Side note.....there is nothing wrong with being a "weird kid". As long as you work hard, respect others, and contribute to society, being a "weird kid" is a-ok. Homeschooled or not.
It’s possible to homeschool under 3’s, but it doesn’t look like school. More like guided play. And readiness looks different with each child. I tried and tried and tried with my firstborn. She didn’t develop the focus needed (or the temperament, really. She was in the “no” phase from 2-3 so she didn’t listen to instructions) for even short lessons until she was older than 3, so it had to be very indirect learning, almost like those “teachable moment” cliches. You want grapes? Well, count the grapes for me. How many do you want? 6? Are you sure you have 6? Why don’t you count? Just to check I gave you 6? 🤣
My newly minted 2 yo is doing great at homeschooling already. She loves structured lessons. We go in short bursts, when the interest strikes, and we stop when she loses focus. It helps that we already have a lot of the Montessori math and language materials (and derivatives like Lovevery), from my abortive first attempt to homeschool. A few minutes at a time. She can already rote count to 12, and is learning 1-1 correspondence for the lower numbers. Today, she wanted to join me when I was playing the piano. We worked through Twinkle Twinkle together. Just one line. Using color dot “sheet music” (I color coded our piano). It took a while but she was very proud of herself.
I’m not any kind of teacher. I don’t have any experience in early childhood education. Before I had my own kids, I never even held a baby. I was at best a teaching assistant in college. But I think given my experience so far, and how much my kids have learned from me in such short lessons (my 3.5 yo knows all her letter sounds and is starting to blend 3 letter words), I think any sufficiently motivated parent can teach their child. Read lots about education. Think about what you want to impart to your child, and what philosophy speaks to you. Get a few materials and go for it. Observing your child will let you know what works, what doesn’t, and what to do next.
Side note.....there is nothing wrong with being a "weird kid". As long as you work hard, respect others, and contribute to society, being a "weird kid" is a-ok. Homeschooled or not.
These are very helpful! I'd also like to recommend another Substack for those looking into homeschooling or who already do homeschool. This specific post explains the best way to go about choosing a curriculum, as that can be a very daunting task! https://open.substack.com/pub/thediscerninghomeeducator/p/the-discerning-home-educators-guide?r=iv856&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
The Call of the Wild and Free is the book that changed my life and lit the fire to finally pull my child out of the system. xo
I agree with Morrissey.
- Alan, 65, Wichita, KS
It’s possible to homeschool under 3’s, but it doesn’t look like school. More like guided play. And readiness looks different with each child. I tried and tried and tried with my firstborn. She didn’t develop the focus needed (or the temperament, really. She was in the “no” phase from 2-3 so she didn’t listen to instructions) for even short lessons until she was older than 3, so it had to be very indirect learning, almost like those “teachable moment” cliches. You want grapes? Well, count the grapes for me. How many do you want? 6? Are you sure you have 6? Why don’t you count? Just to check I gave you 6? 🤣
My newly minted 2 yo is doing great at homeschooling already. She loves structured lessons. We go in short bursts, when the interest strikes, and we stop when she loses focus. It helps that we already have a lot of the Montessori math and language materials (and derivatives like Lovevery), from my abortive first attempt to homeschool. A few minutes at a time. She can already rote count to 12, and is learning 1-1 correspondence for the lower numbers. Today, she wanted to join me when I was playing the piano. We worked through Twinkle Twinkle together. Just one line. Using color dot “sheet music” (I color coded our piano). It took a while but she was very proud of herself.
I’m not any kind of teacher. I don’t have any experience in early childhood education. Before I had my own kids, I never even held a baby. I was at best a teaching assistant in college. But I think given my experience so far, and how much my kids have learned from me in such short lessons (my 3.5 yo knows all her letter sounds and is starting to blend 3 letter words), I think any sufficiently motivated parent can teach their child. Read lots about education. Think about what you want to impart to your child, and what philosophy speaks to you. Get a few materials and go for it. Observing your child will let you know what works, what doesn’t, and what to do next.