« How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies with Kids | Main | How to Interview a Teenaged Babysitter »
How to Preschool Your Child at Home
Published 11.10.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (2)
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.
- Follow Us!
Via RSS Feed- Via Email
- On Twitter
- On Facebook
- Recent Posts
- How to Prepare for Your Newborn's First Pediatrician's Appointment
- How To Care For Your Child's Teeth Like a Pro
- How To Navigate the Supermarket Like a Nutritionist
- How To Plan Parties with Guests who have Allergies
- How to Trick or Treat Safely
- Categories
- Ages
- Animals
- Beauty
- Books
- Caregiving
- College
- Food
- Health
- Holidays
- Home & Garden
- Money Matters
- New Mom
- Offbeat
- Organization
- Parties
- Photography
- Play
- Pregnancy
- Relationships
- Safety
- School
- Shopping
- Travel
- Contributors
- A Girl & A Boy
- Bessie.Viola
- Busy Mom
- Cool Mom Picks
- Chookooloonks
- Desperately Seeking Sanity
- Doobleh-vay
- Dutch Blitz
- Fairly Odd Mother
- Foodmomiac
- Gray Matter Matters
- Green Mom Finds
- Her Bad Mother
- Hola Isabel
- I Pretty Much Hate Everything
- Issas Crazy World
- Jennifer Graf Groneberg
- Justice Fergie
- Looky, Daddy!
- Mamalogues
- Meagan Francis
- Miss Britt
- Miss Zoot
- Motherhood Uncensored
- Notes To Self
- Nothing But Bonfires
- Oh My Stinkin' Heck
- Peppers and Pollywogs
- Rookie Moms
- Sarah Wagner Yost
- Suburban Turmoil
- Table4Five
- The Blythe Spirit
- The Fabulous Miss S
- The Naked Ledger
- Three Out of Seven
- To Think Is To Create
- Today's Moms
- Uppercase Woman
- Woulda Coulda Shoulda
- Write. Edit. Repeat.
- Archives
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
Most Popular
1) How To Fly with a Young Child
2) How To Be A Cool Twilight Mom
3) How to Deal with Your Mother-In-Law Talking Smack
4) How to Introduce Music to Your Child
5) How To Take Great Photos Of Your Kids
About this column
Could there really be a guide to everything? And, in 5 simple steps? Nope. But, there are definitely fun and simple ways to live life with your family.
The Alpha Mom Guide to Everything (in 5 simple steps) is a contribution-based column, reflecting the voices of parents and non-parents who love children. We will cover lots of topics in the initial months and will continue to be introducing more. You will find that our guide is easy to understand.
1- it's in 5 easy steps
2- it's subjective, but accurate
3- it's useful
We are looking for submissions, so if you're interested please contact us first at contact@alphamom.com. We already have a dozens in the queue ready to be launched over the next few months and don't want to duplicate efforts.
Disclaimer
This column is only for entertainment purposes. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.
Comments (2):
Fairly Odd Mother said:
I paid a fortune to send my oldest to preschool. My younger two haven't gone at all. I'm amazed at how much the younger two have learned listening to stories, playing games and doing some fun workbooks or visiting a few websites (starfall is great). Throw in a few playdates and some group activities, and I'm convinced they aren't missing a thing.
Posted on November 12, 2008 21:48
Wendy said:
I totally agree. I send my girls to preschool two mornings a week but just for the break ;P Everything they are "learning" they already know.
Posted on January 4, 2009 23:56