In the United States and Canada, there are no laws governing homeschool for preschool age children. As such, a family is free to explore the concept of homeschooling preschoolers without the constraints of following set preschool curriculum or laws. The pre-kindergarten age is one of wonder and curiosity and a time in which a love of life-long learning can easily blossom.
There are as many ways to homeschool as there are to parent and the family needs to discover a method that works best for the whole family. Parents should consider what their goals are for the pre-school years and what capabilities they'd like their children to develop. It's not necessary to purchase a lot of pre-k homeschool supplies, as most things are readily available in the home.
Enthusiasm for Preschool Homeschooling
What helps the child best at this age is time spent together and enthusiasm – enthusiasm for the child's interests. If a child shows an interest in trains for example, whether the parent shares this interest or not, this can be an opportunity for the child to learn about history, geography, mechanical engineering and even art and music.
Following this example, a parent can borrow library books (fiction and non-fiction), find songs about trains, go on a field trip to watch trains, help map local train routes, provide art supplies to draw or paint trains or tracks, make a simple block train, and the list goes on. Before long, the focus may shift to medieval castles, fairies or horses. The key is to be enthusiastic and to act as a guide.
Ideas for Homeschool Preschool Activities
With a parent as a loving guide, the learning activity opportunities are endless. Pre-k homeschool activities should focus on fun and discovery.
- Bake together
- Make homemade playdough
- Go on nature walks and bring along a magnifying glass, camera, notebook, drawing paper and crayons
- Keep a scrapbook with any of the child's art projects, admission stubs to events, ideas and mail received
- Read stories, rhymes and poems of all types
- Make up stories together
- Make simple rhythm instruments and play them
- Sing songs
- Make a small sand table and find objects (including those in nature) to put it it
- Make or buy a small water table (when the weather is nice a rubber storage bin outside will suffice) Have funnels, various sized containers and other kitchen utensils (ladles, manual egg beaters, sieves) available
- Make simple puppets (sock puppets or paper characters glued onto thin carboard with a popsicle stick handle). A simple puppet theater can be made by making a cut out in a shoe box
- Plant an indoor or outdoor garden
- Make a map of the immediate neighborhood
- Listen to many different styles of music together and try to pick out different musical instruments
- Dance together
- Create a seasonal circular calendar out of paper or felt and decorate each season with family and region specific activities and events
Gathering Homeschool Preschool Supplies
Many supplies for homeschooling pre-k age children are best purchased just after all the kids have gone back to school and many stores drastically reduce their prices. Great finds can be made at thrift stores which can be a terrific resource for children's books, games and costumes.
- Paper – regular white paper as well as colored construction paper, watercolor paper and thin cardboard
- Crayons, washable markers, tempera, finger and watercolor paints
- Children's scissors
- String and yarn
- Blocks of all types colors and sizes
- Playdough and tools (cookie cutters, blunt cutting tools, small rolling pins)
- Non-toxic modeling clay
- Cardboard boxes of all sizes
- Simple musical instruments
- A good kitchen step stool for helping out in the kitchen
- A costume box or pegboard. Costumes can be as simple as bolts of colored cloth
Create or Find Preschool Activities and Networks
Most communities have many preschool offerings. From library story times to kids sports and clubs to homeschool networks, parents can benefit by learning from other parents staying home with their children. And the children can enjoy play time and develop new friendships. After investing all this time with their children at home, parents will have a good feel for what the homeschool kindergarten year could be.
Related articles:
Teaching Life Skills to Kids how to help children develop the capabilities to be successful adults
Homeschool Kindergarten: Having Fun While Homechooling Kindergarten Age Children
References:
Albert, David H. Have Fun. Learn Stuff. Grow.: Homeschooling and the Curriculum of Love. Common Courage Press, 2005.
Holt, John. Learning All the Time. Da Capo Press, 1990.
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