In the Philippines, the trend seems to be to push schooling to much earlier ages over the years. For example, in our generation, preschool typically began at age 3 or 4, for pre-nursery and nursery, respectively. Since then, school options have evolved to include toddler play school as young as 1 1/2 years old!
If you are the parent of a preschooler, chances are, you’re facing much pressure from family, friends, and even Facebook or other social media posts that are touting which toddler can already read or write!
Basic things to remember for homeschooling preschoolers
While this may not be a super-comprehensive post, I wish to give you an overview of what to expect for the preschool years in line with the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
Formal academics begin at 6 years old
First, formal academics start at 6 years old. The early years are not the time for teaching reading and writing, simply because the psychomotor skills required for these tasks are still developing. This at least sets us free from the pressure of “keeping up with the Joneses” in the area of our children’s achievements!
Note, though: some children may already be interested to learn, especially if they’re watching older siblings. In these cases, learning by playing is acceptable, such as identifying the letters on toy blocks.
Habit training is first priority
So, if we’re not supposed to teach reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic, what are we supposed to do during these formative years? Charlotte Mason emphasizes the importance of habit-training, and these early years are the best time to get them in place.
Train your children in the habit of first-time obedience, for example, and in observation, in excellent workmanship, among others. For these last two, you can teach them in context of some of the following activities you can do with your preschoolers.
Maximize outdoor time and nature study
The preschool years are the best time to spend as much time as you can outdoors, enjoying and observing nature. This can include a picnic, or just letting them play outdoors as much as possible.
As for observing nature, The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock gives us tips on how to help our children observe details. Make sure we don’t dictate, but just put them in the way of things worth observing. Some families like having a “family nature journal” at this stage, where the mom or dad draws the items and the child can color, or if the child can already draw, he can also start keeping a nature journal. The key to remember is that the goal is to encourage observation, and not focus too much on memorizing facts. That can come much later.
Stories, stories, and more stories!
The preschool years are also a great time to learn plenty of stories. Charlotte Mason recommends mothers to tell stories first, rather than read them, and you can do this by telling them local folk tales or even personal experiences.
Then, this is also a great time to start reading a lot of picture books. In the case of Filipinos whose first language is not English, reading picture books with your children lays a strong foundation for their understanding the language. But remember, the picture books we read will also have to be living books.
Some of our favorites include:
- Alfie books by Shirley Hughes
- Eric Carle books
- Harry the Dirty Dog (and other books) by Gene Zion
- Punchinello and other picture books by Max Lucado
- Stella Luna and other books by Janell Cannon
- Bread and Jam for Frances (and other books) by Russell Hoban
We will have more detailed book lists in their respective pages and blog posts soon.
Handicraft
The early years is also a great time to have children working with their hands. Although the handicraft they can do may not be as elaborate as when they’re older, it’s never too late to get them working on something useful and beautiful.
(Note that CM handicraft does not refer to cut-and-paste-and-throw-away kind of busywork, and instead focuses on making something that you can actually use or use to beautify your surroundings!)
Some suggestions for handicrafts for these younger years include:
- pottery or clay sculpting
- weaving
- Origami or paper folding
- soap carving
- macrame or basic knot-tying
Music and Rhymes
Also, it’s never too early to introduce our children to music and rhymes. Nursery rhymes are actually an important foundation in language, and also forms the groundwork for later forays into poetry. So, feel free to sing your days away, and if you feel like it, (now, I say this, and not necessarily CM haha) add a few fun dance moves too, for bonding’s sake! 🙂
So how do you build a CM Kinder 1 or Kinder 2 curriculum?
Because the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) requires enrollment of a child at 5 years old or Kinder 2, we normally prepare a “curriculum” for Kinder 2. Kinder 1 is less formal, but many parents want to start establishing good routines at that year. That’s perfectly fine.
For these two years, we normally recommend stocking up on lots of picture books, and scheduling these alongside plenty of outdoor time, music and rhymes, and handiwork. Charlotte Mason also requires narration only from 6 years old onwards, so the younger ones can simply listen to the stories and you might want to talk about it very casually afterwards.
If you want more suggestions for homeschooling preschoolers, feel free to download a FREE SAMPLE of our Talino Charlotte Mason Curriculum Kinder. Head on over to our Shop Page, click the item, and scroll down to the Description past the Paypal button 
.
Or, if you are currently enrolled with a homeschool provider, contact your facilitator. (If you’re looking for a homeschool provider, I’m connected with one, too! Head on over to the Homeschool Provider Tab in the Menu.)
Building Heart Connection with Your Preschooler
To sum it up, these early years are an important part of your child’s growth. As you build heart connection and help him form good habits, you’re laying a crucial foundation for his later years of “formal” academic learning. Don’t despise this time, and instead enjoy building memories and establishing enjoyment of the beautiful things of life, such as nature, stories, music, and the like! Talino