Preschool: Where Do You Start?

As I stated in my former post addressing why we have decided to homeschool, our children are still quite young with the oldest turning four in October and the second being only two and a half. Because of our choice to live on one income we don’t have the option to send either of our children to preschool. However, even if we did we wouldn’t necessarily do it. I’m not saying that to knock anyone who does. There is plenty of value in preschool! But I don’t believe it is a necessary step in child development if you are able and willing to adjust your lifestyle to meet the needs of your kids. I don’t mean giving up any freedom you have, that’s not healthy, but I do mean taking a hard look at your family’s schedule and making some tough choices if it is so crammed full that you are literally dragging your kids from one activity to another without any form of down-time or routine. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

In my opinion the main goal of preschool should be to teach your children basic educational concepts in a relaxed, flexible, enjoyable atmosphere that allows for a lot of play time and interaction with others. I do think this can be done without a concrete objective simply through being engaged with your child about the world around them. But I also believe that with a bit more effort and intentionality you can set your child up to be more successful once benchmarks do become important – and they will.

The resources can be a bit overwhelming if you do an internet search for preschool curriculum and material. That said, I do recommend spending a bit of time looking just to familiarize yourself with what is out there. You might find something that works for you or something you will return to later when your child gets older or your finances allow you to purchase more. In the meantime I strongly urge you to sit down with a good ole pencil and paper and start the process of writing out your objective. In one or two sentences write out what you want your child to have accomplished by the end of the year. Or maybe you want to write an objective for each month. Whatever you choose be sure to be specific.

This is what I came up with after quite a bit of research and more ideas than I knew what to do with:

“I want my children to know their letters, numbers, and shapes and be able to write them out on their own. I also want to teach them the importance of scripture by helping them to memorize one scripture a week.”

It was really hard to limit myself to those items but once I did I felt so much relief. It’s not that I can teach them more it’s just that I’m not going to beat myself up (or them) to take on more than I can handle right now and end up burned out and disillusioned.

So I purchased a whiteboard and set out to organize my objective on it. It didn’t take long for me to finalize my idea. Sticking to the basics has been refreshing and has taken the anxiety out of this process. Plus, my kids aren’t overwhelmed by the addition.

Because we have the privilege of eating most of our meals together it made sense to post the board in our dining room where it would be central for discussion often. Breakfast is when I make the biggest push to go over concepts but I revisit them at each meal when possible and incorporate them into our other activities as circumstances allow.

The other element of a well-rounded preschool experience is the exposure to other kids and adults. I am fortunate to have a solid church family that provides both. I attend weekly biblestudy on Tuesdays and church service on Sundays. My kids look forward to their time with their teachers and the interaction with other kids. I also incorporate at least one play date a week, often more, to keep myself sane (I love the interaction with other moms) and to help expose my kids to other forms of parenting and playing in new environments (their homes, parks, etc.). I do my best to go on walks a few times a week and visit new places when possible so that my children are exposed to various outdoor settings: parks, trails, rural, urban, wildlife, historical sites, railroads, airports, etc. Each of these environments lend themselves to many questions and great learning opportunities. Our area has exceptional parks and it’s fun to try new ones but to also have a few really close options so that we aren’t always having to pack up and drive somewhere.

Starting with a simple objective and incorporating more as you feel inspired, and as your children ask for it, is the best advice I have for starting your child toward a positive preschool experience!