Whether you plan to homeschool your child all the way through school or simply want to prepare him for when he starts kindergarten, a well-rounded preschool home school program can set the stage for success. You can develop a preschool home schooling curriculum. Choosing the elements that will work best for your child and making it fun can help him develop a lifetime love of learning.
Step 1
Design a school day schedule. Developing good study habits will help your child become organized. In addition, if she knows she is going to attend school at the same time each day, it will encourage her to focus on her lessons during that time frame. You should remain flexible, however, so she does not feel pressured or get stressed out and decide she no longer wants to learn.
Design your school day around your child’s preferences. Whether she learns best first thing in the morning or just after a refreshing nap doesn’t matter. As long as you know when that is, you can schedule school for that window of time.
Step 2
Develop a flexible pattern for different subjects. Children thrive with schedules and boundaries. Setting aside the same time each day for reading, for example, will instill a belief in her that reading is an important daily activity. If math always happens right after lunch, she will begin to think about math while eating, and be ready to get down to the business of learning as soon as the table is cleared.
Step 3
Incorporate math concepts into your daily vocabulary. Use words such as “big” and “little,” “most” and “least,” “long” and “short” to illustrate differences in quantity and sizes during daily life. This will help him convert the concepts to numerals when the time is right.
Teach your child to count, using games. You can have your child go on a scavenger hunt through the house and bring you one fork, two balls, three socks and so on up to 20 items. Using this same grouping system, you can introduce the concept of addition and subtraction by having him remove items and count how many are left.
Step 4
Ask your preschool student to tell you a story. Write down or record the story as she tells it and then talk about the beginning, middle and end of the story. This will introduce the concept of language arts and writing to her. Once the story is complete, show her how changing parts of the story, such as the characters, place or time can change the story.
Step 5
Use the world as a giant field trip. Take your preschool homeschool student to local attractions as learning experiences. Whether you have museums, nature walks, hiking trails or a science museum, they can all serve to advance your preschooler’s education. When you get back from a destination, remember to ask your child the who, what, when, where and how questions to help him learn to gather facts.
Step 6
Use crayons, construction paper and other materials to have your child trace her name and begin writing short sentences on paper. You may have to write it at first, and let her trace it. Slowly, contribute less of each letter and allow her to write more of it until she is writing on her own.
