Homeschool Preschool

I have been getting lots of questions lately about our homeschool preschool curriculum. The best thing I can tell you is this- you do NOT need to purchase a curriculum to teach your child.

Children, especially preschoolers, learn best from their environment and everyday activities. We play to learn everyday all day. By providing your child with meaningful play to learn opportunities, interacting with them through play or real life experiences, and allowing them to explore the natural world, you are teaching your child. 

Daily we use everyday toys and activities to make real world connections with academic basics. We also use tons of art projects to explore literature, science, and build a foundation for later learning. Duplos are great for teaching colors, counting, sorting sizes, patterns, and more. ABC puzzles, magnets, and play dough stamps introduce early literacy concepts. 

We are also heavily into sensory play. These provide easy ways to create meaningful play to learn activities that support scientific or academic concepts.  Feel free to take a look at my posts on sensory play 101 and why I love sensory play for more information.

The syllabus we use is very basic and easy to follow. I just made a spreadsheet in excel to keep us on track and for planning. We have 1-2 week theme based units with an ‘of the week’ focus. The themes are usually seasonal or holiday based plus a letter, number, shape, and color of the week. I use books with story stretcher activities to explore themes in depth. We use hands on activities and art projects to teach academics. Weekly letter art is a big favorite at our house.  Our ABC boxes get a lot of use too. Math manipulatives, DIY or store bought, make math practice easy.

The most important thing is for your child to have fun. Preschool age is all about instilling a love of learning and fostering their natural curiosity. Use what your child is interested in and go from there. Personally I am not concerned with when my child master’s his ABC’s or 123’s. When he can spell his name or write independently. I do not stress over pushing academics, he will get there when he’s ready. 

And lastly we read. A lot. It is one of the few times Baby Rex will sit still for any length of time. We read together for 30-60 minutes every night before bed, plus other times during the day. He is also really into board games and puzzles which are great teaching extensions. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything. Have fun and happy homeschooling!

Date & Theme	Letter	Num.	Shape	Color	Science & Social Studies
September
8  Community Helpers	M	6	Circle	Purple	Comm Helpers
15  Community Helpers	B	9	Triangle	White	Fire Safety
22  Apples	A	3	Square	Red	Apples
29  Apples	Z	7	Star	Green	Johnny Appleseed
October
6  Forrest Friends	D	5	Oval	Brown	Forest Animals
13  Forrest Friends	Y	2	Rectangle	Blue	Nocturnal Animals
20  Pumpkins	I	8	Heart	Orange	Pumpkins
27  Pumpkins	O	10	Diamond	Black	Pumpkin Dissection
November
3  Fall & Leaves	L	4	Circle	Yellow	Fall
10  Fall & Leaves	P	1	Triangle	Pink	Leaves
17  Thanksgiving  & Food	E	3	Square	Brown	Food Groups
24  Thanksgiving & Food	N	5	Oval	Orange	1st Thanksgiving
December
1 Christmas & Nativity	J	9	Rectangle	White	Nativity Story
8  Christmas & Nativity	C	2	Diamond	Green	Nativity Story
15 Christmas & Nativity	U	7	Star	Red	Nativity Story
22   Break/Review
29  Break/Review
January
5  Snow & Ice	I	4	Square	White	Cold/Hot
12  Artic Animals	R	8	Circle	Blue	Artic
19  Transportation	G	6	Triangle	Purple	Wheels & Ramps
26  Transportation	F	10	Rectangle	Brown	Sink/Float
February
2 Valentines/Friends	Q	1	Heart	Red	Character Dev
9  Valentines/Friends	V	13	Heart	Pink	Character Dev
16 Space	S	15	Star	Yellow	Planets
23 Shadows	X	18	Oval	Black	Shadows
March
2  Dr. Suess	T	12	Rectangle	Blue	Mixing Colors
9  Noah's Ark & Rainbows	H	20	Circle	multi	Noah's Story
16  St. Patrick's Day	W	16	Shamrock	Green	Folk Tales
23  Easter	K	19	Triangle	Orange	Easter Story
30  Easter	A	14	Oval	White	Easter Story
April
6  Farm Animals	P	17	Square	Pink	Farm Animals
13  Farm Animals	D	11	Diamond	Red	Visit Farm
20  Weather	O	15	Rectangle	Blue	Weather Words
27  Weather	R	19	Circle	Yellow	Weather Experiments
May
4  Flowers/Seeds	S	13	Triangle	Purple	Plant Parts
11  Flowers/Seeds	E	16	Heart	Orange	Plant Growth
18   Caterpillars/Butterflies	B	18	Square	Green	Butterfly Life Cycle
25   Caterpillars/Butterflies	A	20	Circle	Pink	Butterfly Life Cycle