Hello, New here

[Tawnya]

Hello all... I am looking for something to help me get my 2 year old on track for preschool homeschool. He has just started to use the triangular crayons and is doing well with them (except he breaks them, but oh well) I got him a big pad of paper that has outlines of things drawn on them, like smiley faces, trees, etc.. there are also totally blank pages that he can draw on as well. My son will most likely be a lefty, I am a righty and so is his dad, so I am a little concerned about how to teach him to hold a pencil correctly, but alas that is later! He is extremely active and I can barely get him to sit still for a story, but I do 'check out' audio books from the library online and those seem to work better for him. We also have all kinds of music going, this week it is country. He loves to dance and move around to the beat. I also have had him start helping me in the kitchen on occasion. I have him dump measured dry ingredients into a bowl for me. His activeness does sometimes hinder this. He does do 2 year old chores, like picking up his toys. 

 

Sorry for the mess of information.. 

[alisoncooks]

I wish this had been around when my girls were tiny. Sometimes it's nice to have guidance:

http://www.mfwbooks.com/products/3/Preschool-for-2s-3s-All-Aboard-the-Animal-Train/#Overview

 

One things my girls enjoyed (and still do!):

We have a large plastic bin filled with rice, measuring cups, spoons, funnels, bowls. They love to play in it.

[Tsuga]

Hi! Welcome! 

 

Between the ages of two and seven children can switch handedness many many times. My very right-handed daughter was a lefty from 2 - 3, but switched over when she started writing letters and never looked back. Her sister wouldn't hold a crayon for a long time, was ambidextrous in those early years, and switched to left at four and again, hasn't looked back. So--that will just go as it goes. :)

 

I think at your child's age, scheduling experiences and activities (parks, kids museums, nature hikes, etc.) can be a lot more rewarding than thinking a lot about the school-y part of school. The best laid plans and all that. I know I personally love to plan and make schedules, but it's hard to know what will work with your child. They change SO much between 2 and 7.

 

So, that would be my preparation suggestion. Worksheets are not necessary at this age at all, but dirt is. Right now you are laying a foundation of natural experience that will give the context to all the artificial (not in a bad way) book and paper learning that goes on later. Don't neglect it! (Even for the worksheet-loving child... they NEED that sensory experience.)

 

 

Edit:

 

 

 

We also have all kinds of music going, this week it is country. He loves to dance and move around to the beat.

 

I'd venture that that will do much, much more for any child, at his age, than any kind of formal pre-pre-school work.

 

 

 

He is extremely active and I can barely get him to sit still for a story,

 

That's a great sign at two. His brain is working, he's a go-getter, he's exploring. He's building a world in his head of rich experiences.

 

 

 

I have him dump measured dry ingredients into a bowl for me. His activeness does sometimes hinder this.

 

My youngest is six and she still has issues. :D  I'd frame it less as his activeness hindering  things and just thing--this is not a two-year-old activity to which you can attach any expectations. Mine could not even dump ingredients without sticking their hands in the bowl at five. They are doing well at school. Better to have him play cooking in a sandbox, or set him in a high chair with his own bowl and flour and water to make a huge mess while you cook, lol. Or have him help but I would attach zero expectation to that. Like, don't be surprised if one day you have to grab an ingredient and he upturns the whole bowl just to watch gravity. That is a sign of intelligence and self-direction, and also very tiring for the cook.

 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Tsuga

[JFSinIL]

At that age, playtime is learning time.  If he is active and happy, you are on the right track already.  You really do not need anything more at this young age. Lots of blocks and finger paint and crayons and stories etc.   Helping in the kitchen is great!   Welcome to the hive!

[gaillardia]

Welcome to the hive....reading Susan Wise Bauer's books is not a requirement, but it sure helps!

:party:

[Liz CA]

Welcome to the HIve. :laugh:

[Lady Florida.]

Hello and welcome! 

 

We're on the opposite end of the homeschooling journey. Ds will graduate this year. 

 

I love seeing new homeschoolers get excited, but really at two the best thing for your little guy is to just let him play. And play and play and play. Read short picture books to him if he'll stay still long enough. If he won't then find shorter ones. Or just wait a bit. If he likes to color let him. If he doesn't, put the crayons away for a while. Playing is his "school" now and for the next few years.

[momto10blessings]

Read and play

[Tsuga]

By the way, OP: I bought the Well-Trained Mind when my daughter was an infant, and finished reading it before she was two. I sound calm now but I was rearing to go with my six-month old, LOL. Believe me I completely get wanting to be on the ball. It is hard to wait. :)

Edited March 13, 2016 by Tsuga

[Audrey]

Read to them often -- at least daily. Play with them and let them play by themselves sometimes, too.  Let them be a part of the daily life of your household.  They learn a great deal just from observing you and following you about you day. 

 

Add in some good curriculum around age 5 or so, but keep repeating the above until they're about 18 years old. 

[brett_ashley]

The play with purpose series by Theodosia spewock is an excellent resource. They are out of print but easy to find used online.

[Elfknitter.#]

Does your local library have a toddler or preschool storytime? That's great for him to master weekly exposure with other kids and start to get used to listening to stories. Don't expect him to sit! A good storytime person won't either. Being rambunctious and constantly moving is completely age appropriate! A good storytime will balance puppets, movement activities, songs/ chants, finger play activities (should be a lot!) Despite all of that, he will still want to move and explore at his age. So long as it harms no one or doesn't distract from storytime, it's fine.

 

You may also want to see if your city has a toddler time or Gymboree style activity.

 

Just remember, when it seems like they are not learning, they are still absorbing. That is just as important.

[Elfknitter.#]

dp

Edited March 13, 2016 by Elfknitter.#

[Melissa in Australia]

:seeya:

[Xahm]

Hi! We're in a similar place. I have a daughter approaching four and a two year old son. My daughter has been doing some school stuff with me since January since she was ready, but that's still less than 30 minutes a day, and not even every day. A large part of that is letting her do something special and "big" while her brother naps.

With my son, and the majority of the day my daughter, we play and read. I try to balance letting them have their own free play and getting on their level to read, discuss, and explore. The independent time is really important. When they are splashing in the water table or playing kitchen, they are developing creative thought, the ability to concentrate on a task, conflict resolution skills, motor control, and a thousand other skills. When we are playing and working together, I'm trying to engage them to help them stretch a little to understand the world around them. Lots of that happens at the grocery store, talking about foods, interacting with the people around us, and that kind of thing, but right now a lot of learning is happening with planting seeds. We planted some in a clear cup where we can see the stems and roots, as well as some in pots and some direct sow. We talk about roots going down looking for water and stems reaching up to the sun. We walk around the yard, taking a minute to watch "Ms Bee,"  talk about "look don't touch" wild animals, thank the bee for helping make our blueberry flowers into blueberries, and talk about patience as we have to wait a long time before the yummy blueberries will be ready. Obviously that's an example of what works with me and my two year old. One resource that really helped my thinking is Growing a Reader from Birth by Dianne McGuinness. It helped me understand how much more helpful it is to talk with and tell stories with young children rather than get caught up in teaching them their letters and numbers. Building their vocabularies and comprehension skills is a better use of time since they can learn letters very quickly in a couple of years when they are ready. That book also has great ideas for different learning games to play with children at various ages 0-6.

I'm not anti-early learning at all. I don't think that 30 minutes of reading and math is at odds with letting my three year old have plenty of time to play. I just like to focus on the skills that are most helpful to them at this stage rather than the skills that are the most profitable for early learning companies.

[medawyn]

Welcome!

 

I'm not a homeschooler yet, but I've been on these boards longer than I'd like to admit  :lol: My oldest just turned three, and we are mostly doing lots of playing to get ourselves ready for kindergarten.

 

We don't do any academics beyond respond to his interest (let's count these things, what letter is this, etc.) but I do focus on lots of movement for him.  Beyond burning energy (always needed around here), I think developing his gross motor skills and core strength will be a help for handwriting down the road.  I encourage as much independent play as possible, and we're working on becoming independent in personal care (although I have no real expectation of independence for a while, yet.)  I try to keep mostly open ended toys around the house, with several different types of blocks/building tools.

 

For fine motor and hand strength, we always have homemade play dough around the house, and as a PP mentioned, he loves scooping and pouring rice, beans, corn, or water.  I keep crayons and washable markers available most of the time, and he loves an opportunity to play with (squeeze!) glue.  He's also learning to use scissors, and I just hand him a big box of scrap paper to cut up while I'm prepping dinner.

 

We read as much as he'll let me.  Somedays we'll read several hours (broken up over the day, of course), and other days it's just 1-2 stories at bedtime.  Just depends on how much energy he has!  I'm 33 weeks pregnant, so I haven't been as good about getting him out as I should, but usually we incorporate as much outdoor play as all of us can.  We love exploring new parks and hiking.

 

And that's pretty much our school prep!  I would LOVE to get started with curriculum (I can't wait to start planning!), but I'm trying to remind myself that lots and lots of independent/imaginative play, lots of time outdoors, and lots of time snuggling and reading with mom are probably the best foundation I can give him for kindergarten.  At least, I hope so!