this age! Encourage that curiosity.

There has been an increasing push on academics at this early age. Studies have shown that this earlier learning does not help in the long run. Kids naturally reach cognitive milestones at certain times in life. Pushing things on them earlier will not change that. If anything it may hinder their desire to learn if they are pushed too early.

The preschool age is a time to delight in learning, but learning through play and exploration, not rigid academics. You do not need a strict preschool program for them to succeed.

What To Teach in Preschool:

These are the basic preschool activities I teach in our homeschool.

What To Teach a Preschooler : Homeschool Preschool

  • Right and Wrong
  • Letter Recognition and Sounds- help them become familiar with the letters of the alphabet.
  • Colors
  • Shapes
  • Number Recognition- math at this young age is just learning counting and numbers!
  • Counting
  • Cutting- this is an important fine motor skill for kids to learn
  • Drawing- help them learn to draw a self portrait, or try simple drawing tutorials
  • Pre-writing and Letter Tracing
  • Basic Life Skills- dressing themselves, brushing their teeth, picking up their toys, etc.
  • Fine Motor Skills- threading beads, playing with play dough, etc.
  • Love of Nature – play outside a lot!  It’s so good for everyone.
  • Faith and Values
  • Love of Learning- kids naturally love learning at this age. Encourage that!
  • READ LOTS! Read as many books as they will sit still for.

 

This may seem like a lot of things, but if you take a gentle approach to it, it is so enjoyable! My son asks to do preschool when I am doing school time with the others. He constantly asks me to read to him. The goal is to get children ready to start kindergarten and be comfortable with learning and daily routines.

Interested in my printable Preschool Planning Guide?  Be sure to grab it now!

 

See my Called to Homeschool Episode on How to Homeschool Preschool:

 

Find a way to naturally work preschool learning time into your homeschool schedule.  I like to have a little structure and a basic schedule or daily routine for our preschool time. I think it is important to have a scheduled time so it is consistent. I always like to have a gathering or circle time with my preschooler. During this time we do our calendar board, learn the days of the week, talk about weather, and a few other basics.

These are my days of the week and months of the year songs that we do in our house:

While my kids are working independently, I plan preschool time with my son. I have a lot of supplies on hand already that we pull from. We read stories, work a little on letter recognition, play a few learning games, play-doh, do crafts, etc. He loves to do art and nature studies with the bigger kids and always loves listening to any of the books I am reading to them, too.

In preschool it is great to do lots of hands-on activities, learn nursery rhymes, and read fairy tales.

Check out my letter of the week series, too. Follow along!

 

Preschool Supplies We Love to Use:

Preschool Supplies We LoveTangrams / Pattern Blocks
Counting Animals
Puzzles
Geoboard
Sensory Bins
Magnet Letters
Play-Doh
Paints
Stickers
Markers and Crayons
Child-Size Scissors
Building Toys
Learning Games

What are your thoughts on homeschool preschool?  How do you structure it in your home?

Are you looking for more preschool ideas?  Check out my Ultimate List of Free Preschool Curriculum Resources post!

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5 Comments

  1. I like field trips. The petting zoo, botanical gardens, going on a tour of the fire station (we have to teach citizenship in Texas, so that fits right in), going shopping at the dollar store to teach about money and math. My daughter is a very eager student, so teaching her is always an adventure.

  2. I’m disappointed that emotional regulation isn’t on this list. How to share, how to handle being disappointed appropriately, how to be a friend….. how to follow instructions, perseverance, problem solving…. I could go on and on, but I feel like we as a society are forcing children to learn academics long before they are developmentally ready to focus on such tasks. Ask any kindergarten teacher this: Would you rather your students knew ABCs and 123s when they come to you? Or would you rather they are able to regulate their emotions/bodies and handle disappointments?

    We can teach ABCs and 123s to any child…. but it is VERY hard when they can’t handle their emotions.

  3. With my son not being able to go to school this year because of his age, we are having “school”. I have to admit that there are days when we are just not into it but we push through it. I get excited because I can see what he is learning he shows me all the time when we are out and about. He loves to count! What I like is that at our Library there are different activities that we can be a part of. Over the summer we saw a wild animal show and they also had a science show. I go to the library weekly to get plenty of books to read during the week. I have themed weeks to help me stay in a routine. We have circle time and there we learn the days of the week, the month and the day. We have a thankful notebook were we say what we are thankful daily and we have a letter of the week. We also do a craft that goes with the theme for the week. I am like one of the other mom’s we do have to teach to be good friends and with my son he is learning a lot with books. I read and then ask him questions. Use your local library!

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