Teaching Preschool at Home: What I've done (so far)

Over the past few years, a lot of friends and readers have asked what we've used to teach our kids at home in those years from ages 2-4.  Maybe you want to homeschool all the way through or maybe you just want to do preschool at home.  It's becoming less and less common these days for parents to keep their preschoolers at home before starting Kindergarten, since most parents opt for formal preschools now.

We've done so many different things and I think they've all worked in one way or another.  Some of it has been formal instruction, but much more of it has been the same everyday learning that most moms do with their children.  In fact, much of it has come from watching my mom, who gave birth to seven kids and could turn snack time into an opportunity to practice our counting.  She made everything fun.  I try to take her same fun approach, especially in the early years.

Here's what we've done so far.  Take what you like and leave the rest behind!

Make Learning a Part of Everything We Do

Since we decided many years ago that we would homeschool, I've kept the homeschool perspective at all times.  From birth, I know that my children's education depends primarily on me.  Consequently, we learn everywhere we go.  When the kids were babies and were still in their rear-facing carseats, I would talk to them and we would make animal sounds while we're driving around town.  

Later, that turned into phonetic sounds too.

I didn't know it was too early to introduce phonics; I just thought that since my child understood that a frog says ribbit, she could understand that a B says "buh."  

Before she turned 2, my oldest child could identify all of her letters and their phonetic sounds.  My second child is 2 1/2 and no where near that level, but we keep our steady dialogue going all the time anyway.

Walking up the steps of our house, we count one two three out of habit, and the steps are some of the first things the kids learn to count too.  We have letter & number hunts in the grocery store and sing the ABCs as we change diapers.  It's been a steady dialogue since birth.  I call this learning "by the way," since the kids tend to pick up things as we go about our daily lives.  

Formal Instruction in an Informal Way:  Phonics Pathways, BOB Books, and Math Felt Board

Early Reading Instruction:  Phonics Pathways is super easy to use and the lessons only take a few minutes.  We started using it when my oldest turned 3.  I was pregnant with our third baby, experiencing 9 months of morning sickness, and I spent quite a bit of time in bed.  We would complete a lesson or two in my bed and she would beg to do more.  Once she mastered early phonics, we moved onto the Bob Books so that she could feel the accomplishment of reading an actual book.  For more on our Pre-K/K Curriculum, click here.

Early Math Instruction:  A friend gave me an amazing math felt board that is wonderful for teaching math on all different levels.  I used it to introduce basic addition and subtraction.  I can set up the equation for my kids on the board 5 + 2 = ___ and my 4 year old puts the appropriate number of beach balls on the board and then finds the number for her answer.  It's so easy and makes story problems fun.  When I use it, I ask my kids if they want to "play math."  You can bet they just love to play math.

Books, Books, and more Books

I love the idea of having a print-rich environment, and I agree with Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook that having books accessible all the time means that those books will be read frequently.  We have books all over the house; I think the kitchen is the only room that has no children's books in it. Books are even brought into the bathroom when someone needs to potty.

I used to be a teacher, and in my graduate-level education classes, we read that research shows on average, children must listen to at least 2,000 books before they will be ready to read.  I like to get a head start on that number and I start reading to my kids when they're babies.  

We've made it part of our daily routine.  Every day, we read before naptime and bedtime, so I can be certain that my kids are read to at least twice a day, but of course we try to read more than that.  I can't resist those magic words: Mommy, would you read this book to me?  

Our small book basket in the living room is overflowing.  Fortunately, we have book shelves in other rooms too.

How it Works in Real Life:  With a 4, 2, and 1 year old, it can be a crazy juggling act at times, so I've started sitting on the floor at story time instead of in the glider or on the couch.  This way, the baby can crawl in and out of my lap if he wants to and join us, or he can do his own thing.  My big kids sit next to me and enjoy the story.  

Games, Puzzles, and Fun

Classic games like Memory and Hi Ho Cherry-O are great for teaching kids to take turns, to focus, and to count.

I love anything by Melissa & Doug, especially chunky wooden puzzles, both the early peg puzzles and the normal wooden puzzles for older preschoolers.  They're durable and perfect for chubby hands to put together.  

We usually find these things at consignment sales, since I'm not a huge fan of getting up early for garage sales, but I'm also too cheap to pay full price.  I've only been burned once by a missing piece.  We've also found Melissa & Doug lacing cards at consignment sales, which are great for fine motor skills.  

My Busy Bags have been a huge hit this summer at our house, and I'm also using them to keep my toddler busy while big sister starts Kindergarten at home this fall.  

But they don't just keep him busy; he is learning when he's working on the busy bags, and the truth is, he's learning with everything we do, with every recipe we make, every shopping trip we take and every visit to the doctor.  For a toddler and a preschooler, these are adventures and opportunities to grow their little world, one day at a time.

What are some of your favorite methods and resources for teaching your little ones at home?

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