How to Preschool Your Child at Home
By Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil
1. Keep up with the local kids calendars.
Chances are, you’ll find all kinds of inexpensive or free educational opportunities for preschoolers in your town. Right now, my 4-year-old is attending a free weekly art class, a $6 monthly science class at the zoo (which covers admission to the zoo for all of us after the class ends), and a free weekly preschool ballet class. It’s never been a better time to be a tightwad…
2. Invest in a good curriculum.
There are plenty of free preschool resources on the web, but if you want to save yourself some time and energy, put a little of the money you’re saving on preschool tuition into a reputable preschool curriculum. I’m using McRuffy (www.mcruffy.com) and my daughter and I both love it.
3. Don’t stress.
Children who enter kindergarten are expected to know their colors, their alphabet, and how to count to ten. That’s it. Remember that you’re trying to teach your preschooler that learning can be fun, not to qualify him for Mensa.
4. Remember that the library is your friend.
Many libraries let you request books online and pick them up a few days later at your local branch. The best thing you can do for your preschooler is read to her; use library books to supplement lessons and save you from reading Big Red Barn for the hundred-thousandth time.
5. Make any time school time.
Take an alphabet workbook to the park. Go over vowels in the bathtub. Use those lunchtime grapes to reinforce addition and subtraction. The more creative you are with lesson time, the more your child will enjoy learning new concepts.
