HOW TO HOMESCHOOL IN THE PRESCHOOL YEARS
“What should we do for preschool?”
I was recently asked about what to focus on in the preschool years, so here’s my top five focus areas for the early years of learning and why!
- FAITH
These are the years of planting seeds in the hearts of our children and cultivating habits of connection with the Lord. As we establish rhythms of faith in the early years, the natural overflow is for this love to weave it’s wayinto our children’s hearts as they grow. And as a result, this beautiful foundation will establish confidence in the love of God that will draw our children into his presence.
- NATURE
These are the years of letting nature be our guide as we delight in the beauty of God’s creation. When we focus on nature throughout the seasons, our children will naturally ask questions and make observations that will cultivate a child-led approach based on their curiosity and wonder. And as a result, the impact of nature will regulate the brains, bodies and emotions of our children throughout their days.
- PLAY
These are the years of creating time, space and intention for play. Maria Montessori once said, “play is the work of the child,” and it’s through play that our children will organically learn and grow. Rather than focusing on academic skills, may we come alongside them and press into the informal learning that comes through play. And as a result, play will lead to the learning of foundational skills that will prepare our children for the years to come.
- LITERACY
These are the years of reading all the books, getting lost in the beauty of story and allowing literacy to lead the conversations in our homes. As we press into literacy, the books we choose have great impact on learning and the content we read has the power to lead our children to wonder. And as a result, literacy will lead to language development and lay the foundation for comprehension for the formal years of education.
- CONNECTION
And most of all, these are the years of embracing connection, because it’s connection that will have the greatest impact on our children for all the years to come. So let’s slow down, be present and seek connection, each and every day.
