April/May
you can observe your child, and if you notice he is unhappy or frustrated when you ask him to do certain
schoolwork activities, you may want to substitute a different activity, or wait until he is older, or just help
him more if he needs help.
To help maintain interest in schoolwork activities, try to have the child stop while he is still having
fun. Don’t allow him to continue at a task so long that he becomes bored or overly tired. Make his tasks
easily attainable, so that you will both be able to rejoice in his success. Sometimes it can be hard to find
a place of balance—how do you offer activities that are easy enough that the child will feel successful,
but challenging enough to pique his interest? Each child is different, with different strengths and
weaknesses, and different personality traits. You will have to try some things and see what will work the
best for your child.
Young children are capable of learning many things, both on their own—through observations and
explorations—and with the help and involvement of others. And they love to be involved in the family’s
homeschool. I think the most enthusiastic and eager students in our family’s homeschool have been our
preschoolers and kindergarteners. It is wonderful to see their great enjoyment of learning.
So when you make plans for your other children’s schoolwork, be sure to plan for your preschoolers,
too. Plan for some educational activities and some shared play activities along with each day’s
necessities such as snacks, meals, and nap. Everyone will be happy that you did.
Teaching your young child, even if only for a short while every day, can benefit him in many ways,
regardless of exactly what or how much he appears to learn. Young children who are included in the
homeschooling plans and activities of their family will grow up with learning as a lifestyle, which will help
them develop discipline as well as joy in their own present and future scholastic pursuits.
Note: This article has been joined to another and published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine as a
WeE-book. WeE-books are short, very inexpensive e-books. The WeE-book includes photos and some
samples pages from Gentle Shepherd’s Preschool Beginning Notebook Set I. The title of the WeE-book
is Homeschooling With Young Children. It is available at www.theoldschoolhousestore.com.
Here is a direct link to the WeE-book:
http://www.theoldschoolhouse.com/product/homeschooling-with-young-children
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