How To HomeSchool PreSchool – Is My Child Ready?

August 18, 2010

(This is the second article in my “How To HomeSchool PreSchool” series. Once the series is complete, you can click on the link to see all the articles!)

Before you decide on what homeschool preschool curriculum to buy or what things your preschooler needs to know, you have to determine if your little one is ready to take on a more structured learning method.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to homeschool two children through preschool and the next two are coming right behind! It is such a fun time in the grand scheme of homeschooling. Their eyes are filled with wonder and excitement at every little thing they can absorb. They jump at every chance to learn something new. It has been a very rewarding time for me as a mother and a homeschooling teacher.

You’ll find a boatload of advice when it comes to determining if *now* is the right time to start some kind of official schooling for your preschooler. But, when you boil it all down, you’ll have three key areas that will give you a very good idea of your child’s readiness.

Sitting Still

Can your child sit all the way through the reading of a picture book?
Can she stand still long enough to hear both parts of your two-step directions for her?
Can he sit on your lap for some time while you have a conversation with a friend?

There is a huge difference between how long my two-year-old can sit and how long my four-year-old can sit! Although I practice sitting still with my toddler daily, it is still very obvious that she is not ready for preschool. As you slip in more and more time slots in your day for preschool activities, you’ll see your little one able to sit for longer periods of time. Until then, even 8 to 10 minutes is a great start. That is certainly long enough to introduce a letter and it’s sound and color the letter before you let him away to run and play!

This area is the most important to me as far as determining if my child is ready for homeschool preschool. The next two areas are still important but sitting still is an absolutely necessary component of the teaching/learning process when it comes to some of these more structured activities.

Self-Care

Can your little one dress and undress by himself?
Can she go to the bathroom without assistance?
Can he wash and dry his hands alone?
Can they get their shoes on and fastened (velcro or tie)?

Generally, those are some self-care milestones that preschool centers would be looking for in your child so that your little one isn’t too much extra maintenance for the total amount of children they have in the classroom. It seems to me that these signs would still apply for homeschooling preschool. These personal chores are demonstrating that your child can pay attention to one task for at least long enough to get the task accomplished. It also means they can follow the steps necessary without your direction.

Sharing

Do they ask for toys instead of just taking at least half of the time?
Have you seen her happily give her toy up to someone else?

I look at sharing a little bit differently than many moms I know. Does the government force me to share my lawnmower with my neighbor, just because he asks? If my neighbor gets to my lawnmower first, does that mean he gets to use it, based solely on that premise? When I took the time to apply the *sharing rules* I had set up for my kids to my own life, I began to see that I wasn’t setting up realistic situations.

My children are always expected to be polite. They don’t have to share what is their own property, but they must speak kindly when saying no. Communication is a skill we work on daily around here and I am frequently telling my kids to communicate with each other instead of whining or fighting. Grabbing a toy is not communicating. Crying when a toy is taken away is not communicating. I am constantly re-framing a situation for them and asking what they could have said to get a better outcome or to be more polite.

It’s not hard to determine whether or not your little one is ready to start homeschooling at the preschool level. The hardest part is figuring out if you are ready for them to be growing up so quickly that they could even be at that age already!!