Let Them Play: 10 Ways to Homeschool Preschool
Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
Precious, messy, tears, wide eyes, little hands, giggles, heartbreak, boo-boos, pretend, ready-set-go!, glitter, cuddles, digging, surprises, and wildflowers. These words are living words full of experiences and love. It’s truly a beautiful thing to hold a preschooler’s tiny, sticky, little hand and lead them through life - and you get to do it...with your own kid! How amazing is that!?!! You get to pour into their little vulnerable souls - right at this moment. So, let’s do it well. Let’s do it with love. And let’s do it through connecting. I love Julie Bogart’s book, The Brave Learner, and recommend it to anyone considering homeschooling. In it she writes, “Connect to your children. The academics matter, but they follow. Your children’s happiness and safe, supportive relationship with you come first. Believe it or not, your children are happiest when they believe you are delighted by them.”
So, how can we connect with and delight in our preschoolers? By playing with them, adventuring and learning with them, reading to them, cuddling with them, and creating environments for them to explore and find their interests and passions.
But first, let’s talk about how to steer clear of common traps.
What Not To Do
1) Don’t Focus on Academic Subjects
There’s been a lot of chatter recently on social media about parents trying to teach their toddlers and preschoolers to read. A few preschoolers are super interested and are picking up phonics naturally and easily. That’s exciting! But mostly, what I am reading and hearing on social media is that most preschool kids aren’t interested in learning actual reading, but are still being forced into a life of rigor. Not only are debunked out-dated methods being used*, but they are being used on children whose brains are not ready to learn these academics in the first place. Many of the words I see on social media about preschool are the following: frustrated, bored, difficult, not-working, tired, struggle, and others. So, I’m going to do preschool parents of America a favor right now and say: “STOP IT!” Stop making your preschooler learn to read if they don’t want to. I would even say - don’t even try to teach them to read, unless they are begging you to. Their little brains are not there yet - this is not their time, nor developmentally appropriate. We Coop moms are huge proponents of trusting the parents’ instinct and supporting their decisions to teach and experience what they are convicted to do with their unique child in their unique setting - but pushing early literacy on a preschooler for the sake of early literacy, doesn’t do anyone any favors.** (Visit our sources at the links by clicking on the *.)
Release yourself from the pressures of others. If you want to teach “reading,” then teach pre-reading instead. Read aloud to your preschoolers. Cuddle with them, and let them see how you hold a book, and which direction you turn the page. Point to the pages you are reading so they become familiar with left-to-right. Let them rest their head on your chest and hear your voice’s vibrations and your diverse character cadences. Talk about the author and the illustrator. Discuss the book’s important ideas and life-skill lessons. Trace or copy the book art, and verbally write new stories together. There are many pre-reading exercises you can do that are organic and fun, and can positively impact your child’s perspective on reading in a huge way.
2) Don’t Bring the Traditional Classroom Setting into Your Home
Just don’t do it. I know that most of us know education as formal schooling. But education goes way beyond that. Education is living life. As preschoolers, most of us learned to ride a bike, made mud cakes, chewed on Cheetos, played with neighborhood friends, and created scribbly art. We chased after ice-cream trucks and learned to swim. As preschoolers, we didn’t sit at a desk and abide by a rigid schedule, making sure we hit all the subjects. We played.
If you need desk/table time, try utilizing their meal times - a captive audience happy to chew the cud. With breakfast and lunch times, you can get up to 45-60 minutes of table time daily - not forced, valuable time with your littles. Hours sitting at a desk will come later when they are older - if you decide to educate them in that way. Strict schedules will become their norm - someday. So let them play now. Author Julie Bogart, The Brave Learner, writes, “To have a more effective home education, I realized I needed to abandon the trappings of school and harness the energy of home.” Create a home of beautiful moments - you will be amazed at how much learning can take place with your little one on your lap or on the floor.
Mr. Rogers is a great go-to for advice with littles: “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.”
What We Can Do
So, as educationally conscious parents and educators, what can we do to facilitate this amazing learning process called “Play”? There are so many ways to offer an enriching, wonder-filled preschool life for your child and your whole family. The following are ten ways ways we have tried and loved.
1) Give Freedom for Unrestricted Play
First and foremost - give your preschoolers the freedom they deserve as fellow human beings to explore, to interact with different materials and processes, to get messy, to be in nature without time limits, to play with a toy without interruption, to be with siblings and extended family, to do what they are curious about doing, to try new things, and to be who they are created to be. Plan your days so there is plenty of time for freedom. Sometimes, my kids spend 4-5 hours outside playing, uninterrupted. And when they come back in, their cups are full, they’re grounded, and their little brains have been stimulated in dozens of ways - all on their own.
2) Observe How They Play
One of the easiest ways to facilitate your child’s learning is to simply watch your preschooler in the environment where he/she plays. Observe the toys, which ones are chosen, how they are played with, and the length of time they hold your child’s attention. Observe the books your child chooses to “read,” imitate, or draw. Observe what your child creates (stories, art, train tracks, parades, choreography, music) and what mediums are preferred (sand, markers, crayons, blocks, mud, instruments, sticks and leaves, etc.). Use this information to invest time, money, and shared experiences with your little one - letting them lead the way - to lean into these available and chosen pathways of taking in information and expressing themselves in their creating. Encourage and enhance their interests by creating new and more enriching learning experiences around their chosen topics and methods of study. Connect with them on what they already love. When children feel known and heard, they feel loved.
3) Use Play-Based Curriculum
Not that any curriculum is needed for preschool - but it’s helpful for certain personality types like myself who want to create enriching environments and magical experiences without having to come up with it all on our own. I really loved our homeschooling curriculum that I discovered when I was in the exhibit hall at The Great Homeschool Convention (a wonderful annual conference!). The Homegrown Preschooler: A Year of Playing Skillfully is a themed curriculum full of creative handicrafts and crafty art, character development, music and movement, nature math, water beads, weaving looms, themed snacks, gardening, holiday fun, and more. There are so many ideas, recommended picture books, and activities themed around each month. You don’t have to implement all the activities; you can just choose the activities that you think your child might like and make them available to play with throughout the house and in the yard. Also, you can pick a few of the activities that may challenge your child a little bit in order to observe and learn as your little one tries something for the very first time. The curriculum writers say, “This pre-planned, wonder based curriculum offers parents the opportunity to relax and enjoy those precious first years without compromising the quality of education your child will receive.” That’s what it is about - wonder and delight.
Another curriculum I have heard highly recommended is Exploring Nature with Children by Raising Little Shoots. It’s over 200 pages of Charlotte Mason-based nature study for a year for under $20 as a pdf download. Seriously - could you get a better price than that?!?! I’ve been following the Facebook group, and a family from our Coop Group just completed it this year too. It’s definitely on our list for the coming years since it works for a big variety of ages.
Wild and Free is another nature-based creative enrichment study that you can research as well - that basically has everything in one place for enjoying nature for all ages. Their platform book, The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming Wonder in your Child’s Education, by Ainsley Arment, just arrived at my doorstep. I’m excited about the Wild + Free movement, because it “is focused on a love of nature, reading great books, pursuing interests and hobbies, making the entire world a classroom, and prolonging the wonder of childhood…” (-goodreads.com) I’ve just received their beautiful and inspiring book that I ordered titled, Wild and Free Handcrafts: 32 Activities to Build Confidence, Creatively, and Skill by Ainsley Arment. I’m really excited to read the books and plan out these activities in our upcoming school year. They also have a Wild and Free conference you can attend as well.
Do your research on social media, at conferences, and on trusted review websites like Cathy Duffy Reviews, and you might just find a perfect fit for your preschooler and family for creating a year full of exposure, experiences, adventures, and lasting memories, thus deepening your connections with each other.
4) Play with Read Aloud
This was already touched on, but it’s such a big component of early childhood education, that it really deserves its own section here. There are so many beautiful books - books that grow, inspire, encourage, challenge, and change us. Why not read those books to your preschoolers?
“We need our kids to fall in love with stories before they are even taught their first letters, if possible, because everything else—phonics, comprehension, analysis, even writing—comes so much more easily when a child loves books.”― Sarah Mackenzie, The Read-Aloud Family
There is deep value in reading aloud to your children that not only prepares them academically, but also develops their character. When you read aloud, you get to insert your thoughts, your dreams, and your values any time you want. This is the gift of the read aloud - your child gets YOU, not just the author. And you get to pour into your child with what truly matters to you. Reading aloud makes teachable moments a routine.
Author Sarah Mackenzie, The Read Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with your Kids, also writes, “If you want a child to know the truth, tell him the truth. If you want a child to love the truth, tell him a story.” And...“We read with our children because it gives both them and us an education of the heart and mind. Of intellect and empathy. We read together and learn because stories teach us how to love.”
Because my husband dives into most of the read-alouds, he is able to connect with them in a calm, delightful, and fun way. He picks books he wants to read for himself too. It’s the best of both worlds, and it will be something our kids remember and treasure their whole lives. Reading aloud takes almost no preparation, but can be the main way you as parents can impact your children’s values in a natural way.
“Raising our children isn’t just about getting them ready for adulthood. It isn’t just about preparation for a career. It’s about transforming and shaping their hearts and minds. It’s about nourishing their souls, building relationships, and forging connections. It’s about nurturing within them care and compassion for whomever they encounter.” - Sarah MacKenzie
Reading books to your littles does exactly that. (For more ideas on read-alouds, go here.)
5) Play in the World
My favorite part of teaching my kids is playing in the world. Homeschooling your children gives you the unique opportunity to learn about the world - not just through worksheets, videos, subscription boxes, and books - but also by being there. Experiential learning is my priority - museums, nature, the beach, amusement parks, with extended family, different sports, performing arts, and more. If you are at the beach with your preschooler, then, when you point out a seashell, you can say, “white seashell,” or “hard, pointy seashell,” or sniff it and say, “smelly seashell.” Your littles have just learned white, hard, pointy, and smelly in a blink of an eye, just by living life with you. Do this often - and then rid yourself of your preschool flash cards, worksheets, and quizzing activities.
We take trips too. We’ve traveled to Pismo Beach, Big Sur, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Colorado, Michigan, Alaska, Canada, and more. One of the times we flew to San Francisco was just to go to The Museum of Ice Cream and The Color Factory. When we go to these places, we study ahead of time the destination’s geography, state, animals, history, culture, sports, and more. (Okay, so 4 books about Alaskan sled dogs and the Iditarod is a bit much!) I theme an entire month around the location we will be going. I buy scout patches for my kids to earn. I design an activity book for on-location learning for the various places we go. I also hopefully give my kids enough freedom to explore the world curiously while we are there...while I sip my Kombucha and take in a good podcast.
6) Play with Themes
I am the mother of themes. Parties, trips, Coop Group events, book clubs, themed homeschool days, potty training parties, you name it. I love a good theme. One year, I thought of a monthly theme my kids would enjoy, designed a number of field trips and activities, and checked-out books all surrounding that theme. For example, since my son LOVES trains and transportation, I planned a “Transportation Month.” For this theme, we rode the bus to Starbucks, took the Coaster train to the beach, boarded the Metro train to the Children’s Museum, climbed aboard the Amtrak to Los Angeles, sailed across Coronado Bay on the ferry, and drove cars at Autopia at Disneyland. We made road maps with foam stickers and crayons, learned cardinal directions by playing games with a Sea World map, and read transportation picture books from the library. For “Engineering Month” at Christmas time, we looked at the conveyor belts on Disneyland rides, created little motors with those gear building sets, built Snap Circuits, Lego-mastered kits, designed marble mazes, and drilled about 100 holes to make a Christmas light-up train box. For “Farm Month” we visited fruit stands and tasted exotic fruit and vegetables, picked pumpkins at various pumpkin patches, studied farm animals, and made seed art from all the seeds we found on walks and in our food. For “Community Month” we toured a police station, a fire station, and the back mail-room of a U.S. Post Office. Of course we had other types of play, lots of free time, and enjoyed the regular routines of life...but the themes informed the creative experiences and adventures. Themes help you pick fun books to read, songs to sing, and art to create all around one concept. (You can learn how to create your own memorable Theme Day here.)
7) Play Games
Preschool is a great time to introduce board games like Chutes and Ladders and some card games as well, like Uno and War. Check out how to utilize a number of game options to teach your preschooler colors, numbers, directions, taking turns, and more on our Give Them the Gift of Board Games article. While you play, you can work on interpersonal skills which can play a huge role in the impact that games can have on your child. Games are truly a gift to your children and your family.
8) Play with Friends
Besides board games being a helpful and easy way to teach social cues - just playing with friends in your community can teach your preschooler useful skills to last a lifetime. The following activities listed are some interpersonal skills littles can learn how to do during playdates:
Use appropriate greetings with a smile
Listen without interrupting
Wait for their turn
Share when appropriate
Learn how to say no appropriately
Show compassion for others’ falls and boo-boos
Communicate their feelings
Learn to apologize
Help set-up for a fancy tea party and help to clean-up at the end of a playdate
Say please and thank you
These are all important life skills that can be learned and practiced with friends. When we get together with friends, I try to remind my littles “This is when you practice your kindness, so that it becomes natural later.” All of these skills need practice, and the goal is that by the time they are teenagers, they can navigate social situations and relationships in a kind, functional, and fulfilling way on their own. As Mr. Rogers says, “Play gives children the chance to practice what they are learning.”
9) Play with Basic Skills
Any skill you want your child to learn, sorting laundry, getting dressed, brushing teeth and hair, tying bows, washing hands, putting their dish in the sink, making their bed, etc - all of these can be taught and then made into play. If your child is the competitive type, you can time the task and keep track of their best times, or you can challenge the siblings race each other. You can make it into a sport activity (tossing laundry into a pile like shooting a basketball). You can make it an art activity (crazy hair day using bows), create a character (pillow characters who have an opinion on how to make a bed), and even try to talk and understand each other while brushing your teeth. You can make almost anything fun for a preschooler!
10) Play with Spaces
Preschool is living and playing in your home and in the world. Play in their favorite spaces - on a hammock, swings, or trampoline. Play in their playhouse or in the backyard. Play in their room, on your bed, or wherever it brings all of you joy. Create special spaces for play - set up a fort, a tee-pee, princess netting (mosquito netting), a corner with a bunch of pillows, or even a tea party. We talk about creating magical places on our Create New Experiences in Familiar Spaces blog article.
Cuddles and adventures can happen anywhere. Go to their favorite cupcake place for reading time, bring their loom to a beautiful, local look-out point, or set up an umbrella in a quiet park for play-dough play. I’ve brought shells, sea glass, glue, and wooden frames to the beach, and on a towel, my kids made shell frames. We listened to the ocean’s crashing waves and they sunk their toes in the sand, while they created their own beach art.
I love Albert Einstein’s quote on play, “Play is the highest form of research.” It’s easy to forget that, but if we work intentionally to provide freedom and exposure for curious exploration, plus new adventures and activities in the world and at home…and we are present for the cuddles, giggles, and life-lessons - we will give our children the connecting, treasured childhood worthy of our calling, and of their calling. Just let them play.
“When my head hits the pillow each night, I want to know that I have done the one most important thing: I have fostered warm, happy memories and created lifelong bonds with my kids—even when the rest of life feels hard.” ― Sarah Mackenzie
What are fun ways you play with your preschooler?
The Coop Homeschool is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.