Preschool Homeschool Curriculum Choices

I'm launching into my fifth and final round of preschool. After this year, I'll have no PRE...just school. And that sad reality, like all of life's lasts, makes me pause and reflect.

The first time around the preschool block found me ordering all the stuff and checking all the boxes. Like most first-time homeschool moms, I wanted preschool to feel REAL. I wanted it to mirror the "school" that I was used to. I found validation in "formal."

But with each preschooler, I slowly tossed all the fluff and started gathering the things that really mattered. You'll find no printable worksheets here because I'm not after a cut-and-paste education. On my fifth time around, my list of great resources has grown. And yet, QUALITY always rules out over QUANTITY.

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In the end, all my preschooler really needs is a firm grasp of the alphabet and good books. The end. And to be honest, even the whole "alphabet" thing is negotiable.

So here's my list of the best preschool "curriculum"...ten years in the making.

Family learning

Because we choose to HOMEschool, a lot of our learning is done family style. While my four-year-old will not always understand the books we read together for history, science, or even Bible, he'll always be welcome to climb up into my lap and listen. In doing so, he'll be learning. Here's what we'll be using for family learning>>>

Personal Devotions

• See With Me Bible- He can't read yet. But, other than a few chapter titles, this Bible has no words. It is strictly pictures and tells complete Bible stories frame-by-frame.

Phonics/Alphabet

While I use the ABeka K-4 book, I only use it for phonics. And even then, I use it very loosely for a skeletal scope-and-sequence. For the most part, I prefer to make my own lesson plans by combining hands-on activities and living literature books.

For that, we will use the following materials:

• Alphabet bag
• A homemade ABC book
• The Sharon Picture Word Book- This is a classic picture "dictionary" that shows pictures/words for each letter of the alphabet.
• The American Speller (only the first half)- This is an absolutely beautiful vintage book that teaches both the basic alphabet sounds and special digraphs through illustrations and narratives. 
• homespun letter-of-the-week lessons

Cognitive Development/Learning Skills

• Can You Find Me?
• Developing the Early Learner books 2, 3, and 4

(Apart from phonics/alphabet learning, I don't ever separate preschool into subjects. It's just simply not necessary. At this age, children do not have the cognitive skills needed to compartmentalize topics by subjects such as "science" or "history."  But, I realize that most people feel more comfortable keeping everything in a neat little box. So, from here on out, I will list out resources by "subject." Please note, however, that this is mostly just a glorified book list of wonderful resources that I will intentionally read with my son throughout the year.)

Literature

• Books Every Preschooler Should Enjoy
• Best Loved Nursery Rhymes and Songs
• A Treasury of Peter Rabbit and Other Stories
• Richard Scarry's Best Story Book Ever

Science

• The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
• The Year at Maple Hill Farm- I will read each "month" portion at the start of that particular month. 
• Wild Animal Baby magazine- I was able to find a large collection of outdated preschool animal magazines at a garage sale a few months ago. As part of their child-of-the-day responsibilities, my oldest four kids will rotate throughout the week and read a short section of one of these magazines to their younger brother. He will be learning and they will be practicing their reading skills AND fostering great sibling connections. 

Social Studies 

• People
• Things People Do
• What Do People Do All Day?
• Give Your Child the World- select title suggestions from the 4-6 year-old category

My son is a snuggler. If he could be super glued to my lap, he would be. With lots of books at our side, we'll be carving out plenty of snuggle time this year. No curriculum needed!