I’m excited to say that I have finished writing my homeschool reference work, Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling. It is huuuuuuuuuge. I hope it answers all of your questions! In it, I discuss…
- how to make the decision
- how to get started
- what you need to buy
- how to teach
- how to know your own teaching style
- what are several different learning style theories, and what you need to learn from them
- detailed information on how your child develops spiritually, mentally, and academically in each stage of life
- how to handle the high school details
- how to navigate the pitfalls of homeschooling …
And much, much, much more! There’s a reason this took me over a year to plan, research, and write!
So the book is in the editing stage — my favorite part, actually! I’m not sure how much gestation until the book baby is born, but I’ll definitely keep you posted.
In the meantime … I’m going to answer YOUR questions on homeschooling. ASK ME ANYTHING! I did all this effort, I may as well help you out!
Send me your questions — comment below, message me on Facebook (are we friends?), or use my contact form. I would LOVE to hear from you!
Ok, now for the first question! …
When to Homeschool Early Learning
Did you start homeschooling at Pre-K or did you jump right into kindergarten?
— Jena, via Facebook
That’s a great question! And I have a few children, so I have a few answers.
My first son: yes. I’m sad to say that from the age of three I sat him down at the kitchen table and on the floor in the family room and taught him like a school child. Not my best homeschooling moments. I didn’t completely ruin him — he was my fastest child to read and understand math principles. But that wasn’t because of the way I taught him those early years. I found over time it was just because of the way his mind works. I am 100% sure he would have been an amazing student (maybe better?) if I had allowed him to have a relaxed few more years.
My second child (daughter): the same mistake, only four years old.
My third child (son): I was so busy with the other two that he naturally got left in the dust. It was for his good. He didn’t start formal phonics and numbers until he was around five. I taught him slowly and gently, and he had a much more relaxed early learning period. I learned so much from teaching him.
My fourth child (son): I was determined to practice what I learned with the third child. He started sitting down and looking at letters after age five. He learned very quickly and progressed, like his older brother, quite nicely in elementary years.
My last two twins: They were adopted at age six, so we did start slowly but picked up steam in the subsequent years.
Ok, learn from my mistakes. Early Learning years are not for formal teaching. They are about learning from the world around them and building a beautiful home relationship.
I call Early Learning from age three until about age six. This time should include less than one hour of homeschooling. And by that, I mean what you think of as teaching: working on letters, numbers, and other subjects. All day every day should be about play and participating in family life. Your child will learn so much just by living with you (cooking math, cleaning large motor skills, family life social skills); running errands (math, geography, social studies); talking with you (grammar); reading books aloud (grammar, literature, art appreciation) … every day is a rich education.
Enjoy this time. I would give anything to go back to those beautiful, fun years. This wonderful period of life goes by all too fast. Let your child enjoy every moment of it.
This question is answered in way, way more detail in my upcoming book, Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling. In it you will find developmental milestones, what your child will learn academically during this time, and even how to “teach” early learning through real life. Be sure to keep an eye out for that.
Do you have a question? Be sure to comment below, message me on Facebook, or use my comment form. I would LOVE to hear from you!
Your friend,
Lea Ann
Leave a Reply