Recently on TheHomeSchoolMom's Facebook page someone asked for recommendations for her soon to be 4-year-old. It took me back to when I had a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old and had recently decided to homeschool.
I. Was. So. Excited.
What curriculum should I use? (I bought KONOS and timeline figures and a gazillion Usborne books.) How should we schedule our days? (I bought Managers of Their Homes and carefully scheduled every moment of our days and then proceeded to never once use the schedule.) I made lesson plans and felt organized and believed that my kids were going to get the best education ever. And honestly, we had great fun with some of the activities - but none of it was better than what we could have done by just living and playing.
So after all these years (my kids are now 19 and 16), what curriculum would I suggest for a 4 year old?
None.
The work of a 4-year-old is play. Studies show that play is how children learn. Take this time to engage your child. There will be plenty of time for setting and meeting goals later, should you choose to do that (unschoolers look at goals differently), but now is the time for play.
🎲 Suggested curriculum
Here is my suggested "curriculum" for a 4-year-old (or 5-year-old or 6-year-old) that will help them develop vital skills, build your relationship with them, and give them the hooks that they need to hang later learning on:
- Read to your child. If she can read, let her also read to you. If your child is interested, extend your reading by cooking a dish that was mentioned in the book, or making a craft like one mentioned. If you are looking for something to guide you in choosing good books, I like the books used in Five in a Row for this age. If your child asks to learn to read, go for it -- but in the absence of a physical issue or developmental problem, know that waiting on reading instruction is not harmful and can even be beneficial.
- Play with LEGO® bricks. Or Lincoln Logs® , or Tinkertoys®. Or K'NEX®. Or simple wood blocks.
- Go for a walk. Listen to your child and enjoy seeing the world from her perspective.
- Go to the library. If your child can read, help him understand how the books are filed, how to use the card catalog, or have a library scavenger hunt.
- Walk in the woods. This is the perfect age to take an Alphabet Walk and learn ABCs with rocks and trees.
- Visit age-appropriate museums. Don't try this when your child is hungry, tired, or otherwise primed for unhappiness. Here are some tips for improving field trips.
- Go to the zoo. Many zoos and aquariums have annual reciprocal memberships that let you visit as many times as you like and even visit other partner zoos with your membership.
- Go to a park or play in the backyard. Just being outside helps kids achieve a natural balance between our technological world and our natural world.
- Play with maps. Let your child make a map of someplace familiar to her and have fun using just the map to find your way around. Let your child blindfold you and lead you through a maze of chairs and other obstacles that they have set up.
- Play with Play-Doh®. The benefits of messy play are many, including developing fine motor skills, encouraging creativity, allowing expression of emotions in a safe way, and stimulating language development. Make your own playdough at home if you prefer.
- Play dress up. Both boys and girls enjoy dressing up and playing or putting on their own "theatrical productions". I remember my kids continually improving a large scale production of "The Wizard of Paws" over the years.
- Dance, clap, skip, and move around. A lot. Kids are naturally wiggly and rhythm actually helps language skills.
- Play games. Board games are always fun, and strategy games like Kids of Catan and Catan Junior can be enjoyed by even young children. Building games like Jenga® can be enjoyed by all ages (and apparently many species), and strategy games like Mancala develop motor skills as well as thinking skills.
- Listen to him. Ask him "what if" questions when discussing things of interest. "What do you think would happen if this got really cold? Really hot?" "What do you think a cat would do with this?" "How deep do you think that worm goes into the ground?" Remember - you aren't asking for a right answer, you are just getting him thinking. Instead of correcting answers, encourage further discussion: "Wow, I hadn't thought of it that way! Why do you think so?" Inquiry-based learning stimulates thought processes that lead to learning.
🔎 Homeschool supplies
Jeanne shared this in response to a question that we commonly see in homeschooling groups on Facebook.
New homeschooler of littles this fall. What school supplies will I need to stock up on?”
Responses poured in on the Facebook group, from notebooks and #2 pencils to laminators and laser printers.
I love school and office supplies as much as the next person, but my mind went elsewhere.
Here are the “just starting out” school supplies I wouldn’t want to do without for preschool through early elementary:
- Dress-up clothes and accessories
- Birdfeeder and birdseed
- Library card
- Modeling media: Playdoh, modeling beeswax, modeling clay, air dry clay
- Paint and art paper
- A handy bowl of manipulatives: dried pinto beans, buttons, pasta shapes
- Kids’ cookbooks and smoothie recipes
- Twinkle lights and candles
- Devices to stream music and audiobooks we can listen to together
- Magnifying lenses and bug jars
- All the sticks that mark on paper: pastels, crayons, sidewalk chalk, block crayons, markers, color pencils, gel pens, feather quills
- All the paper: loose, spiral bound, journal; lined, unlined; colored, black, white; large, small, fancy and scrap
- Cozy couch to snuggle and read
- Bookbasket (beside the couch)
- Comfortable shoes for everyone
- First aid kit
- Balls: tennis, football, soccer, softball, kickball, beach ball
After twenty years of homeschooling, I can safely say that would get me through a few grades. What “less common” school supplies would you recommend to new homeschoolers? Make a list and post it on your homeschool group on social media. Save the children from a monolithic avalanche of #2 pencils!
~ Jeanne
📖 What about reading?
Defending the Early Years and Alliance for Childhood have issued a report "Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose" showing that there is no scientific evidence that early reading makes for better readers in the long term. The video below details the findings, and you can find a summary in this PDF file.
This blog post was just what I needed to read today. My 8 year old son is needing more challenge than what he is getting at his school, and these activities are exactly what he needs to keep his imagination and creativity alive. Thanks for the reminder that I already have everything I need 🙂
I'm so glad you found it helpful. Have fun with your son!
Hey. I love this and agree, BUT my daughter insisted on "doing real learning" or "real school" like her friends and cousins. So when she was almost 5, I let her do just a phonics program and a picture card based Spanish curriculum, about 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. This made her feel like we were doing real school, but we did it at her pace, and spent much more time on the playing and exploring. She finished the first semester and I went ahead and introduced some basic math and stopped the Spanish flash cards and replaced our nightly books with Spanish alternatives. So just two topics for a few minutes 3 days a week.
I share this because I think some kids want the highly structured learning, and there are ways we can introduce it slowly. However, I would have waited until she was 6 or 7 if it was up to me.
Hi Rachael - I totally understand! As I mentioned in the post, there are certainly children who are ready and interested in going further—one of my own was ready and loved the structure early on. My ideas here are aimed at the new and excited homeschool mom whose oldest is four (or five or even three) and who wants to implement a full-on curriculum. It's so easy to let homeschooling enthusiasm take over and buy a bunch of curriculum simply because it's what new homeschoolers think they are supposed to do. I've been there and done that!
I love your website. been reading it when I became a mom. And now my little is turning4. Lemme ask you some thing. Can I share this website of yours to my Blog? thank you. I just wanted to share it because just like me, I want others to get 8nspired too. 😘
Sharing a link to TheHomeSchoolMom is always welcome! Thanks for the kind comments.