Homeschooling Preschoolers

Many parents are intimidated by the thought of homeschooling preschoolers.

Here are some reasons to homeschool preschool.

Here are some tips for homeschooling preschoolers:

• Make time to talk to your child. Answer questions what you are doing and why you are doing it. Talk to your child about health, safety and how to handle emergencies in a natural manner that won’t induce fear.

• Involve your child in your day. Let him help you cook, clean and run errands. Give him simple tasks such as tearing lettuce or pushing a child sized grocery cart.

• Build your day around simple routines that give structure to your child’s day. You don’t have to watch the clock or schedule your time down to the minute. Establish a predictable pattern of meals, household activities and naptimes. Leave plenty of free time in your day for your child to explore.

• Focus on learning, not teaching. View yourself as a parent helping your child with what he is already learning, not as a teacher forcing information upon your child.

• Keep formal preschool lessons simple and fun. If your child is getting anxious or frustrated, put away the activity and call it a day. One of the best ways to teach preschoolers is to create a learning environment in your home school.

• Give your child plenty of outside time to run, jump and climb, or collect rocks and watch the clouds. Here are a few ideas for preschool physical education.

• While there are many great educational programs on TV, it is still a sedentary activity. Limit TV and computer time to no more than 1 hour per day. My children are more creative, content and energetic when we limit or eliminate television viewing. Consider substituting TV time with preschool educational games.

• Provide your child with quality toys that encourage open ended play. We avoid electronic gadgets in favor of wooden toys, trains and figures that stimulate the imagination.

• Let your child make a mess. Hands-on discovery is a dirty job, but preschoolers need to do it. Here are some fun preschool activities.

• Set aside time in your day to read to your children, draw with your children, listen to their stories or play a game of tag. Don’t move through the day on autopilot.

Step away from the broom and take time to enjoy your children! Follow these links to find a:

Preschool alphabet activity,
Preschool math activity,
Preschool writing activity,
Preschool science activity, and
Preschool art activity.