The Early Years: Homeschooling 2 to 6 Year Olds Workshop by The Learning Basket

We’re going on a bear hunt.

We’re going to catch a big one.

What a beautiful day!

We’re not scared.

Those are the first four lines of our little Queen B’s current favorite book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. She loves it so much that J and I have already memorized the book after reading (well, more like singing) it to her countless of times. She also likes looking at the pictures and the ones in the grassy hill and the river must be her favorites because she kept going back to those pages.

We bought the book the day after I attended The Learning Basket’s The Early Years: Homeschooling 2 to 6 Year Olds workshop facilitated by Ms. Mariel Uyquiengco, a homeschooling mom of three, a Kindermusik teacher, and editor of The Learning Basket. Ms. Mariel used the book as an example of children’s books that we, parents, should invest in. The catchy tune, accompanying actions and the captivating pictures of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt will be able to stimulate a young child’s mind. Well, it sure did as evidenced by our little Queen B.

I attended the workshop because J and I are interested in homeschooling our Georgina. I first got curious with this way of educating children when I happen to observe the well behaved demeanour of our pastor’s two homeschooled children while in a fellowship gathering. Through their mommy Christine’s blog, I was able to follow their homeschooling journey. As I learn more about the advantages of homeschooling, the more I feel that it is how I want my little Queen B to be educated. Blessedly, J shares the same sentiment. 

But deciding to homeschool and actually doing it are two different things. Even though I am a fully trained teacher and have 10 years of teaching experience, all my education, trainings, and experiences are in the tertiary level. I have never handled a class of preschoolers or even elementary students. What should I teach? How to teach these topics? When should I start teaching? Can I really do this? These are just some of the questions that kept going through my mind. Thankfully, the workshop helped me answer these queries.

What to teach 2 to 6 year olds?

Back when we were living in my Mama’s house, the grandson of our neighbour has to stay for a few hours at our house. He even had dinner with us. Sadly, when his grandmother arrived he left our home without even saying thanks (The grandmother did not say thank you also). Certainly, being grateful is one attitude I will teach Georgina. I want her to grow up thankful for every courtesy and blessing (big or small) she’ll receive in life. 

Character-training, life skills, exploration, the arts, and readiness activities – these are the components of homeschooling the early years. These are the “lessons” parent-teachers should teach their young learners.

• Character-training is showing our kids the attitudes we want them to emulate. It also involves praising them when they exhibit the good behaviour and correcting them when they do the opposite.
• Life skills are abilities that we need to learn to be independent. Examples of life skills for 2 to 6 year olds are proper hygiene practices, doing household chores, and basic cooking or food preparation. (Happy to say that our almost 18^th month old little Queen B has been packing away her toys and books for months now.)
• Exploration is letting our child discover the world he lives in. This part could be as simple as walking around the neighbourhood or doing errands with your child. It could also mean travelling to different places. (As I love to travel, I’m so excited for this component of homeschooling.)
• In the Arts, we bring out the inner Picasso or hidden Mozart in our children. It involves drawing, painting, listening to different types of music, singing, and dancing. (I’ll let Daddy J teach the singing and dancing as I am tone deaf and have two left feet.)
• Readiness activities are activities that involve developing our kids’ gross motor skills, fine motor skills, math skills, auditory skills, and thinking skills. Development of these skills prepares or readies our children for other actions. For example, fine motor skill activities strengthen the fingers which are important in learning how to write.

How to teach 2 to 6 year olds?

Back when I was still a child, I used to play “titser-titseran” (playacting as teachers and students) with my cousins. We took turns to being the teacher and students. I remember buying a stenographer’s notebook for my lesson plans. I spent hours browsing through our encyclopedia for a topic for my lesson and when I have one I will rewrite it in my notebook. I even draw pictures. I was learning and at the same time having fun.

Play-based, sensorial, literature-rich, developmentally-appropriate, and unhurried – these are characteristics of homeschooling the early years. These are also how 2 to 6 year olds should be taught.

• Play-based. Children love to play and they learn a lot when playing. The benefits of play in terms of a child’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive well-being are well-researched.
• Sensorial. The 2 to 6 year old age bracket also learns through their senses. As any parent of a toddler would know, they are very curious. They like to touch, inspect, and sometimes (to our dismay) taste everything they are able to get a hold of.
• Literature-rich. For very young children, picture books are a great way to introduce various concepts. Ms. Mariel suggested picture books with awards like the Caldecott Medal.
• Developmentally-appropriate. It is important to know what our children can actually do and what they should be doing. Their “lessons” must be appropriate to their skills and knowledge. Challenges can be given to teach a new skill.
• Unhurried. Children develop and learn at different rates. Ms. Mariel reminded us that we should not force them to learn something they don’t want to yet. When they are applying for a job years from now, the age they learn to read will not matter anyway.

When to start teaching?

From the moment our children were born, we actually became their first teachers. By addressing their needs immediately, we teach them that they can rely on us. By frequently talking to them (avoid baby talk please!), we teach them language. Every situation can be a teaching moment. It is one of the beauties of homeschooling, according to Ms. Mariel, parent-teachers don’t need a classroom to start teaching. It can be done anytime and anywhere.

Can a parent really do this?

Anyone can actually homeschool their child especially the early years. Even though it is advisable that one parent stays at home, a lot of parents were able to homeschool despite both of them having flourishing careers. Even a single parent can do it with the right perspective and support system. Ms. Mariel cited her homeschoolers friends as examples of parents with different situations and yet were able to successfully homeschool their children. Ms. Mariel also shared to us snippets of her family’s homeschooling journey.  It was inspiring to know their stories.

Ms. Mariel reminded us that childhood happens only once and is fleeting. Instead of focusing on academic skills, we should encourage and facilitate acquisition of intellectual skills in our children. We should not pressure them to read, write and do arithmetic especially the 2 to 6 year old age bracket. Very young children must be allowed to enjoy their childhood and just be presented with activities that will pique their natural curiosities and promote enthusiasm for life-long learning.

Yours truly with our wonderful speaker, Ms. Mariel. 

The long drive to the workshop’s venue is totally worth it! I am now more confident of our choice about our little Queen B’s education. It was also wonderful to know that there is now more support system to homeschoolers. Our workshop venue Learning Plus, located at the upper ground floor of Fun Ranch, is actually an educational shop for homeschoolers though everyone is welcome at their store. We were also able to buy handmade play dough from Little Human & Co. and non-toxic tempera paints from Ma’am and Mom’s. Little Human & Co and Ma’am and Mom’s along with Johnsons’s Baby, The Parenting Emporium, and Mama Chows Lactation Cookies were the event sponsors.

Non-toxic tempera paints and handmade play dough. 

Here is our little Queen B honing her fine motor skills with the play dough. I bought the rolling pin and shape cutters from Daiso in Nuvali. 

She also had a blast finger painting with the tempera paints. I hand sew her tiny apron. 

And this is her finished product. We are now accepting art commissions. Discounts will be given to relatives and friends. LOL 

After the workshop, we took the opportunity to roam around Fun Ranch. Our little Queen B is still too small for most of the rides but she did enjoy her Train and Carousel Rides.

Please pray for our homeschooling journey!

#xoxo