Help me teach my child...

Sammysu

DD#2 is in preschool and the days that she doesnt go there, I work with her at home. The public schools in our area are no good and I cant afford for her to go to private school with her big sis next year when she goes to Kindergarten. I am really looking into Homeschooling her.

Problem: When I work with her at home, it is VERY frustrating at times. She practices her letters everyday at school and practices writing her name. But when DH and I sit down with her she acts like she doesnt know what she is doing and eventually starts crying. I dont know how to get her out of this habit and it is discouraging me from homeschooling her next year.

What are things that I can do? Also, if you homeschool how did you get started? Is it going to be expensive for me to begin homeschooling?

DandelionMom

Make it fun and simple at first so she gains confidence and enjoys working at home.  You can introduce more challenging things later, for now stick with small goals. 

Think outside of the box (instead of writing letters on paper she can write them with her finger in a plateful of pudding, instead of reciting numbers start counting steps when you go up the stairs, play silly rhyming games when you're in the car). 

Use the computer (my girls love starfall.com, and the pbs and nick junior websites). 

Provide her with lots of paper, paint, glue, etc.  Play lots of board games.

And above all spend a lot of time reading.  Studies show that reading to your children (and with your children and around your children) is one of the best educational things you can do.   

sweetsurrender9

Today in the Pre K program that I work in, the teachers wrote the kids' names on paper, then wrote their names again, cut the letters apart, and had the kids match up the letters to spell their names properly.  Then they glued them to make their name. 

The kids really enjoyed putting their name "puzzle" together. 

CubbyMama

The second blog in my sig has lots of ideas geared toward teaching kids at home without making it into a chore.  Let me know if that's helpful or not...I think the best things you can do is make sure to surround her with letters, numbers, and words so that they're a part of your everyday life, rather than sitting down to do a specific lesson with her at this age.  Keep in mind that research shows the ONLY proven predictor of academic success in children is whether and how often they are read to at home.  Don't stress and turn learning into a high-pressure situation for her--just read to her, have foam letters in the bathtub to play/spell with, and try to work learning into playtime.  GL!

*itsmepin*

I have the same problem with DS.

My MIL a (k-1 grade teacher for 30+ yrs) gave me good advice.

He is 4, you're his mom not his teacher. While you have the capability to teach him, he is not used to you doing it in a structured environment. So give both of yourselves time.

 

So today's lesson was G. I took him outside with a writing tablet and big pencil. On the writing tablet I had the words "green", "grass", written big on a paper. Then next to it same words that he could trace, then blank area for him to try.

he likes being outside and getting on his belly to write. I found what works for him at home with us. Inside we made green goo aka homemade green playdoh.