Teaching Your Preschooler at Home is Simpler Than You Think
I am going to try to keep this post as simple as it really is. Coming from a previous elementary teacher who is used to writing in-depth lesson plans, I’ve had to do my own bit of “un-schooling” so please bear with me. This is not meant to be a deep dive into the art of homeschooling, but an encouragement for any mama that has had a desire or curiosity on how to begin teaching your preschooler at home.
I am passionate about beginning right where you are. Teaching our children is important, but important doesn’t mean difficult. This post is going to offer some basics things to know to get started and then I’ll share the current lesson plan I’m using.
10 Things To Know About Teaching Your Preschooler At Home
- You are qualified to teach your child! Yes, you! Who taught your child to talk? To eat? To walk? To use manners? Who was there encouraging and guiding every milestone step along the way? You. That makes you your child’s first teacher. Why all the sudden would you be incapable of teaching letters or numbers? You are more experienced than you might think.
- Teaching at home takes less time than assumed. Teaching your preschooler at home is manageable enough that a stay-at-home or working mama can find the time for it. Lessons take much longer at an actual school because of the class size, distractions, interruptions, and requirements that may need to be met. Our lessons currently take a maximum of 25 minutes which allows us to feel accomplished without any overwhelm.
- Resources and support are easy to find. Search any lesson topic on Pinterest, TikTok, or Instagram and you’ll find plenty of lessons to inspire you and walk you step-by-step how to teach them. Most homeschool mama’s I’ve encountered are passionate about homeschooling and more than eager to share resources and bounce ideas around to support one another.
- Teaching at home is flexible. It’s not one size fits all. Some days may look like a more traditional lesson taught at the kitchen table. Other days may find us outside swinging on the swingset while reading or curled up cozy on the couch. Homeschool is meant to work for your family’s needs. Some kids may do just fine with traditional lessons, while others benefit from learning games, art, or music. The beauty of teaching at home is you tailor it to your child.
- Teaching at home doesn’t have to be pretty. Just like any highlight real, those of homeschool tend to look perfectly aesthetic, but it doesn’t have to be. Teaching at home can be cheap and unattractive and your child will still learn. Use resources readily available and make them work for your needs.
- Consistency is important. For your child’s learning to progress, consistent exposure to what they are learning is necessary. Just like anyone learning something new, the more we see it the more we’ll remember it.
- We can partner with technology. Sitting a child in front of a screen all day is not how I would implement technology into our lesson, but using a well-vetted video or interactive learning game to enhance or review what we’ve learned has worked well for me. Simple, yet enjoyable and effective learning engagement.
- Let your child’s interests guide you. Develop lessons around what they are interested in. Whether it’s cars, animals, dinosaurs, or dolls, let their passions drive their love for learning. It will hold their attention and engage them in their learning. Let’s flare the flame of learning early!
- We set the tone. If we’re excited, they’re excited. If we’re impatient, they’ll be impatient. Do they see us reading and learning? They do what we do, not what we say. We’re the example, so let’s lead the way we want them to follow.
- We’re not always going to feel like teaching. Plan for that. Have simple, hands-off activities that engage our child, but take minimal to no effort on our part. Some days we may have all the energy and desire in the world to teach passionately; others we won’t. On one of those off days, it’s good to have a few high impact, low effort activities on hand.
One day I may write a deep dive on homeschooling; teaching multiple kids at home and how to keep younger kids entertained while teaching an older one, but I haven’t crossed that bridge yet. I’m sure there’s other things to add to this post that I’ll think of later, but for now I want you to feel empowered and encouraged to teach your preschooler right where you’re at in life.
