We are fortunate to live in an area with countless options for preschool programs. With the help of a few seasoned preschool moms, I researched what I thought would be the best option for my recently turned 3-year old. Teaching preschool at-home wasn’t even on my radar.
To my own surprise (and probably after too much consideration) I decided to keep my son home this year and teach him myself. Am I crazy? Maybe. But as I started doing my own research for at-home preschool curriculum, I was blown away at the amount of resources available.
I don’t think it’s for everyone, and to be honest if we continue to grow our family I will gladly pay someone to teach my future preschoolers. But for now, I have the time and means, so why not give it a shot?
Below are five resources to help you with at-home preschool. Each of these programs could be used one-on-one or in a group. If you have other mom friends nearby with kids who are similar ages, start your own preschool group and rotate who teaches each week…it could be fun!
The Joy School program is a preschool curriculum designed for 3-5 year olds. It focuses on the “joys” of childhood such as the joy of the body, the earth, honesty and communication and more. Rather than focus primarily on academics, this curriculum helps preschoolers develop their social and emotional skills so that they are ready for kindergarten. My sister-in-law who is an elementary education teacher suggested this program. She did it with her sons, and LOVED it.
This is a 190-day program of hands-on, play-based learning. The creator of this curriculum touts its ease and affordability. Right up my alley! Themed units help children explore math, reading, science, art activities, and much more. Her website also offers LOTS of free activity ideas for your busy toddler.
The Preschool Journey
An extremely affordable option, this curriculum offers 26-weeks of lesson plans for children ages 2.5-5 with simple, hands-on play activities to teach skills children need for kindergarten. It also comes with printable, tips, tricks and tools to help you get organized and create a schedule. Her website is also chock-full of free resources and ideas.
Learning Box
This is a monthly subscription, and it supplies nearly all the curriculum and supplies that you would need for the month. It is more academic based with lots of hands-on projects. You pay according to how many kids you have and then split the cost among moms (if you were going to do a co-op). This is a great option if you are like me and love planning but stress over gathering all the materials for projects!
Mother Goose Time
This is another monthly subscription that comes with all your supplies and lesson plans for the month. Prices vary depending on how many kids you are teaching. It comes with supplies to develop math, literacy, science, music and movement, art and social skills. I love that it is easy for you to teach, but engaging for the kids. Win-win!
So now you’re thinking….”Maybe I could do this?”
These are only a handful of the resources I came across during my search for the right curriculum for my son. While some are more pricey than others, it still is a fraction of the cost of private preschool. And if you can get a small group of your mom friends to do it with you, even better!
If you’re seriously giving at-home preschool a try, check out this post from one of our contributors for some ideas to get organized. The Preschool at Home Moms Group on Facebook is also an incredible resource.
Whether you have an entire room or a corner to dedicate to “school time,” I am learning that it doesn’t take much to transform the space into a learning spot for your kids. I found a used kids table and chairs and bought some school-themed wall decals and posters. The look on my son’s face was priceless when he woke up from his nap last week to a decorated learning corner. It lit a fire in this mama’s heart, and boosted my confidence that I can teach my son, and enjoy it!
There is also before five in a row, literature based with activities, really reasonably priced.