Help! My child goes to preschool… What do we do at home?

When parents enroll their children in school, whether it’s day care, preschool, or grade school, they often ask teachers: How can I support what my child is learning at home? Are there homework assignments? Activities I should have my child working on?

Montessori schools are different in that we rarely assign homework or ask families to work on things at home, though there seems to be growing support for this. Even in preschool, children are working on basic math skills, learning letter sounds, and learning simple biology.

Play

Play is the number one thing I recommend to parents. Specifically, free play. I encourage families to find open ended toys to play with. Open ended toys support a child’s creativity, confidence, and they will even learn a thing or two! Children learn about many things when they play with open ended toys. For one, reactions and physics. Watch a child play with a rolling ball or build a tower. He is watching how the toy is interacting with the world, experimenting with gravity and balance.

Outdoor free play is also important. Soccer needs only a few people and a soccer ball. It may not be regulation, but is a great experience for children. Before playing, children will have to decide what the goals will be and where the boundaries of the “field” are. If there are enough players, they will have to figure out teams and positions. Children will need to agree on rules. After that is sorted out, healthy gross motor activity will commence!

Other activities are exploring outdoors, whether that is in your own backyard, the woods, or a park. Their imaginations can really go wild outside. The swing set is a pirate ship, that caterpillar is fascinating, and a collection of acorns is treasure.

Some of our favorites are:

• Unit blocks
• LEGO classic creator sets
• Dolls – these are sometimes close ended, but children also explore social interactions and role play ideas in very creative ways.
• Simple art supplies, such as: white paper, colored pencils, paint
• Flashlights
• Blankets
• Balls

Read!

In addition to play, which is so important for children, I always recommend parents read with their children. Even infants love to be read to! They may not comprehend as much as an older child, but they enjoy the closeness and the sound of your voice.

Reading to children can be a wonderful bonding experience. Snuggling with or sitting near your child while you read a book not only is enjoyable, but is educational. It can help develop empathy and imagination. It can expand understanding and vocabulary. Plus, the more you read with your child, the more likely they are to enjoy reading themselves.

I also encourage parents to continue to read even after their child has learned to read independently. As children get older, finding a book above their reading level, but within their comprehension, is best. I have fond memories of my mom still reading to me through elementary school! By the time I elementary school ended, it was usually one once or twice a week. But we still have happy memories of the books she read.

Inclusion in Home Life

Primary Montessori classrooms have a dedicated “practical life” area. On the shelves children find pouring, scooping, and tonging activities. Children will practice polishing metal and shoes. They will learn to tie a bow, sew a button, and so many other useful skills. Setting up your own practical life area is not necessary. Instead, we encourage families to include their children in these everyday activities.

When you’re making dinner, have your child slice the cucumbers for the salad or stir the pot. At breakfast time, let them scoop cereal for themselves and pour the milk. When you’re cleaning the house, give them a squirt bottle and a cloth, and invite them to clean the windows. Open the door and let them climb in the car themselves or fasten their own buckles (just make sure to make sure they are safely secured after!)

When children start doing these things for themselves, it will inevitably take longer. Also, it will probably not be done to your standards. The other day, my 2 year old chopped cucumbers for dinner. They were huge slices! But she was doing her best and it did not matter to me. What mattered was that she was proud of her work and was happy to eat the cucumbers.

For more ideas on helping your child be more independent in your home, see my earlier post, here.

What You Don’t Need to Do

Don’t push the academics outside of school time. Young children are often very curious about the world and eager to learn. Parents absolutely can support this! With my toddlers, we spent a lot of time counting objects, noticing colors, and building vocabulary. Now that my oldest is in kindergarten, I may have her practice things she learns in school in real life. She is learning fractions, so when I was baking, I asked her to find the 1/2 teaspoon. Sometimes she asks what words say, so I have her sound it out. But we keep dedicated academic activities to school time.

This is not to say academics are bad at home, but we don’t need to stress about it.

Final Thoughts

Let kids be kids! Let them play, read with them, give them the time to have free play, and minimize structured activities. I believe there are benefits to structured extracurriculars, but follow your child’s interests and avoid over-scheduling. Including them in the household chores and tasks is great for skill building, confidence building, and independence.