I occasionally hear about someone who wants to start a preschool group. They aren’t sending their child to preschool, but they want to offer their child a preschool experience, complete with classmates. They start working on lesson plans and begin looking for some other kids.
The problem is that young children don’t need a preschool in order to learn. They learn best by following you around and “helping”! They learn by playing and by imitating you. They observe what is happening in their world. They listen to stories. They need to be active. They need to do things! They don’t need lessons, and they especially don’t need group instruction.
The person who needs a group is you! I encourage you to join or form a mom’s group, or start attending weekly homeschool park days. Arrange to meet at a park or meet at a home. The kids can play (alone or together) and you can enjoy some adult chatting while supervising your child. Admittedly, some of that adult time will be spent on-the-move as you walk around the park keeping your child safe, but it’s still more fun than being at the park alone! The difference with this group is that the focus is on your needs as the parent of a preschool aged child, rather than trying to do group lessons for the children.
A play group or park day group will keep you from feeling isolated and it can be such a break from your usual routine. You’ll also receive support from parents who are going through similar issues as you are. Don’t expect your young child to necessarily play with the other children in your group. Young children are often happier watching others or playing by themselves. Just make sure they are safe and then enjoy your break!
If you have questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you! Email your questions and ideas to KarenTaylor@UniversalPreschool.com or post directly to unpreschool@yahoogroups.com and we can chat there!
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*Karen Taylor provides regular homeschooling information and mentoring on Facebook and she is the director of Cedar Life Academy, a Private School Satellite Program (PSP) for homeschoolers in California.
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