How to Homeschool Your 4-Year-Old

The thought of homeschooling your little one rather than searching out a “prek near me” can seem like a daunting task, especially if you don’t have experience teaching early childhood education. However, homeschooling your preschooler is a lot more doable than you may think. As long as your little one is learning through play and gaining skills to ready them for kindergarten, you can successfully homeschool your 4 year old!

What Are the Logistics?

There may be certain state laws about homeschooling vs attending an in-person school, like a prek near me, but they typically do not apply to teaching little ones around age four. Even still, it’s a good idea to check with your own state’s homeschooling laws to familiarize yourself with accreditation requirements and what is expected, especially if you decide to continue homeschooling post-preschool.

Little ones are still building their attention span, so you will probably work on concepts for about 10-15 minutes at a time, with lots of imagination and playtime throughout the day. Instilling a love of learning in their early childhood education and development makes all schooling — homeschool or your nearest in-person prek near me — a positive experience, and can stay with them throughout life.

What Do I Teach?

Another big question is: what does your little one need to learn before they enter kindergarten? The fact is, the most important skills your little one needs to be learning are practical life. From washing their hands to dressing themselves to making a snack, practical life skills build confidence and teach your little one how to take care of themselves, which they will only do more of as they grow up. 

What Goals Should I Set?

Of course there are educational concepts your little one needs to know, and skills they need to practice before they head to kindergarten. A list of early childhood education academic concepts, motor skills, and what your preschooler should know before kindergarten can be found here. 

Keeping a journal or list of the goals you have set for your little one allows you to go back and check off what has been accomplished or what areas may need more attention. Using a curriculum is a great guide, especially for first-time homeschoolers. Also, feel free to use other resources like that prek near me for you, or even Playgarden Prep Online, which offers printable worksheets, workbooks, DIY projects, and other great tools to help your little one reach learning goals! 

What Are the Benefits?

The flexibility of homeschool allows you to create an early childhood education environment for learning that your little one is excited to explore. Including their favorite activities and books can help keep them engaged. If they start to lose interest in certain learning concepts or activities, homeschooling allows you to change up your schedule as needed. 

It’s important to have a daily schedule, as consistency is important for all little ones, even those attending a local prek near me. However, changing the schedule to work with what you or your little one are able to do day by day is a great way to show up for them in homeschooling. If a learning concept becomes too challenging, remember that you can always come back to it later. For example, if your little one is having a difficult time with word recognition, take a break and try an activity that they are more familiar with. Being reminded of what they have already learned builds their confidence and, once they are ready, can inspire them to try that new concept again.

The most valuable skill your little one can pick up in their early childhood education is a love of learning. If you have your own opinions or negative feelings about learning, it’s important to do some reframing before deciding to homeschool your little one. Through teaching your little one, you may even be able to relearn how to love learning along with them!