Posts tagged ‘preschool’

Preschoolers and infants can add an interesting twist to your homeschool day. Some days will go smoothly, and you won’t believe how much schoolwork gets done. Then there will be days when nothing seems to get done. Just as you have to train your older children to work consistently on their schoolwork, you also have to train your little ones to work quietly when older children need your help.

Here are some suggestions from other homeschoolers on what has worked for them:

Naptime for little ones is a great time to work one-to-one with your older children. When a newborn or infant is awake, consider wearing the baby in a sling. Feeding time can be reserved for reading aloud, devotions or other quiet activities.

Consider having special things for toddlers and preschoolers to do and special toys they can only use during school time. If the older children have a drawer, box or shelf for their schoolwork, make sure the little ones do too. Explain to your little ones that they have work to do during “school” time.

Create “kits” that contain things the little ones can do to keep busy. This needn’t be complicated; opt for something simple like a plastic shoebox filled with large blocks or magnets, or a container filled with craft supplies. Remeber to only include items that are not choking hazards. Pull out a different “kit” each day. Older children can also help make things for the little ones to do.

Give your little one a plastic dishpan filled with a small amount of water. Set it on the floor with a towel underneath. Provide medicine droppers, measuring cups, small boats, etc. Show your child how to clean up any messes.

Keep old workbooks and let your little one “write” or color in them.

Enjoy the days when you can check off everything listed in your assignment planner. Be flexible on the days when everything seems to go wrong and nothing seems to get done.

Have older children take turns playing with young brothers and/or sisters while you work one on one with another child.

Provide dress-up clothes to play with: oversized shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes, necklaces, hats, army jackets, aprons, etc. Choose clothes that are easy to slip on and don’t need to be buttoned or zipped.

Give your child safety scissors and paper, and allow him to practice cutting. Have your child cut overtop of a box or cookie sheet to make cleanup easy.

Work around the little ones’ schedule. Get up earlier, stay up later, or work during nap time. If your toddler or preschooler outgrows nap time, start scheduling quiet time. Explain to your child that he is to play quietly in his room for a set amount of time.

Help your little ones increase their attention span. Set a timer for five minutes and require your little one to work quietly on an activity for that amount of time. Explain that if he finishes his activity before the timer goes off, he can sit quietly or do the activity again. Gradually increase the time.

Enjoy the days when you can check off everything listed in your assignment planner. Be flexible on the days when everything seems to go wrong and nothing seems to get done. Part of learning is knowing how to get along with others, being patient, and learning to adjust when things don’t go as planned. The older children may not finish every Pathway activity planned for each day, but they’ll still be learning. Besides, there’s always tomorrow!

Do you have advice for mothers trying to homeschool older children with a baby or preschooler at home?  We’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

Am I the only mom who was anxious to start homeschooling from the moment my husband and I agreed it was the best decision for our family? I mean who really cares that my son was only 18 months old at the time? I had to run out and buy curriculum!

So there I was, in our local Homeschool Resource Bookstore, with my 18 month old in tow and a belly ripe with my soon-to-be-born daughter, pouring over “Preschool Curriculum.” I have since discovered that in my opinion, there really is no such thing. I could fill a very small bucket with everything my son actually learned from those countless workbooks.

I have since discovered that in my opinion, there really is no such thing. I could fill a very small bucket with everything my son actually learned from those countless workbooks.

But I had “The Itch” and couldn’t resist saying “Hey, look at me!  I’m homeschooling!” And boy was I sooo proud of it J I now realize that all my homeschooling friends were quietly rolling their eyes and betting on how long it would take me to figure out what homeschooling really was at such a tender age…. PLAYING WITH YOUR KIDS!

Well, the rebellion of a very bored 2 year old wasn’t long in coming, and I finally figured out the novel concept that young children learn by doing and being in a world rich with experiences. (Had I accepted this on that fateful day when I first drove to the bookstore, I could have saved myself a lot of money!)

So “The Itch” was cured, and now I am here to try to stop you, a young mother excited to begin “teaching,” from contracting the same horrible disease!

Was it a waste? Not at all! While I am sure my husband would like all the money I spent on workbooks and how-to books back, I definitely learned something–CONFIDENCE!  The process I went through allowed me to discover that I am a competent teacher with a creative streak. I know how to foster a learning environment for my children. So what if that means we never opened half of the books I bought? I was the one who had to learn the hard way that young children are HANDS-ON LEARNERS!

While I am sure my husband would like all the money I spent on workbooks and how-to books back, I definitely learned something–CONFIDENCE!  The process I went through allowed me to discover that I am a competent teacher with a creative streak.

If you are starting to feel some of the symptoms of what I believe is a highly contagious “Itch,” I hope you will take some of my mistakes to heart and enjoy your children while they are young! You have a decade coming up where the boring stuff will have a place. Enjoy their laughter today!

Finally, remember that at this tender age, our goal isn’t only to foster learning, but also to develop an innate LOVE of learning that will carry them through a life of study.

For more creative ideas on homeschooling preschoolers, read our previous blog post written by Angela England.

Be sure to check out our full area of Reading and Phonics Pathways for FREE Pre-K curriculum!

This post was written by Jody N.  A homeschool mom of two, living with her family in west Michigan.  You can read more about her and our other contributors by visiting the Our People page.

Homeschooling Preschoolers Happens Organically With Day-to-Day Activities

“What curriculum should I use with my preschooler?” This is a common question I hear from other mothers of preschoolers. What am I using for my kids? Mostly life. Here are some of my favorite preschool resources.

Online lesson plans for preschoolers–I love using online resources, which are easy to access in an odd moment, and through them I can glean plenty of ideas and inspiration for activities.

Crafts and art supplies–The craft section of your local dollar store is a bounty of possibilities for preschool activities. Pipe cleaners, puff balls, sequins, glitter, glue, foam pieces, tissue paper, paint and more can all be used for a wide variety of art projects and crafts.

Papers–lots of papers. My kids like to spread out and cut and glue and color and fold and paint… For this, we need PAPER! We use old newspaper beneath any painting sessions, old magazines for practicing cutting, and of course, construction paper and scrap copy paper for coloring projects.

Housework–Housework? How is housework learning for preschoolers? Oh, in so many ways! The simple act of creating matches from your odd sock basket encourages eye coordination and fine detail recognition. Helping to set a table place setting to make each person’s place look like your sample improves a child’s reasoning and memory skills. Learning to hold a dustpan while you sweep encourages motor skills. There are so many ways to include a child in your everyday activities, helping them develop skills that provide a base for learning later in life.

The Local Library–Library books are a must–children’s books of all kinds! Many children’s books can be used as the basis for additional learning activities. For example, one of my children’s favorites, Curious George, can be used to talk about the principle of floating and gravity when George the monkey floats away holding onto a bundle of helium balloons.

With these inexpensive and easily accessible learning resources in your home, your preschooler will learn more than you realize. It’s often in the unexpected moments that you see your children shine, especially when learning is a part of everyday life, instead of something with lots of pressure and structure attached!

Angela England lives in rural Oklahoma with her husband and soon to be four children, where she works as a professional blogger in addition to homeschooling, doing childbirth work and massage therapy. England is the founder of The Untrained Housewife – a social site for homemakers, mothers and homeschoolers to exchange back-to-the-basic tips and tricks.