On Sunday I took my big kid on a special lunch date. She shared her fears about her first day of school (which is today) and we talked about other important stuff on her mind (I hope I never forget what was important through her little eyes). Then, after we got home, she opened a gift from her Papa and I. A bag filled with pencils, erasers, a back-to-school book and a water bottle. She sharpened all of her pencils, we packed her backpack and finally, put together a little gift for both of her teachers.
When she was two, we took a Mom & Tot class at the preschool in town. It was two hours a week and excellent for socialization, learning about rules and routines and special time for us to be together. We spent some time at home working on fun crafts and activities to help her develop beginning skills such as alphabet recognition, color and shape names and identifying numbers 1-10. I didn’t send her to school when she turned three. I homeschooled her using a specific ABC curriculum shared by another homeschooler online. It was awesome watching her grow leaps and bounds while at home with her little sister and I. This year I’ve decided to put her in the same preschool for their four-year-old program. Three afternoons a week from 12:15-2:45. Just enough time to be a part of a classroom community, learn more and socialize without her mama around!
I planned out lessons to teach her this year on the afternoons she is home. I will share those lessons here as I go along. Basically, I picked character traits I felt were important for her to be exposed to at an early age. I found children’s books that would teach those specific traits and I found a craft to go along with each book we use. Two books, two crafts and two discussions a week as a part of the program. I am excited about this idea and hope it will help her strengthen her social skills as she prepares for school in the years to come. I want her to have the courage to know what to do when she is faced with those big, bad MEANIES on the playground. I want her to feel brave 🙂
You can find out more now on my pinterest boards labeled Homeschool, 4 Year-Old Homeschool and Character Development.