One thing that is often on the mind of parents of toddlers is preschool. After all, once a toddler is no longer a toddler, he becomes part of the “preschoolers” age group whether or not he actually attends preschool. I am not sure why that is, and this morning when I was talking with my husband about it he agreed that it seems a bit odd to define an entire age group by something that not every child does.
Perhaps the reason that it seems odd to us is that our soon – to – be preschooler is unlikely to be attending preschool. While there are a couple of nice preschool options in our geographic area, we have decided that it is not necessary that Dylan attend preschool. Since I am at home full time right now anyways and we are interested in exploring how homeschooling works, it makes sense for us to do preschool at home.
We have discussed preschool with Dylan, and we have approached the topic from many different angles, always being careful not to suggest that either attending preschool or not attending preschool is a “better” preference for him to express. He consistently articulates a preference for not attending preschool, stating enthusiastically that he wants Mommy to teach him at “we own home”. Since Dylan’s third birthday is just around the corner, I decided to look at the basic elements of home preschooling so that I can keep them in mind as I begin to plan how we will do it.
Children in preschool spend their days doing things like reading, singing, doing arts and crafts, and playing with other children their age. They also go on group outings in their communities. We like these things, and some of them have already become a fairly regular part of our daily and weekly activities.
For example, on Wednesdays our local library has story time for children ages two to five. We have attended a few times and could make it a regular part of our schedule. Currently, we don’t spend much time singing or doing arts and crafts, but that can easily be changed. Dylan has a couple of friends, and we can schedule play dates more regularly. I also plan to look around town and see whether there are other mothers who are planning to do preschool at home so that we might get to know each other and set up a weekly gathering for the kids. Outings happen regularly, and we very much enjoy going places together. Whether we are headed out to the grocery store or to bring the trash to the landfill, Dylan loves going places with me. Even better, he pays close attention to what he sees and he asks plenty of questions.
It seems as though the ingredients for a successful home preschool experience are well within our reach. Now, I just have to dust off my vocal chords and stock up on craft ideas and supplies.