What is Homeschool Preschool? How do I Teach Preschool at Home? What does my preschooler need to know before kindergarten? What Homeschool Preschool Curriculum is the Best? Find it all here! Plus a Free Printable Preschool Routine.

I truly believe that every mom can teach preschool at home if she truly wants to. I’ve known many moms that have questioned their ability to teach homeschool preschool or if they even have the patience to. You can do it!

You are the perfect choice because who loves your child and wants the best for them more than you do? No one. Yes teachers do care, but no one cares about you more than your mama.

Some links mentioned on this blog are affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, read my complete disclosure policy

God has gifted each mother with the tools we need to teach our kids. It may seem intimidating, but really it’s fun and rewarding for the most part. Especially the early years.

Totschool, Preschool & Kindergarten were my favorite ages and stages to teach! 

How To Teach Preschool At Home in 4 Simple Steps

Homeschool Preschool – We’re not talking about 6-8 hours a day here, more like 20-30 minutes 2-3 days a week is my norm for direct teaching time. So they have plenty of time to just be a kid!

Kids learn while they play, so actually learning really never stops for them. Along with curriculum, I love to do hands-on activities.

Step #1

Let Go of Expectations and Comparisons – Let it gooo, let it gooo! I think one of the biggest mistakes is to raise your learning expectations too high. When we start to compare our kids with other kids especially those in the public school system we tend to freak out and worry that our kids aren’t going to be able to keep up.

My experience: I have 3 girls who have 3 very different learning paces. All different, but none wrong. I wouldn’t even put each in a category because they are all “just right” for each individual.

We have to be careful, not to compare our kids to each other, I know this first-hand because of my personal mistakes.

My oldest daughter learned at a high-level super fast and crazy easy, so I unknowingly assumed that this was the norm. Well, not so much with my second child. She didn’t come out of the learning gate so strong, but you know what, at about middle school they evened out.

So don’t worry. Keep your expectations and comparisons in check, especially at this age. 

Step #2

Read Aloud Often to Your Preschooler – Reading aloud to kids is so important and has many benefits that you don’t want to miss out on. This can be one of the most important things you will do with and for your children to prepare them for academic excellence.

A few of those benefits include -Builds a stronger relationship with you and your child, Cultivates a higher aptitude for learning in general, Builds basic speech skills, and Builds their vocabulary. See this post for more benefits that reading aloud offers – Why is it important to read to your child? 10 Reasons.

Step #3

Play Matters – Don’t underestimate the power of playtime. Our little ones are little sponges and are learning every second of every day. Playing with legos, blocks, dolls, siblings, parents, friends. Kids learn from everyone they come in contact with and teach each other without even trying. So make sure they have a lot of open ended toys like those mentioned above and the majority of their time to play throughout the day. 

Step #4

Stock Up On Supplies – Gather all the supplies you will need for a few months. You will need 4 different categories of supplies for preschool

1- Reading Material for Read Aloud Time

2- Learning Material – Curriculum or Fun and Colorful Workbooks (TOP 15 PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM CHOICES)

3- Hands On Activity Material – Manipulatives etc. 

4- Arts and Crafts Material 

Preschool Supplies We Recommend

• Plenty of Art supplies for preschool crafts and Art like glue, glue sticks, construction paper, water color paint, acrylic paint, washable markers, crayons, craft sticks, pom poms and more.
• This preschool Lessons activity book focuses on must-know readiness basics, and help little ones learn colors, shapes, the alphabet letters, primary phonics, and pre-writing skills.
• I taught my 2 youngest daughters to read with this Learning to Read Book and this method for my oldest daughter. 
• Journey through the bible and explore God’s Word with your little ones. 28 weeks of lesson plans.  God’s Little Explorers- Exploring God’s Word and World for Preschoolers Complete Version with Bonuses for only $20!!)

Step #5

Follow a Simple Daily Routine –  I have always chose to follow a routine instead of a schedule. Kids thrive on routine. They love to know what is coming and they learn so much just from keeping a basic routine. So just set up a very simple routine and try to stay as close to it as possible.

What this looked like for us during the preschool stage. No times penciled in, just a basic family flow routine. Actually our schedule today is still quite similar.

Sample Simple Daily Preschool Routine

1. Breakfast
2. Breakfast Cleanup & Simple Chores
3. Get Dressed/Brush Teeth
4. Go for a Morning Walk (everyday if possible)
5. Read aloud
6. Do a Couple Short Learning Lessons
7. Do Hands On Learning Activities
8. Eat Lunch
9. Clean up Lunch
10. Do Something Fun, Artsy or Crafty
11. Small Snack
12. Play Outside if Weather Allows
13. Dinner Prep Together
14. Eat Dinner Together
15. Family Fun (movie, dance party, games, walk the dog)
16. Family Prayer and Devotions
17. Bath, Book, Bed and Breathe

Life Skills to Teach Preschoolers

• Potty Trained
• Pull up Pants and Be Able to Put on Their Coat or Jacket
• Proper Hand Washing With Soap
• Tie Shoes
• Sit and Listen Without Interrupting
• Wait in Line
• Take Turns
• Follow Directions
• Imaginative Play 
• Know a Parent’s Name and Address

Academic Skills Preschoolers Need to Know Before Kindergarten

• How to Write Their Name
• Identify the ABC’s Lowercase and Uppercase in Random Order
• Sounds that Letters Make for Lowercase and Uppercase
• Identify and Write Numbers 1-10 in Random Order
• Counting 1-29 
• How to Hold a Pencil and Use Scissors
• Learn to Use Glue
• Tracing Shapes and Letters
• Days of the Week,
• Months of the Year
• Names of Seasons
• Identify Shapes and Colors
• Rhyme Words with a New Beginning Sound – i.e. what rhymes with the word “can” and starts with the “m” sound? (man) Check out my Free Printable Word Family Tracers!
• Understand the Meaning of  “today”- “yesterday”- “tomorrow”

Free Printable Simple Preschool Routine , Blank Routine Pages, Kindergarten Readiness Life and Academic Skills Lists.

Journey through the bible and explore God’s Word with your little ones. 28 weeks of lesson plans. (Get God’s Little Explorers- Exploring God’s Word and World for Preschoolers Complete Version with Bonuses for only $20!!)

CHECK OUT THIS LIST OF FREE PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER!

Forest Rose

Forest Rose is a God Loving, Blessed Wife, &  Mama to 3 girls. She’s passionate about lifting moms out of the trenches that are discouraged, overwhelmed, or feeling alone or isolated. Her hope is to point them to Christ and equip them to rise up with a newfound hope and joy within, that He alone can provide. Besides blogging, she also loves to create printables!