Avery just turned 3 on October 12th and I get countless questions about preschool. When will she be enrolled? Where am I enrolling her? How many days will she be going to preschool? I played around with the idea of sending her to a “preschool” for a while and maybe eventually I will enroll her in a preschool, but you guys…she is only 3! I’m not sure why we are rushing to educate kids suddenly, but research says it is NOT beneficial to push education on kids under 7. So, today, I wanted to talk all about the reasons why we are starting with a homeschool preschool program for Avery and why I think it will be so good for her!
Research proves that play-based education is more beneficial for children under seven
Based on research, play-based education is more beneficial for children under seven. Check out all of this research, but let me give you a few tidbits from that research:
“In spite of initial academic gains, students in academic kindergartens perform worse than
students from play-based kindergartens on academic, social, and emotional
measurements in the long run. Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin, &
Joan Wolfsheimer Almon. (2015). Reading Instruction in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and
Much to Lose. http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/Reading_Instruct
ion_in_Kindergarten.pdf”
“The common-sense notion that “earlier is better” is not supported by longitudinal studies of
the effects of different kinds of curriculum models. On the contrary, longitudinal follow-up
studies indicate that while formal instruction produces good test results in the short term,
curriculum and teaching methods emphasizing children’s interactive roles and initiative
yield better school achievement in the long term Golbeck, 2001, Marcon, 2002;
Schweinhart & Weikart, 1993.”
Also, a study from the University of Cambridge analyzed decades of research on play-based learning and found that play-based learning has a “greater positive effect” on math, shape knowledge, and task switching compared to more traditional approaches when it comes to education.
Choosing to keep Avery home and focus more on play-based education (learning through the tasks that we are doing together) is not just a willy nilly let’s see if this works plan. It has been proven time and time again that play-based learning is better for children under 7.
What about socialization?
A lot of people are worried about forming a community when they homeschool. I’m not worried about socializing with Avery at all. Right now, we go to playgrounds, she does a gymnastics class with other kids (+ a teacher) without me, and she is also enrolled in a music class. We have play dates, she has babysitters that communicate with her and she plays with her friends in our neighborhood, too. School is definitely not the only way to socialize a kid!
I control the curriculum
To be totally transparent, I’m honestly concerned with the curriculum (mostly the off-the-books curriculum) that is being taught in a lot of schools and I just want her to be able to stay a kid for as long as possible. While I do want to expose her to other viewpoints and other education eventually, I personally think that 3 years old is too young for a lot of what they are teaching. With that being said, doing a homeschool curriculum, I am controlling exactly what she is learning and not learning.
Speaking of the curriculum, I’m implementing a super casual curriculum from The Good and The Beautiful. This preschool curriculum is highly rated and I’m excited to go through the program with Avery! It is technically for kids 3-5, so I think it will be a really great starting place for her.
She is learning so well
Why fix something that is not broken? My girl is learning SO well with me (and with her babysitters), so why fix something that does not need to be fixed? Avery is incredibly smart and she learns so quickly. Not to toot my horn (or hers), but she knows more than some kindergarteners do. She is so close to being able to count to 100. She’s slowly learning Spanish and french. She’s learning practical skills. She knows basic (very basic!) addition. She is learning how to spell simple words like “mama,” “dada,” “cat,” and “dog,” and she knows her address. These are just a few of the things she can do – that most other preschool programs (or Kindergarten programs) are attempting to teach, as well. I just read through a Kindergarten preparedness article and one point says that going into kindergarten, your child should be able to point out some letters of the alphabet. Avery can point out ALL letters of the alphabet, and you know how she learned this and all of the above? Through play and through communication. We bake, we talk, we count, we sing, we play, we garden, we do practical skills, we exercise together, and so much more.
I don’t want to wish time away or rush
Last but not least, I’m not rushing to push her out of my house. Do I sometimes wish I had more help? Of course! Is being a parent to a three-year-old challenging while also trying to balance everything on my plate? Duh! Would sending her off to a preschool program help free up some of my time and make things easier? It definitely would. However, she is only three, and once she does eventually go off to school (whenever and if ever), I can never get this time back with her, so while I have the chance, I am going to soak up as much time with Avery as I possibly can, because although it’s hard some days, it is what she and I need and want.
On that note, I truly believe that as a parent, YOU are the person who knows your child the best, and YOU are the person who is the most devoted to helping your child learn the way they need to + succeed + THRIVE. Nobody else will be as devoted. Truly. If you are considering starting a homeschool preschool program with your child, go for it. You can do it, and there are SO many resources out there for you.