a homeschool curriculum for preschool and kindergarten

I often see newbies on homeschooling forums stressing over what curriculum to use for their preschoolers. My advice is usually that good children’s books and the world around you are the only curriculum you need for that age group, though certainly there are many other resources available. My philosophy is that children naturally love to learn and can easily learn letters and letter sounds, numbers, colors, shapes, and other basic skills if parents are willing to engage them and spend time with them. There are exceptions, but for the most part if you read to preschoolers, encourage them to explore and ask questions, and provide them with a variety of opportunities to learn and grow—they will.

I enjoyed this article from BestHomeschooling.org by Lillian Jones, who shares a similar philosophy:

If you’ve been raising a child up to the age of “pre-school” or “kindergarten,” you’ve already begun homeschooling. In those early years, the most appropriate homeschooling activities are things that gently introduce a child into the wonders of his immediate world and the imagination. As Einstein said, Imagination is more important than knowledge – and those early years are the perfect time to provide an atmosphere where the child can freely dream and play and explore and grow in both body and imagination.

[There] are lots of things a parent can do to help a child develop a love of learning and searching – things that will carry through as a foundation for a life of joyful and successful learning. Most of these are things a parent does at one time or other anyway. A bonus is that your child will be getting a good foundation for later studies, even picking up some elements of reading, writing, and math!

Jones gives numerous practical suggestions for how to do this, many of which I’ve done with my daughters. You may also be interested in reading my post Home Preschooling: Getting Started.