Hey mamas, sisters, and friends! This post goes out to all of you with little ones who might be interested in some preschool and homeschool ideas for your children. My hope for this post is that it’s rich with information to help you in your journey of motherhood raising and training up your kids. Below, I’ve listed out five things that will help, encourage, and bless you in this season. Take what you need, and leave what you don’t. Let’s get started!
1. Start a preschool homeschool co-op with your friends
This idea may be totally random, or it may just be the recommendation you need! Regardless, let me tell you a little bit about starting a preschool homeschool co-op. My friends and I have done this for the first time this year and it’s been so neat to see the progress. I jumpstarted the project as a main leader for our group by creating a calendar for the year (August through May, like your typical school year). As many of you know, I used to be a middle school teacher for five years, so organizing and planning is my middle name. Within the calendar, we had monthly bible verses, learning topics, and themes. Each mama took turns hosting and “teaching” a mini lesson that went with the monthly topic. The goal was to get our kids together for something a little more than just your average playdate–but we were also aware of our kids’ ages and wanted things to be reasonable. We actually only hosted two in-home preschool meetings a month and did one field trip a month. The month’s schedule was broken down by each week, where we’d meet every Tuesday. The first Tuesday was an in-home meeting, the second Tuesday we did a field trip, the third Tuesday was another in-home meeting, and the fourth Tuesday we always took off. It’s worked really well for our group!
2. Tailor your child’s education to their needs
This may seem obvious, but I think it’s always worth saying again. Every child is going to learn differently–just think about the different personalities children have. This can affect their learning styles, so try exploring these approaches to see what fits best with your preschooler at their age and stage.
Play Based + Hands-On Learning
-ABC letter blocks
-Sticky note matching upper/lowercase letters around the house
-Phonics games
-Counting and number recognition with kitchen objects around the house
-Cooking in the kitchen
-Handicraft skills
Engaging and Entertaining
-Puzzles
-Memory games
-Handicraft Skills + Crafts
-Hopscotch for number recognition
-Busy books for preschoolers
Book Work
-Grab a preschool learning workbook and let your little one dive in
-Sticker books and reusable sticker mats
-Dry erase learning books
Outside Learning
-Nature walks
-Sensory bins and water tables
-Head to a farm or zoo!
3. Invest in a quality preschool curriculum if it fits your child’s age and stage
This was a big one for us this past fall. I was finding free things here and there online for preschool activities, but nothing that gave me a firm foundation with explicit plans. That’s when I went and starting browsing preschool curriculum to purchase. The first one I purchased was the Mommy & Me Preschool Bundle. I paid $37 and ended up returning it after my 10-Day Free Trial Period. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed. For something more basic where you already have most of the materials at home–then maybe give it a try! On the flip side, I ended up finding what I think is hands-down the best preschool curriculum: The Gentle and Classical Preschool. I paid $44.99 for strictly the digital download and made the choice to print everything off myself. The full price print and mail copy is $139.99 at the time of this post. For this curriculum, I did have to purchase outside materials like menu books for their morning binder work along with a batch of books that corresponded with each letter unit. I bought the majority of these second-hand, and we actually had quite a few of them at home already! My total investment at this point may be around ~$190, in part because I chose the digital product knowing I also had to buy the books. I also factored in the cost for paper and ink. I’ve chosen to print as we go with each unit, so I didn’t print everything all at once. I wouldn’t trade this route and cost for the cheaper one. The Gentle and Classical Preschool is more than I could’ve imagined! It is rich with content, has so many extra activities tied to each unit so you can do as little or as much as you want, and is beautifully designed. It is Christian-based, so the addition of Catechism and Bible songs that match each unit is incredible. I did the study with my two and three year old this past year, and I plan to repeat it again for next year by following her outline a little more strictly with my soon-to-be four year old.
4. Utilize your local library for free books, story-time, and other resources–or build up your own home library by finding quality books from thrift/second-hand stores (this is what I do!)
The library is a great way to get out of the house with your littles for a time of learning and reading. If your library offers a story-time, then it’s also a great way to connect with other moms. And everything is free! Scanning the aisles for books to check out and teaching your kids about library etiquette is also something fun to do. If you have the funds, then even making a stop at a local thrift store to browse for used books could be just what you need instead of investing full price for the exact same thing. I have found so many of our books from second-hand stores and it’s saved us a ton of money. I look for living books, and many times you can find quality, older books that match this style in thrift shops.
5. Listen to podcasts about preschool + homeschool topics to further your success in educating and training up your littles
Whether you are or aren’t a podcast person…just stay with me here for a sec. Podcasts are such a great tool to gain quite a bit of information in short amount of time. They’re kind of like audio books; instead of listening to the whole book, you only listen to a chapter. I’ve listed out some meaningful, Christian-based podcasts that apply to parenting and/or homeschool. I’ll share a little about each one.
Little by Little Homeschool
-A seasoned mom with two, going on three, homeschool graduates. She shares tips and encouragement for the Christian mom in 20 to 30 minute segments. She honestly has topics for it all!
Simply Charlotte Mason with Sonya Shafer
-Practical homeschool advice that follows in line with the Charlotte Mason approach. Quick little bits that give specific advice and ideas about homeschool.
Practice Makes Parent
-This one is more on parenting than homeschool. Practice Makes Parent is a segment off of Focus on the Family, so you know their doctrine and teachings are sound. They provide practical wisdom for your every day walk as a mother and father.
Courageous Parenting
-My absolute favorite podcast! This is a husband and wife biblically-based podcast that is chalked full of wisdom, scripture, and practical advice. The mother has been homeschooling for twenty years between her nine children and is still in the thick of it! She is seasoned and very wise. Most of their podcasts relate to parenting, but there are some episodes on motherhood and homeschool.
May the Lord lead in wisdom and pursuit over your children’s hearts and minds to disciple and train them up according to the Word. I pray these tips are helpful to you or someone that you know. As always, feel free to share or send this post to a friend. Peace and blessings to you, mamas, sisters, and friends. Talk to you in the next one!
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