Homeschooling for Preschool is Best

I have decided that in spite of all of the effort I put into trying to teach preschool, it is not for me. It isn’t that I don’t love the kids: I do!! If  I could just love on them and play and sing and color, things would be great. But what I hate is the fact that these little people, who were not even born 3 years ago, are forced to do so much at such a young age! These are children who would be so much better served in a small setting. I understand that moms can’t all stay home these days. There are a lot of single moms who have to provide for their families. But putting your child into a classroom with up to 24 other children is not in your best interest.

What do you most want for your child? I think you would say love. You want your child to feel cared for in a loving manner. I understand that by the time a child enters kindergarten they need to know a lot more than they used to have to know back in the “old days.” But are they really getting an advantage by attending preschool rather than being with a caregiver who will spend individual time with your child helping them learn in a fun way? I have to say no.

As a former preschool teacher, I can tell you that in a preschool setting so much time is just wasted. Time is wasted lining up, going potty many times a day because the class has too many children for the assistant teacher or teacher to only take the child who has to go. They’ve usually got to take at least six. They’re taking that child away from play or learning or both! Play IS learning, but are we allowed to just allow the children to play all day? Never. We’ve got curriculum that we must follow in order to keep our high rating with the state…and we all know the state is so all knowing and helping our children from birth through graduation get so much smarter. Right. Test scores show that our kids are doing worse!

If your goal is for your child to be in a loving environment while learning in a fun and natural way, preschool is not the way to go. Homeschooling preschool is. That doesn’t mean you have to stay home and teach them! It means you find a loving caregiver whom you can trust to love on your child and nurture your child. Putting your child with a classroom full of children only sets your child up to be pushed aside or act out. You must realize that the children who act out are the ones who get the most attention. And the children quickly learn that acting out is the answer to get my teacher to pay attention to me.

You have options! I stayed home at a great sacrifice to our income. I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Now that I am a widow and a single mom, I know that some moms must work. But just because you work, doesn’t mean your child has to go to preschool. Look into a home caregiver. If they can’t come to your home, look into someone who does childcare out of their homes. They will not have a large group because it is not allowed by law. I’d rather have my child with 5 children than 12-23! A loving environment is what your child needs the most!

If you need help finding a small setting, check your local social services and ask them for in home care options! I’ll be posting more about homeschooling preschool in the future, so be sure you keep checking my blog for updates. Subscribe by email to make sure you don’t miss anything!