Homeschool Preschool: What I’d Do Differently (If I Could Start Over)
Planning high school can do strange things to homeschool moms. You begin thinking about transcripts and credit hours. Then, somehow, your mind travels back to preschool days.
It’s easy to wonder where the time went and start thinking about how all the decisions you made back then led to where you are now. That’s where I found myself recently. So, I decided to turn it into something useful.
If you’re just getting started with homeschool preschool, these tips are for you. If I could whisper something to my preschool mom self, it would be this: you’re overcomplicating it. Here’s what I’d do differently.
Stop Recreating School at Home
Your house isn’t a classroom, and that’s a good thing. That’s the first thing I would say to any new homeschool preschool mom.
When we started our homeschooling journey, I fell for pretty color-coded schedules just like everyone else. Picture schedules on the wall, circle time, and structured lessons felt like “doing it right.”
It didn’t take long to realize those Pinterest-worthy schedules were totally unrealistic for us. It’s difficult to get preschoolers to follow any kind of schedule consistently, no matter how colorful.
Ultimately, preschoolers don’t need you to recreate a classroom at home. They need a patient parent, a safe place to play and explore, and time to let their curiosity run wild. Kids learn best through play, talking with you, and helping with real tasks.
Helping you make lunch, fold clothes, or ask a million questions about the rain is where the real learning happens at this age. Let real life be your curriculum and leave the rest behind. Check out our Playful & Purposeful Preschool Bundle for advice on fostering connection, learning through play, and keeping your kids little.
Read More Books
One of my favorite parts of homeschooling has always been reading books together. If I could have more afternoons curled up on the couch together, working through a stack of picture books from the library. If I could go back to the preschool years, I’d do more read-alouds.
Beautiful picture books do a lot of heavy lifting in the preschool years! Vocabulary, print awareness, listening skills, and a love of stories all start with great books. Plus, they allow you to build a strong connection to carry you through the hard days in your homeschool.
I know what you’re thinking. Is reading books together really enough? Yes! Don’t worry about whether the books are “educational enough.”
Just read what your child loves. Then, read it again when they ask. Read it a third time because a rich read-aloud life is the foundation on which everything else gets built.
If you’re looking for more great picture books to enjoy with your preschoolers, don’t miss our list of 40+ Books That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud. It’s filled with hilarious books you don’t want to miss reading together this year.
Play More Games
I wish I had a nickel for every time I convinced myself that playing games didn’t count as a homeschool preschool lesson. Games are something I underestimated in those early days, and I really wish I hadn’t.
Later in our homeschooling journey, Emily really struggled with math. It became a battleground for us until I finally decided to back off and just play math games together for a while. She hated math, but she loved games, so that interest led the way.
We chose games that helped to build the skills I wanted her to practice. Before I knew it, she wasn’t just understanding the math, she was enjoying it! Games did what textbooks and worksheets never could. Grab our Guide to Gameschooling for game suggestions the whole family will enjoy.
That experience taught me something I wish I’d known in our homeschool preschool. Simple games, even Candy Land, are quietly doing a lot of work. Preschoolers learn to take turns, handle losing (harder than it sounds), and follow multi-step directions.
Focus on Fine Motor Skills First
In the early days of our homeschool preschool, I spent way too much time worrying about letters and numbers. I wish I had focused on building strong finger muscles first. Writing is hard! It requires strength and coordination that most preschoolers don’t have.
Pushing pencils and writing before your preschooler is ready can create frustration and reluctant writers later on. I wish I had learned this lesson earlier in our homeschooling journey. Here’s what really helps:
- Mastering scissor skills (even cutting scraps of paper into confetti counts)
- Pinching and squeezing with play dough, tweezers, and water guns
- Sorting small objects like beans, beads, pom poms, and buttons
- Treading with lacing cards, beads on a string, or dry pasta (cereal necklaces are fun)
Letters can wait, but the fine motor work can’t. It’s what will build the hand strength that makes writing and tying shoes feel natural when the time comes.
Say Yes to More Sensory Play
Sensory play wasn’t always my favorite. The cleanup alone was enough to make me hesitate, and I probably said no more than I should have. Looking back, sensory messes were more valuable than I realized.
Sensory play gives kids a hands-on way to explore textures, increase focus, and constructively work through physical energy even when you’re stuck indoors. Plus, it’s also one of those things kids love without needing to be convinced.
Fortunately, sensory play can be simple. You don’t have to go all out. Here are some ideas that are easy to set up and clean up
- A bin of dry rice or beans with spoons and measuring cups
- Water play at the kitchen sink with a bit of dish soap
- Shaving cream and a few drops of food coloring spread on a tray
Pick just one sensory activity to do occasionally. Say yes more than no. That’s all there is to it.
Follow Your Child’s Interests
This lesson is hard, and it’s one I wish I had learned even before all the others. Your child will let you know what they want to learn about. It’s your job to listen.
It has played out so many times in our homeschool. One of my favorite examples happened when a group of vultures broke into our trash. Emily watched them in the yard and suddenly asked, “What is a group of vultures called?”
One of our homeschool rules is that we don’t leave questions unanswered, so we had to find out. By the end of the day, we had learned hundreds of things about vultures without a lesson plan or a curriculum.
That same principle works while you homeschool preschool too. When you follow your child’s latest obsession, the learning sticks. Interest-led learning naturally grows into unit studies. Learning happens because kids are curious, not because you handed them a textbook. When you follow their passions, it will lead you somewhere amazing.
What I’d Let Go Of
I’d let go of all the comparing, all the overplanning, and the nagging worry that I wasn’t doing enough. I’d toss the fear that I wasn’t “doing it right” too. I used to feel so guilty about days that didn’t look like what I thought homeschool preschool should be.
There were days when we watched a documentary instead of opening a workbook, or spent the morning with questions and glue sticks instead of checking off my color-coded planning boxes. That’s when the question “Did we actually do school today?” would make me feel unsettled.
I’ve learned that the answer, almost always, is yes. We just have to unlearn what we think school is supposed to look like. If I could go back, I’d let go of the curriculum guilt. I’d abandon the feeling that if I wasn’t using a boxed program, I was somehow behind.
Then, I’d stop measuring our days against what someone else posted online. I’d trust the slow, quiet, ordinary moments more than a stranger’s social media feed. Your homeschool preschool doesn’t have to be impressive. It doesn’t have to look good in photos.
Give yourself permission to do less than you think you need to do. It really is enough. Trust that you’re doing more than you realize on ordinary days.
More Homeschool Preschool Resources
If you’re looking for more help as you plan your homeschool preschool days, check out these tips and resources:
If you’re ready to make your homeschool preschool days a little simpler and a lot more fun, I’ve created something to help you do exactly that. The Playful & Purposeful Preschool Bundle takes everything we talked about in this post and turns it into something you can actually use day to day… with a simple plan, hands-on activities, and printable resources that make learning feel like play. So instead of wondering what to do next, you have it ready.
