Want to Homeschool My Kids

At 4 and 2 they have very short attention spans. You cannot expect them to sit still and listen to you. Find ways to keep them active. I suggest that at this age nearly all of their learning is done thru active play. I thought Montessori taught this. Provide them with objects and let them discover what they can do with them. Perhaps participate in their play and direct them but don't try to take over and be the teacher.

Perhaps I don't understand what you mean by "not accepting me in a role as teacher." It might help if you'd give us an example or two.

Your two year old is too little. If your 4 yr old is not giving you the attention span, don't worry, there will be time later on when he will pay attention. From what I remember, Montessori encourages the child to lead with their interest...at least somewhat.

There are somewhat recent studies showing that there is no advantage (actually showing there might be disadvantages) to teaching your children too young. Their brains are still developing and if you teach them something too young, they develop a "less efficient pathway" in the brain. This creates comprehension issues later on and an inability to learn something as deeply. Whereas if you want until they are older (or until they are interested), then they will develop a "more efficient pathway" in their brain, allowing for deeper comprehension and building from there.

I am a homeschooling mom, and you have to really pay attention to your children and when they are ready for something. I know it can be hard to wait, but I definitely wouldn't do anything but offer craft activities for your 2 year old (letting him/her choose whether to play with it or not) and then for your four year old, he might not be interested. A couple weeks after my son turned 4 yrs old, I had him watch Leap Frog Letter Factory. He only knew his alphabet at this point. He didn't know any sounds. I tried doing daily activities to teach sounds, but it was TOO boring for him and he could have cared less. When he watched Leap Frog Letter Factory, it presented it in a way that was interested to him, and he learned all his letter sounds in two days. Then about four months later, he was up to first grade level reading.

So, sometimes you have to wait until they are ready. And sometimes you need to try a different approach with the teaching. And, if they take longer than you wnat to be ready for something - don't worry about it. It will not make them behind later on. It just means they'll learn it faster and with a deeper comprehension than they would have before. With my son, once he reached 1st grade level reading, he become disinterested in learning more. He was only four, so we stopped.

My oldest daughter is speech and hearing delayed. Mentally she's all there, but having her speech/hearing issues HAS caused a delay for her. She's learned how to read on a basic level, but she has a hard time with the flow of the language or putting sentences together. She can speak and put sentences together. But some of her activities have a jumbled sentence that she is supposed to put together properly, and she struggles. She's behind in all areas. At first I felt pressured to push her, but I realized she just needs more time and she'll develop more and have more of an understanding when it's time for HER. This year I plan on really going for it. She seems ready. She's interested and WANTS to learn these things (finally).

Anywya, I'm rambling. So, I'd suggest not worrying at all about your 2 yr old. Just play and do crafts. Then your 4 year old - do similar. He's only four. Let his interest lead the way. He might be 6-7 before he's really going to take off with it. This is what I've heard other homeschooling families say too. Good luck!

Some kids just can't be homeschooled no matter how much you want to do it. There is no point to having children hate learning because mom wants to teach them. There is NO WAY I could have home schooled my children -- they did not want me in the role as teacher. I am their mom.
What I did was the fun stuff - we went to museums, we went to parks, we played in the dirt, we cooked and baked... They learn doing all of these things, but it's not the structured learning they got at school.
We were always available to help when they didn't understand a concept or to check their homework. We were not the teachers -- we were the parents.
My suggestion to you is to work at a Montessori school and put your children in a different class.
LBC

It's the short attention span of the ages you are working with. Start simple with about five minutes a day with each thing you are working on and gradually build up to longer times. Especially with the two year old. Also, don't get in a hurry to teach them everything right now. The education comes in daily life at this age. They are looking and listening and experimenting with the world around them. It doesn't have to be a formal teacher/student situation right now. You will stress yourself out and make them edgy about "education" if you try to force too much too soon.

It's hard to tell from your brief description, but if you've had Montessori training, you have learned the importance of trusting the child to explore and practice as she becomes ready for it and curious about it. When kids are invested in what they are doing, they will go all out. If it's being pushed at them, they won't.

Are you pushing? Or are you trusting your children to learn as they are ready and able? If you want too badly to prove yourself, I think that it's harder to stand back and not be too emotionally entangled with your own children. For exactly that reason, surgeons don't operate on their own kids.

You want to give them so much that others can't give them. But you can't do it all at the ages of 4 and 2, and all that wanting can get in your way. The best thing you can give them is to watch them, "see" them deeply, learn who they are and what they need, and follow that. You already know this in your heart, so relax and let life flow.

I am also a Montssori teacher turned homeschool parent. I have found the part of my training I use most is not so much use of specific materials but the philosophy. Just as I used to set up my classroom, I now set up my home - a structure within which the child can be free. It does not look just like a classroom, because it is our home, but I incorporate aspects of the Montessori curriculum. At 2 and 4 your kids would probably respond eagerly to lessons in Practical life and sensorial. Taking them through lessons in these areas of the curriculum will set up the structure of the lesson itself. Remember that in Montessori we follow the child. Observe them and determine what grabs their attention, then get creative. You can teach your children anything if the lesson is disguised as play. Make it fun and relevant to them. Have fun!!

I am a homeschooling mom. Our oldest is 5 then we have a 3 year old and a 1.5 year old. We are concentrating on our oldest who is a kindergartener. Our style is eclectic, so we do some worksheets and computer games, but mostly we do hands on activities and life experiences. When we first started homeschooling, unofficially, our daughter was 4. I was really unsure if it would work out. Since then she has changed so much and after this first official week, I think she is sold that homeschooling is fun. A friend of ours introduced us to the Leap Frog Letter factory almost a year ago and not only can my 5 year old now read but my 3 year old is not too far behind. I agree with one of the previous posts that mentioned that video, that it got the children interested and gave them catchy songs to be able to remember the sounds.

Speaking from a mom who has a strong-willed child who happens to be 3, children will surprise you. Just a year ago I never thought I would be able to teach him but after seeing how interested he is now at 3, I think we'll be fine. Once your 4 year old becomes interested, your 2 year old will want to follow suit.

Here are some tips that have helped us:
-Teach them using topics that they are very interested in. Last year we used african animals. This year so far, we are using birds.
-Being flexible is a great way to allow them to be included in the decisions. -Allowing them to decide what they would like to do but letting them know that before the day is done they do have to complete all of the activities.
-Allow life to happen and use that as a teaching opportunity. Just this past Friday we found a praying manits so we used that to teach her for the day. We did research on the computer, watched videos on youtube about them and then we captured it to study it closely. Of course we then released it but the kids loved it, including our 1 year old. When I asked our 5 year old what her favorite part of this past week was, she said learning about the praying mantis.
-Try not calling it school. Try just making it play time, coloring time, activity time, etc.

Don't get discouraged. I am one who believes that if you are firm with your kids that they will be homeschooled, they will respect you as their teacher when they are ready.

I suspect you are trying to do too much with kids who are still really young. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Children this young only need an hour or less of "schooling" at this age. Anything more is probably just too much. They developmentally do not have the attention span of older children. And developmentally, children this young learn through play.

You don't say what type of curriculum your "school" uses, but you might want to start tweeking there. Avoid workbooks, and "desk" time. Alot of homeschool beginners make the mistake of trying to recreate a bricks and mortar school at home, and this seldom works for anyone.

You have to think outside the box with homeschooling...otherwise you ought to just send your children to a traditional school.

Any chance you could join a co-op in your area? You might greatly benefit from meeting up with actual homeschooling families (particularly very seasoned families) and glean some support, guidance, knowledge and ideas from them. While no two homeschools are run the same, you can learn greatly from the mistakes and wisdom of others who have gone before you.

Most homeschooling preschoolers will use some sort of pre-reading/phonics curriculum.

These are popular choices:

www.hop.com
www.http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/d...

For math, alot of people use Saxon Math, Math U See, Singapore Math or The Right Start Math curriculums. They all have different approaches, but all utilize manipulatives and visuals to drive interest and help with abstract concepts. Just do a search on amazon or go to their web pages directly by googling to get more details on each one.

Include some type of art, handwriting, and a review of basic concepts like colors, shapes, etc. That's more than enough for the formal curriculum for preschool. The rest of his learning should be through play, visits to museums, zoos, and other educational activities.

You also might benefit from reading books on designing curriculums for homeschoolers.

A widely used resource by many homeschoolers is a book titled "The well trained mind" by Susan Wise Bauer. See:

http://www.amazon.com/Well-Trained-Mind-Guide-Classical-E...

There is also an accompanying website with resources at:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/

Many homeschoolers also use the Core Knowledge, What your "N-th" grader should know" series. See:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_21?url=search-al...

Lastly, www.hslda.org is a great resource too. Click on the button that says "You can homeschool" and read everything in this section. Especially the getting started section. It addresses the challenges parents experience with preschool/early learners. The resources are priceless. I highly recommend the section on discovering your child's learning style. This will help you determine which type of curriculum your child will respond to, based on their learning style.

Some kids are visual, others auditory, some are kinesthetic. Finding out which type of kid you have will make a big difference in the type of resources and curriculum you will ultimately invest in. Perhaps the tools you are using just aren't clicking with your child's learning style.

4 and (especially) 2 is really young for structured lessons.
The reason kindergarten starts at age 5 is because that is the time most children are developmentally ready to function in a group, follow directions and sit still and focus for short periods at a time.
At this point they probably are not interested in doing "school." They are still at the age where they learn by doing/playing. Cook with them (measuring, following directions) take them to museums (art and science activities) do crafts with markers, play doh, paints, scissors, glue (develops fine motor/writing skills) work in the garden, or pots if you don't have a yard (measuring, science) provide them with puzzles and building toys (problem solving) and of course read to them every day!
When your 4 year old gets closer to 5 you can try to do some more structured work and see how it goes. You might also consider letting your children go to school FIRST before making the decision to home school. They may actually love it and thrive there, but you'll never know unless you give it a try :)

First you say they are not accepting you in the role of teacher. That they don't let me finish on any one thing.

2 is a little young - their attention span is very short. 5 is kindergarten age. 4 is good for unstructured participation.

However, when you do start your classroom you must demand respect. You can do so nicely but just letting them know who is boss. Afterall - Who is the teacher = you or your kids? Who is the parent - you or your kids. Who makes the rules - you or your kids? Who is the adult - you or your kids?

N.

Every homeschooler outsources some teaching on some subjects. Connect with your local homeschool group and see what other parents are doing. There are certain things my kids can't/won't learn from me. That's okay. They learn it from someone else. Flexibility is one of the joys of homeschooling.

Also, you can use peer pressure. Start a small homeschool class in your home. Bring some other preschoolers in and show them the stuff you want to show them. Have your son be just one of the kids in the class. If he's the least interested kid in the class, that's okay. The other kids can model interest, and he can figure it out by mimicking them.

Have fun!

I am a home school mom. Started both of mine at age 4 in Kindergarten. They are now 7 (3rd grade) and 4 (1st grade). I agree that it's hard to expect too much at 2 and 4. They are easily distracted at this age, nothing personal towards you. You want them to be comfortable with you. It's one of the advantages of being home school by a parent :) I think it's always hard starting out trying to find the teacher/student relationship in the beginning. Take a breath and relax a bit. Your learning too. You might want to have a few rules that you want to go over and get established early on but be a bit bendy at first, it's all new to them. I wouldn't have more than two or three at the most. Most of all try and see it from their point of view. Mommy is now a teacher, the role is different than before. I disagree with the mom that says that their children didn't want her as a teacher. I think she didn't want to be their teacher and then they came to that conclusion. If you have the desire and the support needed in the first few years it is possible. I mean who is going to care more about their education than you? Hang on, it can be frustrating but this will pass and you guys will find your on way of schooling :)
C.