Homeschooling Preschoolers and Toddlers

More and more parents are deciding to homeschool instead of sending their child to preschool. Ideally, you've been teaching your child a lot of good things since birth, but it may be time to get organized and set some educational goals for your little ones. Three and four year olds are fun and easy to homeschool, but you might want to start at an even earlier age with a daily academic learning time. There is so much to teach them and a vast array of curriculum choices, but the following are some simple ideas for teaching young children:

Ages 1-2

Conversational Skills: This seems obvious, but talk to your child often and correct grammatical errors when necessary.

Bible Memory: Teach your child some short Bible verses. You'd be surprised how easy it is for them to learn.

Colors and Shapes: Use either flashcards or colorful toys and blocks to teach this.

Pre-reading skills and Appreciation for Literature: Read the Bible and colorful children's books to your child and make sure he sees you reading during your free time.

Manners: Teach your child to say please and thank you, chew with her mouth closed, sit quietly in church, etc.

Ages 3-4

By the time your child is four years of age, he will probably be ready for either store-bought workbooks or a complete packaged curriculum such as Landmark Freedom Baptist Curriculum.

Bible Memory: Teach your child a new Bible verse every week or teach her an entire chapter a little at a time.

Alphabet Recognition and Sounds: Flashcards and worksheets or workbooks are helpful tools.

Number Recognition and Counting: Flashcards, packaged curriculum, and toys can be used to teach numbers.

Pre-reading skills and Appreciation for Literature: Read the Bible and children's books to your child and make sure he sees you reading during your free time.

Writing: Some children are ready to start printing at this age. Start by teaching them to trace the letters in their name.

Life Skills: Teach your children about God, the Bible and salvation, safety rules including how to call 911, and information such as their phone number and address. Teach them not to talk to strangers, of course, but also teach them in an age appropriate way to watch out for other sexual predators that they may know. Make sure they know that they do not have to obey all adults. Teach them not to keep secrets from Mom and Dad. Teach them about cleanliness and personal hygiene. Teach them to dress themselves and to put their shoes on the right feet. Teach them to clean up after themselves and give them daily chores. Teach them to be courteous and to call adults by their titles such as Uncle John and Mrs. Smith. Depending on your preferences and the region in which you live, you may also want to teach them to use sir and ma'am. Teach them about Biblical gender roles. Hint: They won't learn this from TV! Make sure your kids hear good preaching. Click here for some good doctrinal sermons to supplement what they're learning in church. These can be burned onto CDs and are great to listen to in the car. Turn everyday errands into a learning experience. Kids absorb information like sponges.

NEW!!! Click here for information on homeschooling a kindergartener.