Preschooling at Home: Heart Issues and Practical Matters

Written by Jenn, Contributing Writer

Sometimes big milestones just sneak up on me. Case in point: recently, it dawned on me that our little big girl is now old enough to go to preschool.

I think that means I have to stop calling her a toddler and start calling her a preschooler. Weird.

Then I thought, welp, better do something pre-K-ish this fall.

Since we are planning to homeschool her come kindergarten, it didn’t seem to make much sense (to us) to send her someplace else for pre-K. Which then brought the realization that if any preschooling was going to happen, I would be the one doing it. Hmm.

Enter Pandora’s box of educational anxiety.

What would I do? How structured would we be? What could I reasonably expect from a not-quite 3 ½ year-old? How much time and effort was this going to take? In doing pre-K at home, would she miss out on key experiences?

And perhaps most importantly, what on earth was I going to do with the little tornado (see below) while all of the grand learning was taking place?

Seasoned moms, you may now laugh at all of my over-thinking of preschool.

(And then please tell me what to do with the baby).

The irony in all of my nervous questions is that I am a former high school teacher. I enjoyed teaching grades 9-12 for six years. And I look forward to homeschooling my kids for as long as Hubs and I feel it’s what God is calling our family to.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t heart issues to sift through and practical matters to sort out as we begin.

I haven’t landed on final plans, here is what’s been percolating in my mind over the summer. Some of what I’ve found in my heart isn’t awesome, but I suppose the sooner I sort out truth vs. junk, the better.

Heart Issues

Comparing My Kid to Others

Ugh. I’ll probably always deal with this one, whether or not we are homeschooling.

It’s easy for me to fall into the comparison trap and forget that each child is wired differently and masters skills at different rates.

When I catch myself comparing sweet Bun to other pre-K’ers, I will try to remember that everyone eventually reads, uses the potty properly, and does math. And, when she’s 15, no one will be asking when she first did any of these.

The bottom line with comparison is that it’s a no-win game: if you look around and surmise that your kid is doing comparatively awesome, pride sneaks in. If the opposite, freak-out ensues.

Better to fix my eyes on Jesus, thank Him for how he’s made my sweet girl, and ask Him to show me how to best teach her stuff.

Measuring My “Success” by My Child’s Achievements

When I taught in public schools, standardized test scores were the primary yardstick by which teacher success was measured. To an extent, that’s fair; in many ways, it’s not completely valid.

I imagine the same goes for homeschooling. If I’m teaching effectively (in ways that best suit my child), then there should be some measurable progress.

But if I’m finding my worth as a mom in whether or not my kid has mastered certain skills at a given age, I’m probably headed down a road to nowhere good.

Prioritizing My Child’s Heart

And then there’s my child’s heart, which is of more importance to me than her academic knowledge and skills.

I’d rather her be showing kindness to her brother and honoring Mommy and Daddy than be reading by age four.

So I want our pre-K “curriculum” to reflect that.

How that will look is something I’m still figuring out. But, I know don’t want to be so caught up in learning the practical stuff that I forget to prioritize our relationship, her character, learning who God is, or taking time for snuggles and other things that fill her little cup.

Practical Matters

The Curriculum

This is preschool after all, so I don’t think we’ll be getting too fancy—just focusing on reading and numbers, with lots of art and outside time thrown in for good measure.

I love the idea of a literature-based approach to learning, so I plan to read lots of quality books together and use the content to start discussing concepts like shapes, opposites, cause-and-effect, telling time, biblical themes, etc. But mostly we’ll just enjoy the story and pictures.

As Susan Wise-Bauer says, at this age it’s all about filling “their mind and imagination with images and concepts, pictures and stories. Spread knowledge out in front of them, and let them feast.”

Real Life Learning

I want to be more purposeful about seizing opportunities in daily life to teach concepts in a natural, low-key way.

In the kitchen, we can introduce basic math as we measure ingredients and set the table. Road trips provide opportunities to spot signs of different shapes and letters on license plates & billboards. And doing household chores together teaches practical skills like folding and hanging clothes, sweeping, and cleaning up.

It’s more work for me to include my little big girl in my household tasks, but I’m thinking (hoping!) that it will be worth the effort.

Intentional Outings

Since having #2 (and since life this year has been quite full), I have embraced a degree of hermitude. We don’t go out a ton, mostly because I’ve found that too much running around makes for over-stimulated babies and a stressed-out mommy.

But I’ve also found that there comes a time when everyone just needs to get. out. of. the. house. So my plan this fall is to be intentional about our outings, looking ahead to put things on the calendar like meeting friends at the local zoo, pumpkin patch, farm, and nature center.

(The meeting friends part is so that I will actually follow through on the trip, even if there are crazy diaper messes and grumpy littles/mommy. And because most things are better when shared with a friend).

What to Do With the Baby

Really, help me out here.

I’d like him to be involved in whatever we’re doing as much as possible, but the reality is that today while we were reading, he climbed on top of the table and poured water on the library books.

Do you have any pre-K wisdom or practical tips to offer? Please share!

Helpful Resources for Learning at Home (whether you do public, private, or homeschool):

• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer :: A comprehensive guide to classical education at home; mostly for K-12, but she has some great pre-K ideas in chapter four.
• Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay Clarkson :: Love this one for big picture stuff like making your home and family the center of your kid’s education.
• For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer McCaulay :: Based on Charlotte Mason-style schooling, McCauley places emphasis on learning through “living books,” active play, real life, and lots of time outdoors.
• Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt :: Great annotated list of quality children’s books.
• Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson :: Another fantastic resource for book recommendations.
• Slow and Steady Get Me Ready by June Oberlander :: I don’t own this one, but have referenced the free online PDF when looking for easy learning activities for toddlers.