At the beginning of September, we officially began our second year of Preschool, only this time we will be at home. I actually felt a tug on my heart to homeschool for a long time, long before Josephine was born. So this year has provided the perfect nudge to jump in. Although it’s bittersweet and we will miss certain aspects of her school, we are both excited about the adventure this year!
We tested the waters with a little preschool at home last spring and enjoyed it, so we will basically be continuing what we started earlier this year. Honestly, it won’t look too much different than our regular day to day lives at this age, with just a little more intentionality.
In these early years, our biggest focus will be lots of play, lots of reading, building good habits and virtues, and as much time spent outdoors as the weather allows. Most of all, I want my daughter to keep her curiosity and love of learning! She says she is most excited about crafts!
Establishing a daily rhythm
Establishing a daily rhythm is foundational to the rest of our day and equipping us to have a successful preschool at home, both now and if we continue to homeschool down the road. Or even if we don’t. We (yes, myself included) have been working on solid routines for a while.
So we begin each day with breakfast and morning time (more on that later). It’s my goal to eventually have some personal time for prayer and gentle exercise first thing in the morning, but for now, she sometimes joins me. We’re also working hard to solidify our evening and bedtime routine.
We’re focusing on building habits like getting dressed in a timely fashion in the morning, making the bed, cleaning up toys, unloading the dishwasher, daily prayer, etc. One of the benefits of doing preschool at home is that we can work on these things as we live our life together. By taking the time to cultivate these habits in the early years, I am hoping that it will make the years ahead lighter. Or so I have been told.
Although in my head, I would love to be more spontaneous, our day just flows better if everyone knows what to expect and we have an approximate schedule. It’s so true that little ones thrive on routines, and therefore, so does mom! So we have a daily rhythm. It allows for flexibility, of course, but it is not rigid. It’s like our road map for the day.
Rest Time = Work Time
If I know we have a break coming, I have a much easier time parenting the way I desire and remaining calm amongst the hiccups throughout the day. We have been working on solidifying a daily rest time since Josephine dropped her last nap a couple of months ago (with a vacation thrown in the middle). After sticking with it for a month, and lots of patience, we’re finally finding our groove.
Since I am also a work from home mom, a solid routine is also essential so that I can fit in my work. Generally, I work during Josephine’s rest time and after she goes to bed. Then we also have a babysitter come a couple days a week for a few hours. Overall, I work anywhere from 20-30 hours per week. I share this to be of encouragement to other mothers out there who are either newly navigating working from home, or wondering if they can swing it. I think I’ll write another post later with more tips for work from home moms.
Family Prayer and Reading Time
Over the summer…or since the spring…I am not really sure anymore, we’ve also been working on having what I call family prayer time and family reading time. After rest time, at about three o’clock, we gather in the living room and either pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy or the Rosary together. Josephine is free to move around and, for the most part, she stays in the room and partially participates in the prayers. It depends on the day, but usually, she winds up cuddling with me while I pray and it’s become a sweet time of our day.
My intention is that afterward, we will eventually develop a family reading time where we either read together for a bit (which does happen often) or we each read individually. Firstly, so that I can also enjoy some reading time. And secondly, so that Josephine sees me reading a paper book for pleasure. So much of my reading is either on a screen or listening to audiobooks or podcasts, that I want to be sure and set the example of also enjoying physical books (which I do).
We have also organically developed the habit of reading from a chapter book at the end of lunch. I will read one to two chapters as Josephine finishes eating and it has been really enjoyable for both of us. Currently, we are reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater. It’s a personal childhood favorite of mine and Josephine recently developed an interest in penguins, so she’s been enjoying it, too. It’s so exciting watching her get into bigger stories and naturally begin to narrate back to me what we’ve already read. She’s also enjoyed a couple Little House audiobooks by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (which is perhaps her favorite). Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a close second.
Reading Baskets
The other thing that I have done to help foster her love of books and reading (which was really already quite strong) is to get a few baskets and crates and fill them with books. I set them throughout the house and rotate the books on a weekly or semi-weekly basis, usually with books related to the letter or topic we are learning about.
Now don’t get me wrong, she still pulls books off of the bookshelves daily (which is wonderful), but these rotating book baskets help to vary the books she is exposed to and increase the amount of time she is flipping through books. Since I have placed most of them near cozy reading spots, it’s more likely for one or both of us to snuggle up and read a few. This is especially true since you can see part or all of their covers, instead of their spines.
That being said, I won’t take credit for this genius idea. I’m not sure if she originated the concept or not, but I learned about this little reading trick from Stephanie Weinart. Give her account a follow; you’ll love it!
Morning Time
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the idea of morning time comes from Charlotte Mason. Although I haven’t read her personal works yet, I have seen and read about the concept quite often as I have been researching more about different homeschooling philosophies over the last few years, and especially a deep dive over the last six months.
For us, morning time is simply when we begin our preschool time at home with breakfast. It’s very relaxed and informal and we both are loving it. We pray, eat breakfast, and then I begin to go through our content for the day as Josephine is finishing her breakfast. Morning time has actually made breakfast so peaceful because her attention is at the table instead of wanting to get up and go play in the middle of breakfast.
We are using Twenty-Six Letters to Heaven: A Catholic Preschool Curriculum by Sarah V. Park and really enjoying it. Each week, we have a new letter of the alphabet we are focusing on. Since we started in the spring (with a break over the summer) we have worked our way from A-M already. I am also going to sprinkle some themed weeks throughout the year for the seasons and holidays.
With each letter, we learn a new corresponding virtue, verse, poem, and nursery rhyme. We also learn about a Saint that begins with that letter. Josephine particularly loves this part, because it’s probably the only “screen” resource I currently use for preschool. I simply look up the Saint and most of the time Catholic Online has a well done 2-3 minute video about the life of the Saint. While she watches that, I can finish up my own breakfast or grab my morning brew.
The book is a great resource and so simple and easy to follow; I love it! It gently and age-appropriately introduces a wide variety of subjects throughout the book, as they naturally relate to the letter or topic: math, science, literature, writing, faith, geography, history, health, etc. For each letter of the alphabet, it has a book list and we have enjoyed all the recommendations we have read. I appreciate the craft suggestions so much because it does the thinking for me. Best of all, it involves very little prep! I spend about 10-15 minutes each Sunday prepping for the next week by printing a few things and reserving books from the library.
Other resources we may add in throughout the year that I have not tried yet are below. Typically, I do not like to share resources that I have not personally used yet, so I wouldn’t consider them recommendations per se, but I have heard nothing but rave reviews myself. I will share an update once we’ve tried them.
- Our Preschool Life Kit – monthly subscription
- Delightful Reading – starting with level 1 (ordered – I’ll update you soon)
- Catholic Family Crate – monthly subscription
Final Thoughts
At this age, our actual preschool time at home is really quite short, usually only consisting of about 30-45 minutes, depending on the craft or activity. That doesn’t include reading plenty of books and doing impromptu activities some afternoons, like painting with watercolors. I believe the most important things she can be doing right now are playing, reading lots of books, getting outside and exploring nature, and building good habits and virtues.
Other than that, I really follow her lead. She loves learning, so most days she is eager to jump right in. On days that she is not, I don’t sweat it. I want her to cultivate a love of learning, not dread of school work. As I observe her interests, we pursue those areas deeper. That is exactly what led me to begin to dabble in a little at home preschool last spring.
“Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” ~ Charlotte Mason.
For more on a Charlotte Mason Preschool, read my post A Quiet Growing Time to learn what we did for 2021-2022.
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