If you’re thinking about teaching preschool at home, you’re probably feeling a mix of excitement and fear. Don’t worry! We’ll break down the process of getting ready to teach home preschool into bite size bits so you can map out exactly how to teach homeschool preschool like a pro.
The Guide to Getting Started with Home Preschool is designed to walk you through all the steps needed for preparing to teach preschool at home. We’ve taken our best tips from over a decade as classroom and home educators and put them into an actionable plan that will allow you to get started with confidence.
About the Guide to Getting Started with Homeschool Preschool
Throughout the guide you’ll learn the basics of beginning preschool at home. We’ll explore your personal teaching preferences and your child’s learning style to help you plan the right kinds of activities for you and your child. Then we’ll learn about common preschool skills and develop basic goals for each child. Next we’ll identify various preschool schedules and routines and use that information to create a schedule that will help you and your children enjoy preschool time together. After that we’ll learn where to get materials, how to design a learning space, and how to plan lessons. Don’t worry! There are a lot of resources and printables to help you along the way! Finally we’ll put it all together and get started with your first weeks of preschool at home.
Remember this is your journey! There is no right or wrong way to teach preschool at home, but there are definitely some tips and resources that will make it easier for you to plan and more fun for both you and your child.
Still Not Sure if Home Preschool is Right for You?
Don’t miss these resources. They’ll help if you’re still debating whether preschool at home is right for you:
Benefits of Teaching Preschool at Home
Debunking Common Homeschool Preschool Myths
Ways to Access the How to Teach Homeschool Preschool Guide
The Guide is available in two formats.
Option 1: The outline on this page includes links to each article and related printables that go along with the Guide. You may read them in order or pick and choose the sections that answer your most pressing questions right now.
Option 2: If you’d rather have everything in printable format to download, print, and read at your convenience offline, you can purchase the complete Guide in PDF form.
Free Printable Home Preschool Planning Action Plan
Before you get started be sure to print free printable action plan for getting ready for homeschool preschool. No matter what home preschool approach you end up using this checklist will cover the key steps help you get ready. It may also be helpful to set target dates for completing each section to keep you moving closer to your goal of getting started with home preschool.
If at any point you have questions about the Guide or anything related to home preschool, please pop over to the Home Preschool Help Facebook Group. It’s a great place to chat with other families who are teaching preschool at home.
Now let’s get started!
Knowing Your Style Can Set You Up for Success
Goals for this Unit
First we’ll learn more about your personal teaching preferences and your child’s learning style so that these can be incorporated into your home preschool plan. You’ll be amazed at how much more smoothly your days go when you have a better understanding of each of your preferences.
Then we’ll take a look at the activities you most enjoy doing together. Doing so will help us see where home preschool naturally fits into your daily routine. Home preschool does not have to look like a traditional classroom setting unless you want it to. Instead learning how to teach homeschool preschool is also about learning how to weave home preschool activities into your daily rhythm.
Unit 1 Lessons
1.1 Understanding Your Teaching Style and How it Relates to Home Preschool
1.2 Understanding Your Child’s Learning Style
1.3 How to Use Your Favorite Activities to Make it Easier to Plan for Preschool at Home
What Should I Be Teaching for Homeschool Preschool?
Now that you have a better understanding of your own teaching preferences, your child’s learning style, and how to incorporate learning goals into some of the activities you already enjoy doing together, we’re going to shift our focus to the ever popular question of what you should be teaching in home preschool. This is one of the road blocks many parents get to and decide they just can’t teach their own child because they’re not sure what must be taught.
To be sure it’s a loaded question, and many will have different answers. But stick with us, and we’ll decide together what you should be teaching your child. The goal of this unit is to introduce you to the most essential preschool skills and help you decide which skills to focus on first. Then we’ll take a look at some example activities for the most common skill areas. And by the end you’ll be confident about what your primary educational goals are for your child (or children) in homeschool preschool.
Goals for this Unit
- Understand common preschool skills
- Identify easy, low-prep activities for teaching common preschool learning skills
- Develop basic goals for each child
Unit 2 Lessons
2.1 What Do Preschoolers Need to Know?
2.5 Additional Preschool Concepts
When will we home preschool?
In Unit 2 you learned more about the preschool skills you’ll be teaching and the kinds of activities you can use to teach them, now we’re going to take a look at when you’ll be teaching. First we’ll examine some long-term scheduling options.
Then we’ll take a look at activities you already participate in and plan out your weekly schedule.
Finally we’ll delve into the daily routines and structure of your home preschool routine. This planning section can be as detailed or as simple as you see fit. Go with what works best for your family and your personal style!
Goals for this Unit
- Identify your long-term schedule
- Identify a weekly schedule that fits your needs and your family
- Identify the home preschool routine you’ll follow each day
Unit 3 Lessons
3.1 Develop a Long Term Plan for Home Preschool
3.2 Determine Extracurricular Activities
3.4 Develop a Home Preschool Routine
Get Organized and Get Ready to Teach Preschool at Home
Goals for this Unit
- Know of common resources and places to get materials for homeschool preschool
- Identify the learning space you’ll use for home preschool
- Develop a lesson plan template that works for you
- Organize home preschool materials
Unit 4 Lessons
4.1 Where to Get Materials for Preschool at Home
4.2 Set Up the Homeschool Preschool Learning Space
4.3 Develop a Home Preschool Lesson Plan Template
4.4 Organize Materials for Preschool at Home
It’s Time! Get Started Teaching Preschool at Home
Goals for this Unit
You’ve put in the work, and you’ve learned how to teach homeschool preschool like a pro. Now it’s time to do this! In this final unit you’ll:
- Plan your first three weeks of home preschool-It always helps to be a little ahead of the game!
- Get started!
Unit 5 Lessons
5.1 Create Lesson Plans for Your First Weeks of Preschool at Home
5.2 Tips for Transitioning Into Home Preschool
5.3 Monitor Progress and Looking Ahead
You’re well on your way! Remember to join the Fun and Learning for Kids Facebook Group for ongoing support and ideas throughout your home preschool journey.