Justice's Homeschooling Journal
Mishkin's Journal about Teaching Chess to Justice
The Institutes For the Achiement of Human Potential
How To Homeschool
a Preschooler
The following activities can be used with children from birth until three years old. You must be the judge of when it is developmentally appropriate to introduce these activities. If the child does not show interest, never push it, put it aside for a couple of months and then try again.
Two types of curriculum I recommend for this age group:
The Montessori Method: Teaching children how to do things
for themselves. Arranging the home and the child belongings in an age
and height appropriate way. Teaching the virtues of cleanliness, orderliness,
beauty, and discipline develops the spiritual nature of the child and
encourages a desire for excellence. Book: "Teaching Montessori in
the Home:The Pre-school Years" by Elizabeth G. Hainstock and Lee
Havis.
The Gentle Revolution: The flashcard method used in the
books "How to Teach Your Baby to Read" and "How to Teach
Your Baby Math" created by the Institutes for the Achievement of
Human Potential.
What I did:
From birth to 3 years old, I do not do any formal schooling. I place educational toys on low shelves and use several Montessori techniques to teach my child how to become independent. I place flashcards in baskets or boxes on the shelves and will teach them to the child but do not continue any lessons if the child is not interested or asks to stop. I read A LOT of books. I begin introducing a more formal school schedule at age 3. This is what I call my Kindergarten class.
Vocabulary/Reading:
From Birth:
-read them lots of books every day
-make large flashcards with words written on them
-Book: "How to Teach Your Baby to Read" by Glenn Doman
From 1 Year Old:
-read lots of picture dictionaries
-make flashcards from magazine cutout images with word underneath
Colours:
-make flashcards with a paint sample and name of colour
underneath
-make two of each flash card to use as a matching game
-use building blocks of different colours and sort by colour while child
is watching, name colour as you place it in pile
-Candy Land board game
Shapes:
-make flashcards with shapes and name of shape
-use a puzzle of shapes
-find books about shapes
Numbers:
-make flashcards with large dots and corresponding numeral
-make flashcards with just numerals and count out quantity with pennies
or coloured stones
-read books about 1-10
-count fingers and toes, toys, candies or other food treats (popcorn,
cereal, cookies)
-Book: "How to Teach Your Baby Math" by Glenn Doman
Cutting:
From 2 Years Old:
- cut 1" x 4" strips of coloured construction
paper, give to child with blunt age-appropriate scissors, cut pieces into
a plastic container and then throw in garbage