If you find yourself in the enviable position of homeschooling your preschool-age children, congratulations on making the right choice. You have decided to homeschool your children from the earliest possible age, and it will pay off for both your family and your children’s education. You will never have to transition out of government schooling to homeschool because homeschooling will be all your children will ever know, and it will be normalized in their minds. This is a huge advantage as many parents become dissatisfied with the government schools and make the change later in their child’s life, and the changeover can be disruptive. Starting right eliminates a great many problems that will never materialize to begin with.

You’ve taken an excellent first step in your child’s academic future. Homeschooling preschool is a fun and exciting way to build on your child’s natural love of learning for the years to come.

Many first-time homeschoolers have questions at this stage, and that’s perfectly normal. But the truth is, preschool is merely a continuation of what your child has already been learning. Your child has a natural love of learning at this age, as everything is new to them and yet to be explored. Chances are, you’ve already worked with your child in their speech, learning that words mean things, names of body parts, favorite toys, and colors, as well as how to dress themselves or basic hygiene. Think back on how naturally those things were learned; you already have a great foundation on which to build as you venture into preschool.

Not everyone thinks that homeschooling must start at preschool age. Many parents believe preschool to be a concept of an overreaching government school system. On the other hand, some believe it to be a great opportunity to add bits of structured learning that take advantage of your child’s natural love of learning, as Kindergarten and first-grade approach. However, if you want to do preschool with your child, we recommend it for 3-4 year olds, with some flexibility depending on the month of birth, so some older 2-year-olds and some younger 5-year-olds could be in this material as well. This also depends on your assessment of your child’s ability. We do not have hard and fast rules here; the parent is in charge of all decision-making in this regard, and we merely offer guidelines. One of the great advantages of homeschooling is the flexibility, and we have worked hard to retain that aspect for your family.

The standard “school year” is about 180 days of instruction according to most state standards. There are no such mandates in preschool, and our curriculum is about 135 topics. That may sound short by comparison; however, repetition is very productive at this age, and your child will not mind and will benefit from repeating some topics throughout the year. Evaluate for yourself where more practice may be needed and repeat a topic accordingly. Our preschool curriculum is highly repeatable, and you can revisit any topic at any time of your choosing. We worked hard to make our curriculum as flexible as possible so that you, the parent, can adapt it to the needs of your child.

There are no laws mandating preschool. However, if you decide to teach it, most parents begin between the ages older 2-year-olds and younger 5-year-olds, depending on their birth month. But the average age is 3-4 years old. It’s a perfect time to create the learning structure, get a feel for lesson plans and your day, and keep track of records or portfolios. While there are no legal mandates for preschool, there may be in your state starting at Kindergarten and up, depending on the legal requirements for the state where you reside. If you don’t know what those are, you can find out by CLICKING HERE.

First things first

Embarking on the PreK journey should never be stressful. Instead of centering your focus on the structure of formal homeschooling, plan – first and foremost – to have fun by learning through play. Playtime is at the heart of young children, as it should be, and weaving learning into that natural tendency can be a great way to take advantage of their natural love of learning because they don’t see it as work but play. Integrating learning activities into that play is quite simple.

It won’t take long for you to realize that your children are eager to learn in a fun environment, and, in preschool activities, you can set up space for specific learning endeavors. For instance, create a science area with an aquarium or a water or sand table, complete with magnifying glasses for close inspection. A history space could simply be a trunk filled with dress-up clothes to simulate various cultures and eras. Accompany this with discussion and music. For families with mixed-ethnicity parents or adopted children, this can be especially beneficial, especially if you want the child to have a solid grasp of their lineage and background.

Even your backyard can be another space, all to itself. You can certainly start nature learning and Nature Notebooks at this early age. Your child might not yet be able to formulate words or sentences, but they can draw pictures of insects, flowers, plants, and birds they find there. Cut pictures from magazines to paste in, or even attach leaves or flowers to the pages to remember their adventures. The possibilities are endless.

Remember, keep it fun, and your preschooler will gravitate to where you lead them. It’s all about integrating fun and learning.

What subjects should you teach in Preschool?

Reformed Classic Academy’s preschool curriculum includes five courses for you and your child to do during “school time”. These courses are made up of lessons with 135 daily topics (Catechism topics done weekly) are listed below, and can be done in any order or schedule you choose.

Catechism: Spending time together learning about our Heavenly Father, especially as the first activity of the day, is always the best way to begin and end the day. Not only does this get you all off on the right foot, but it instills in your child the idea that knowing about God is the most important thing of all.

What many do not realize is that Catechism is not just a Roman Catholic thing; there are Reformed (Protestant) Catechisms that have been around since the time of the Reformation. Further, these are designed to teach children about our faith from a very early age. There are Catechisms specifically for preschool-age children. All Reformed Classic Academy catechisms are based on the catechisms that were common from the Reformation period onward.

A Catechism is a simple question-and-answer format, at an age-appropriate level, for learning the theological truths of the church that have been used for centuries, but unfortunately have fallen out of wide use in the late 20th century. That is all it is. So get up with your child when they arise in the morning and ask them a question from the Catechism. Then, before bed, ask them the question again. You may have to supply the answer at first, and that is fine, but do this at the beginning and end of each day until they master one question, and then move on. It is so simple that even your 3-year-old will catch on in time.

Writing Readiness: This engages your child’s fine motor skills while working with their hands. A necessary skill for writing. It gives them the most basic ways a writing utensil is used in writing. This is a short section for your three-year-old. Designed to just get them writing lines in the ways that they will be doing so in their future writing. It may be short, but it is very important. For the four-year-old, we have a far more comprehensive curriculum that will get your child started in writing the alphabet and their Capital letters. Lowercase letters are more difficult and are saved for Kindergarten after capital letters have been mastered. Be sure to incorporate other fine motor skills outlined in the lesson for more practice using their hands.

Math Readiness: One of the most necessary things for a child to learn, preschool math is elementary and should contain more words than numbers. That means teaching by explanation to establish a foundation on which to add future mathematical elements. Number recognition will also be foundational here.

Reading Readiness: Pre-reading skills, such as learning letter sounds, are absolutely essential as a foundational aspect of education. No matter what the child learns or what they aspire to be in life, this is one of the most crucial elements of the academic endeavor.

Basic Skills, Shapes, and Colors: These subjects can easily be combined, and our curriculum has many worksheets that include them. Coloring books are also a great way to get started, as are board games. Avoid screen time where a child watches videos most of the time; instead, make their activities interactive in some way. Television and video are passive, and this is not a habit you want your child to begin at an early age. We will discuss that more later. You want your child to learn by doing, not watching.

General Activities: While there are many activities contained within the topics of the above lessons, there are some activities that do not overtly relate to a specific lesson category. So we have created a course just for these activities as a separate one, which can be incorporated as you like and as you find time to do more with your child.

In each lesson are Topics. Each topic is focused on one particular part of the lesson. For example, in the Basic Skills course, there are many lessons, and colors are one of them. In the colors lesson, there are many topics, red, for example. So the topic red has its own set of worksheets, activities, reading, and rhymes to go along with it. Not all topics include all elements listed here, but many do or have some combination thereof. As we develop, we hope to have this more fully implemented as time goes on.

Some of the common elements you will find in the topics are these:

Rhyme time: When I became a parent, I did not know the importance of nursery rhymes and songs. So I just skipped over that part, and it wasn’t very masculine anyway, as a homeschooling dad to be sitting around singing. My son, however, developed a difficulty speaking early on, and it was impossible to understand him well beyond what he should have been. So I learned the hard way that at least having nursery rhymes playing throughout the day would have been a big help. You can avoid my mistake by singing with your child and by playing nursery rhymes throughout the day that they can hear. Many topics in our curriculum include lyrics and what tune they can be sung to in order to teach this.

There are five benefits for teaching pre-schoolers rhymes and songs:

1. Set the foundations for speech: Nursery rhymes and songs introduce your child to all sounds of the alphabet. This sets the foundation for speaking, reading, and communication. Soon enough, often before a child’s first birthday, they will begin imitating the sounds they hear.
2. They help with cognitive development: Nursery rhymes are good for the brain! They teach kids how language works. Because they are repetitive, they also help build your child’s memory abilities
3. It’s a great way to bond: Singing rhymes and songs with your child is a great way to bond. This activity opens communication between the adult and child. Plus, small children and babies are often soothed by soft singing voices, making it a great tool for calming down a child.
4. Children understand concepts: Rhymes and songs are a fantastic way to teach concepts to your child, including colors. But it also teaches sizes, words, people, and events. Think about The Wheels on the Bus, for example. Your child sees it in a song, and when they see a bus in real life, they can understand how it works. They won’t be as nervous when they go over a bump since they know the bus goes up and down!
5. Helps with the rhythm of language: Hearing rhymes and songs from a young age will help children with the rhythm of language later in life. When they learn to speak and read, they will be able to adopt an animated voice more easily since they’ve been exposed to it from a young age.

Story Time: Remember “Story Time” where a parent or teacher would read a story to you when you were young? This is one of the few things from our early years that any of us remember. Why? Because we all loved it so much!! This is probably one of the elements your child will look forward to the most. To them, it’s a great time of not only hearing a really great story and seeing some beautiful artwork that goes along with it, but it’s also a wonderful time of bonding and creating memories that will last a lifetime, which is the most important thing. This can also be a good place to introduce the ABCs, including the difference between lowercase letters and uppercase letters, and to have a letter of the week.

Activities: Learning is something that we do, especially in young children. Few things are as charming as a child’s face when expressing joy while in play. Learning at the preschool age should be playful, and the more you integrate play with learning, the more successful you will be. After all, learning at this age is fun for a small child; everything is new and is an exploration. Playtime should be an enjoyable moment for the whole family.

We will present many activities that have the potential to bring a smile to your child’s face and joy to your home. My hope for you is that it will be the case.

Activities that relate to basic skills and knowledge can be found in each relevant topic. In each topic, there are worksheets for your child and explanations of their purpose and activity ideas that relate to that topic. The Activity ideas that do not relate to a specific lesson topic are general, such as knowing body parts, for example. Those are listed separately under the General Activities lesson.

Each activity idea will list supplies needed and directions. These are intended for preschool-age children and their parents, but you are free to utilize them as needed and as your child’s interest dictates. Once they have mastered the concepts, you can move on with your child as they are capable of handling more, or continue to work with them further until they have mastered each concept. The flexibility that homeschooling affords is second to none.

Worksheets: There are hundreds of worksheets throughout our curriculum, and we are adding more all the time. This is a chance for you to demonstrate to your child how to complete a worksheet, then watch them doing it, and then release them to do it on their own. In this way, your child will always have something they can be working on, even while you have something else that you need to be doing. Once they are doing worksheets on their own, it is a great way for them to be learning and refining their fine motor skills on their own.

However, when you set up your schedule, remember that preschool only lasts about half a day, at most, even in the public school setting. It’s best not to overload your child, but rather to give them something to look forward to and seek out.

Additional Advice on Homeschooling Preschool

There are many ways to homeschool preschool, and yours will likely be very different from someone else’s. That’s one of the beauties of being able to homeschool. You get to create a structure and an educational plan that caters to your child’s strengths/weaknesses and character while assuring enough guidance that they, and you, do not feel as if their learning environment is out of control. Control is the key concept here. You are in control of your child’s education, not a third party. This offers many advantages in our insane, sin-soaked world, where even pre-schoolers are subject to all sorts of ideologies that are more about grooming children than actual education. Given that, some basics seem to work well for everyone, and I’d like to share a few of those with you now.

Teaching preschool is not mandated by law at this early age. Reformed Classic Academy does offer some curriculum for preschool, and there are additional resources you can look into. Many find that preschool is a great head start for their children, and it can help you get a feel for how much guidance and planning you’ll need to create a homeschooling day or week, or month, etc. Some parents find that they have more peace if they have things planned out strategically, and others find greater freedom in allowing the day to flow, having just a general idea about topics they’d like to cover. It won’t take long for you to find out which works best for you and your family. So we think that preschool is a good idea for both the child and the homeschooling parent to get acclimated as Kindergarten and first grade approach.

Creating structure and consistency is always a great place to start in the PreK stage. Of course, the relaxed method works great during this year, but if homeschooling is the plan, they should understand that educational activities will happen at specific times each day. It helps them – and you – to get into the routine of learning and helps to create excitement each day.

It’s very important to remember that learning can happen anywhere. Taking a walk, playing in the yard, reading good books, or even relaxing on the couch can all be excellent places for discovery, discussion, and imagination. Making the most of moments like these adds to the idea that learning is natural, fun, and always relevant. Even “sick days” can yield a lesson or two, provided the child is not too sick for conversation.

Gross Motor Skills

1. Use balls of all sizes to help your child practice throwing, catching, and kicking.
2. Set up an obstacle course, indoors and/or outdoors, for your child. Have them help you create stations for running; hopping (one foot or both, depending on ability); skipping around obstacles; walking on tiptoe; walking a straight line; jumping (over a barrier no more then 6 inches); pedaling a tricycle or bicycle as they are able; and throwing, catching, kicking a ball.
3. Fill an old pillowcase (wash it first) with crumpled newspaper, and sew the end closed. In an open area of your home, or outside if dry, let your child kick the pillowcase around or through objects.

Art: Art time can be incorporated every day and is something a child will naturally be inclined towards.

1. Encourage your child to do their artwork freely. There is no structure here, but it is important for them to fully engage both their imaginations and their fine motor skills. Avoid asking your child what they are drawing; instead, show interest in your child’s work by asking, “Can you tell me about your picture?” This open-ended question avoids one-word answers and engages your child’s conversation-building skills.
2. Keep plenty of art supplies on hand for rainy/snowy days or just for when your child says they are bored. Encourage them to experiment with several media such as: paints, collage, clay, Play-Doh, print making, etc.
3. Be sure to teach your child that part of being a good artist is cleaning up after oneself and putting all supplies back where they belong in their proper places.

Cooking: You might see the danger in this, and you would be wise to be cautious, but that does not mean there are things your preschooler can’t do. Cooking can be a rewarding experience for you and your child. Not only are you spending time with and giving your child an important tool for the future, but you are reinforcing counting skills, measuring, and how to cooperate and work together. They are learning new words, the importance of directions, the importance of cleanliness; all about time and order of things; and about the differing textures, shapes, and colors of ingredients.

Make the cooking experience with your child a total one, as much as is appropriate at their age. Have your child create a picture-based list of ingredients you intend to buy at the store. They can draw this or clip out pictures from the store ad circular in the newspaper, or one that comes in the mail. Then have them take their “list” with you to the grocery store and have them pick out the ingredients on their list. Ask them to help you set up the utensils needed, stir/mix, pour, and shake as needed. This helps with fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination. Don’t forget to let your child help with cleaning up, too !!

Fine motor skills,  for things like writing, you can have the child help set the table, silverware placement included, build with Play-Doh, or any activity that requires fine detail. It’s quite likely they’ll make many mistakes, but it’s all a part of the learning process at this early age and worth the extra time it takes to fix them.

Under no circumstances should you try to compare your homeschool with someone else’s. It’s tempting, especially as you try to figure out your path, but it’s more detrimental than helpful. After all, learning your speed, style, and methods is all a part of creating a homeschooling experience that is unique to your own family. Which is far more important than trying to mimic another family.

Do NOT spend too much time on one subject. If something is working out perfectly, you’re tempted to continue, since the progress is so great. On the other hand, if things aren’t working out well, it’s just as tempting to push and to try to drive the lesson home before stopping. In reality, at this age, about ten to fifteen minutes per educational activity is enough for one sitting. After that amount of time, take a break and do something else entirely, then come back to it later. You’ll be surprised how much better this method works. Use everyday errands like going to the grocery store to supplement what you’re learning that day. Learning does not just happen at the kitchen table at this age.

Homeschool Space. A private and dedicated homeschool room is by no means necessary. It can be convenient if you have space, but if you don’t, there’s no reason to stress out about not having a “school room”. Many families who live in small spaces tend to do just as well without dedicating a specific space in their home to educational activities. You can create a space where they can store all their supplies, which might even be a large mobile tote for learning “on the go”. But none of these things are necessary. You can homeschool in whatever spaces you have to work with. I used to teach my daughter phonics on our couch.

Read, read, and READ some more! At this age, you can never read to your child too much. In fact, at this age, many children absolutely love the opportunity to cuddle up on the couch with you as you read them their favorite book. You can point out the words as you read them to help develop pre-reading skills with sight-based learning. If the book contains nursery rhymes, all the better, and if songs, then sing them aloud to make it even more fun. The more they hear words being read to them, the better.

Summary

Homeschooling preschool is a wonderful experience for both parent and child. Just do NOT stress. It’s tempting to try to dive right into everything all at once, trying to see just how far their little minds can go, but resist the temptation to do that. This year is a time to take advantage of their natural love of learning more than anything else. After all, it’s a process that truly comes naturally to every child!

 Keep the basics in mind. Keep it fun, keep it simple, and keep going.

To get started, go to our Free Preschool Curriculum Instructions page HERE. Download and follow the instructions to get started today!!