Bible, some scratch paper, a pen! Write
your favorite verses down, and begin
over breakfast when your preschooler is
a captive audience with her mouth full of
Cheerios and her ears wide open to hear.
Those littlest ones will be memorizing
circles around you in no time.
What else would go into that great big
preschool toolbox I’d give to my friend?
Books. Picture books and nonfiction and
classic children’s books and nature books
and books about art and books about
God. Books about topics you love (think:
surfing, food, pets, cars, camping, etc.).
Piles of books from garage sales, baskets
of books from the library. Opened, read
aloud, and read aloud again.
I’d include as many age-appropriate art
supplies as I could fit into the box: crayons, colored pencils, scratch paper, and
finger paints are all standards, but I’d also
make room for washable markers, yum-my-smelling play dough and stamps—
but no glitter. That would just be mean.
There would be room for toys that
stretch the imagination and teach
through playing. There’s so much value
in lining up cars, building a train track,
nurturing a baby doll, and peddling a
trike as fast as the wind. Little neurons
are fired and problems are solved; no
worksheet can do the same job as quickly or as thoroughly.
I’d send her an i Tunes gift card to purchase wonderful music that would fill
the ears of everyone in her home: classical standards, praise music, tunes from
around the world, peppy jazz, and fun
children’s ditties like “Row, Row, Row
Your Boat” and “London Bridge.” I’d encourage her to create a playlist to accompany breakfast, one that might soothe a
sleepy or frightened child, and one with
which to dance around the kitchen like
crazy people on a mission to get the dinner dishes washed while having as much
fun as possible.
And bubble bath. I’d include bubble
bath in two scents: one for the little guys
and one for her. Homeschooling preschoolers is hard work, and sometimes the
most restful end of the day is one enjoyed
in deep, warm water with a magazine and
a glass of something cold in hand. Mamas
(or aunties) of homeschooled preschoolers need plenty of time to recharge.
I’m already praying for my young
friend who is contemplating the serious
matter of homeschooling her nephews.
She’s going to need the Holy Spirit to
whisper gently in her ear and remind her
during the most challenging days why
she began this whole thing in the first
place. She’s going to need reminding that
her successes and failures are laid bare at
the cross, where Jesus did it all already,
and where she can rest in the knowledge
that He loves her and those two sweet
children more wholly than anyone else
ever will. As with anything God calls
us to do, she’ll be equipped with exactly
what He wants her to have, whether or
not I’ve included it in her great big pre-
school toolbox.
Kendra Fletcher is the homeschooling mother
of eight, aged 19 down to 4. She has never
known what it means to homeschool without
the presence of preschoolers and loves to encourage other moms who are beginning their
homeschool journeys with little ones underfoot. Kendra reviews for the TOS Homeschool
Crew and is the author of a popular E-Book
about creating a Circle Time for your homeschool. Her website and blog can be found at
www.preschoolersandpeace.com.
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