I'd like to homeschool my son for preschool.?

Question

I am a stay-at-home mom so I need to do it as inexpensively as possible. Does anyone have suggestions for free or low-cost materials on the Web?

Answer 1

Preschool is easy to homeschool fairly cheap. You have colors all over your home so make learning colors a game. If you want to teach him to write his name, use rice in a cookie sheet...the texture and writing in rice is fun. You could also use tempra paint and make it a game. Let him help you cook simple recipes and do arts and crafts with him. If he is interested in something specific then turn it into a learning lesson. Preschool age is my favorite to teach because they are little sponges and the more you spoon out to them the more they want to learn.....RELAX and HAVE FUN! There are numerous learning activities that can be done with just a little imagination. Turn a cardboard box into a playhouse and use shapes for windows and such.

Type it into your search engine and use the internet to get ideas.

http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/space/printables/space-coloring-pages.html

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/artscrafts.htm

http://www.sdstatelibrary.com/forkids/rainyday.htm

http://mcgees.com/kitchen/kidstuff.htm

If you are interested in homeschooling for preschool and just take a look at your typical day then I bet you'd realize you are already working at it and didn't even realize it! Oh one more thing....coloring and drawing are good too. You want to teach eye/hand coordination, large motor skills (bouncing a ball), small motor skills (putting pasta on a string). A big part of preschool is playing because that's how children learn their motor skills and coordination. So remember what looks like play to adults is actually children learning! Enjoy and have fun!

Answer 2

My foster son is in an extremely comparable difficulty. he's barely 4 and in a undeniable desires preschool. the college is attempting out and attempting to label with all forms of issues generally because of the fact he isnt cooperatng with the attempting out. the dissimilar labels they have thrown out are ADHD, mildly retarded, autism, aspergers, and that i'm effective none of those labels be conscious. Socially, he isn't getting his desires met at school because of the actual shown fact that he's performing at a plenty larger point than the different babies. he's the only baby in his type who's verbal, lavatory skilled, etc. His IEP objectives are a humorous tale, I do preschool with him at abode and then deliver him to college because of the fact the state says I could desire to. We attend a interior sight homeschool team, he's taking swim training, attends a preschool storytime on the library, and a song type at our interior sight artwork and technology middle, a majority of those activities grant socialization. If i grow to be given the alternative, I particularly could homeschool, steer clear of the labels, coach him the way he learns terrific, not the way the instructor teaches terrific.

Answer 3

I'll second on the answer of 'relax'.
The public preschools have a prepared curriculum and it is based on what the government's kindergarden pre-test. The pre-test consist of whether your child can skip, draw a face (the more detail the better prepared they consider your child), basic number patterns, etc. I don't know the purpose of these pre-test. My son 'aced' it because he was in a preschool who taught the test. It was not until the 1st grade did he start 'lagging' behind in learning.
Again, relax. Read, draw, play, laugh and have a good time. If your son likes worksheets and computer interactives, there are many sites online but don't sweat it.

Answer 4

Preschool is easy (and cheap). If you plan to enroll him in public elem., you need to find out what the school requires (if anything) to enroll in K. You might see if you can find their "scope and sequence" for Pre-K and teach those things.

Mostly, preschool is colors, numbers, letters, shapes, drawing (fine-motor development), and words, words, words. A language-rich environment is best, so read lots of books to him. Make weekly trips to the library (FREE!!) and have him pick out 10-15 books for you to read to him. Spend at least 20-30 minutes each day reading to him (this doesn't have to be all in one sitting - before bed is GREAT for storytime). Practice counting at snacktime with a favorite small snack (Goldfish, raisins, or M&Ms) - then he can eat his "schoolwork"! Trace shapes/letters in flour, shaving cream, rice, ... this helps with tracking (important for reading, too). When you read to him, run your finger under the words to show him that they're not just funny-looking marks on the page. Point out specific words in the story and in real life - STOP on a stop sign, ENTER/EXIT at the store entrance/exit. These are only a FEW suggestions - there are so many ways to "do" school, find what works for you.

Also, you don't have to spend all day (or even half a day), like the public schools do - remember, they spend a LOT of time waiting - for the the kids to settle down, to get in line, to go to the cafeteria, ... . Go to the park and explore - trees, flowers, grass, bugs; go to the museum; go to the grocery store - almost everything is new to a preschooler, so expose him to lots of things and people.

Having said all that, I only have one more thing to say - relax. If you're homeschooling, it's because you want what's best for him, so you're going to do what you need to do naturally. Best wishes!

Answer 5

I am a home school mom, and one of these days some one is going to have to explain to me why parents think, or feel that we need to school our children so early.

Children learn what they need to know at each developmental stage naturally, early academics proofs to be ineffective, and not in the best interest of the child.
To make children learn concepts they are not yet mentally ready to handle can do more harm than good.
This is the time where they need to be free to explore, ask questions, and just run of their energy.
Take this time to play with them, read to them, go swimming, kick the soccer ball, anything but school work.

Boys especially need more time to develop, and get easily frustrated when placed in early academic settings, in the home, or in a conventional school.

When we allow the children just to be children, and start them later, around ages 7, 8; they will grasp these concepts easier, and will be up to par within 6 months, and they will easily surpass those who were started at a much earlier age, because they were given the time to mature enough to do so.

Books:
Better Late Than Early
Home Grown Kids, both by Raymond Moore, and Dorothy Moore.
A little research may save these Little ones a lot of frustration, and tears.


If you still want to go ahead, or just use these for some fun time; there are many low cost, or free sites that can provide you with everything you need.

One of these sites is Enchanted Learning; they have a $20.00 per year membership fee, a monthly calendar with daily social studies, and science links ready to use.
They have complete worksheets, and books you can print.
You can check the site our for free, and you will have limited access to the materials, however only members can print off the worksheets.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html

Free sites:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/
http://www.dltk-kids.com/coloring.htm
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
http://www.freeworksheets.com/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/
http://www.tlsbooks.com/kidspagearchive.htm

Answer 6

For pre-school you don't really need to spend anything-- do lots of crafts, point out letters, shapes, colors, numbers, count together, sing songs, play games, go to the library, park, hands-on children's museums are great, and read to your child a lot. There's just no point in pushing anything more formal or structured at this time.

Answer 7

you don't need to spend a dime.

make liberal use of your local library.
observe shapes in everyday items.
spread rice or flour over a baking sheet and use his finger to trace letters, numbers and shapes.
teach him to count using toys, then after he's learned his numbers to twenty you can teach place values using dried beans and popscicle sticks. count out 10 together and glue them to a popsicle stick. do this 10 times and you show that 10 tens are one hundred, and you can graphically represent for him all the numbers under 100.
cook together
play games together
play store and put prices on things, then give him that many pennies when you "shop" for toys in his room/"toystore"
increase his awareness of phonics by challenging him to name things that start with certain sounds
write him notes, and help him write, too.

here are some great websites for pre-schoolers:
http://www.preschooleducation.com/
www.pbskids.org
www.starfall.com
www.ictgames.com
http://www.sillybooks.net
http://www.abcteach.com

Answer 8

I don't know what low-cost is for you, but I'd recomend Alpha Omega's Horizon curriculum for you. They have an excelent program, especially for younger grades.

Oh, and you maybe able to search other sites where you can find the products you want for cheaper prices.

Good luck!