Homeschool Preschool

Home Schooling activity ideas and curriculum suggestions

In a homeschool preschool or kindergarten I totally and firmly believe that the very best early academics your children can access is YOU. Your responses to your children teach them much more than any workbook.

This page deals with the non-book learning activities you can enjoy with your preschool or kindergarten student. If you have an advanced preschooler that you believe may be ready for more book work, see my page on home schooling kindergarten.

For many homeschool preschool or kindergarten boys the best thing you can do is the following:

Talk to your homeschool preschooler.

Your conversations with your children have been teaching them since they were born. Talk to them about their world. Point out all the things around them. Teach them to be observant.

When you are driving down the road... tell them when you see something interesting. Point out how you always turn at the blue house when you go to the grocery store. Or get excited with him and holler 'here comes a train!'

Count things, talk about colors, talk about over, under, and sequential order (first, second, third,) I am surprised sometimes when I see these things taught in preschool books.

If your boy likes the workbook materials... and you want to work with them, by all means do it. BUT if you have a dirt loving, energetic, can't sit still for 5 minutes type of boy, don't feel you have to make him sit and fill in all those worksheets. He will learn those things as a natural part of life if you just live it with him.

Read to your homeschool preschooler.

Read to your child each and every day if possible. Read on all topics. Get picture books and simply talk about the pictures. Coffee table books are great for this and they can be cheap at yard sales and used book stores.

Teach your child that books are their friend and books have amazing stories. Use books to teach them to be observant. Point out little things on the page that they might not see at first. Be amazed with them. Be excited with them.

Answer their questions.

Does any small child NOT ask questions? Answer them in language they can understand. Keep it simple, but don't baby talk.

As well as answering thier questions... ask them questions. Ask them what color are things? How do experiences make them feel? Which way should we turn?

Teach them by example.

Do you want your child to love reading?.... do you read? Let them see you reading. If they climb up and want you to read to them. Let them know that mommy is reading right now and then invite them to sit next to you on the couch with their own book. Then you can read together for a bit.

This may only last a few minutes. If they get too restless go ahead and read their story to them. But encourage them to "read" their OWN book. I LOVE it when I'm reading and my little guy climbs up with his own book to sit next to me and read.

This applies to other things too. Let your children join in what you are doing. This can be difficult at times. It is often so much easier to tell them to go play so you can get your work done... I've done it. But they learn so much when they work with you in the garden, or in the kitchen, or out in the shop on the car. (that one is for the dads)

Homeschool preschool or kindergarten will benefit from the having the materials they need ready when the mood strikes.

Tools, shovels, play dough, gardens, puzzles, crayons, lots of paper, scissors, dirt, mud, bikes, blocks, legos, trucks... the list could go on.

Restrict TV, computers, video games... I hesitate to say eliminate. Phonics games can help a child learn their letters and numbers. But.... I will say restrict! Hours of computer time is not what your little guy needs. They need to move and explore. I think you get the idea.