A Quick-Start Guide for the Youngest Children
Gather up any learning materials you have: books (new or old favorites), puzzles, flashcards, games, craft supplies. Make a separate station, desk or table area for each child, with their own pencils, notebooks and supplies. Or, sit on the floor or at the kitchen table and read or do crafts. Learning happens anywhere and everywhere.
Set up play areas to mimic places they like to visit: the library (books, check-out area, chairs for reading), the zoo/vet/farm (stuffed animals, dishes for feeding, blankets), a concert or play (puppets, makeshift instruments, put on plays for each other), the grocery store (play food, play money, items “for sale”), etc. Find what’s around the house that you can turn into fun learning/playing experiences.
Keep a schedule as best as you can, but be flexible and spontaneous. Have a starting time each day and an idea of what you’d like them to do, but don’t worry if you end up going a different way that day. We always have a big wall calendar which naturally teaches the days/weeks/months, and a separate school calendar to keep track of their activities and give them motivation for what to work on next. Write down everything they’re doing at home, even if you don’t think it’s educational at the time.
Have a routine to get them started: Pledge of Allegiance, Calendar, Weather, Songs, etc. Next, try to do 2-3 subjects or books until they get tired or distracted. Then go to the play areas or puzzles or board games or go for a walk. If you have children of different ages or abilities, keep them on the same subjects with varied levels of engagement and learning; or, use play area time for the littler ones to do more detailed work with older children.
Turn walks and park visits into science lessons. Take a magnifying glass or binoculars. Carry along a box to collect bugs, leaves, sticks, flower petals, rocks, etc. Watch for birds, rabbits, squirrels, dogs. Look up what they are when you get home. Have them keep a simple nature journal to record what they see, hear and find and to draw a picture of it if they can. For a more in-depth look at nature journaling, click here.
These basic steps will help you get started, whether you are schooling at home for the short-term or plan to give it a try for a longer period of time. We have purposely not mentioned ages or grade levels at this point. The goal is for you to gauge your child’s needs at every age, and adjust their educational opportunities accordingly. Start as early as you can!
For more specific suggestions for curriculum, check out our Resources page.