Getting your preschooler ready for school is not as hard as you may think. Just by doing some simple things at home you can get your little one all ready for school and give them a leg up on the others.
Preschool is a strange concept to me. I think it is because I did not go to one. My preschool was going to my grandma’s house or spending time with my parents. My grandma was a retired teacher, and she taught me all sorts of things. In fact, before I stepped foot into my kindergarten classroom, I was already able to read and count to 100.
My daughter did go to preschool and my son will, too, but I am not relying on the school to teach my kids what they need to know. My daughter is an art fanatic, and we have used that to play to her strengths and desires. For instance, having her do workbooks that she can color and count with or even show her how writing words on pictures is fun. She used to draw pictures for all of our neighbors and wanted to write their names on them before delivering them. This helped us to get her name ingrained in her before she ever stepped into her preschool class.
Learning should be interesting. We mess up education by formalizing it and shoving a singular method down the student’s throat. Instead, if we make it something enjoyable that they can relate to, we are certain to get the lesson internalized.
My grandma knew I loved animals as a kid, and she used that to get me interested in reading. She gave me cards with facts about different animals. I would read them with her and then reread them from memory. Eventually, the words started to take form in my mind.
No one knows your child better than you do. What are they interested in? How can you use this to help them learn something you want to teach them? Do not simply buy them books about cars because they like cars and expect a miracle. Instead, teach them the types of cars in the books and have them point out the words describing that car. You will be amazed at how quickly they associate the words.
Learning is something we do because we are curious. We do not read about stuff or learn about something that does not interest us, we should not expect our children to want to do the same thing. Find a way to use their likes towards something you want them to learn.