Pre-school at home: You can do it!

You made the decision to homeschool your pre-schooler, and then googled (of course you did!) “homeschool” and “pre-school”, and were met with a flood of websites, images and ideas.

It can feel completely daunting and scary. Maybe you will be struck by three things (like I was…).

First, that there is an overwhelming number of websites with ideas and advice on how to do this. Second, not very many of them actually give a formal curriculum or programme for homeschooling a preschooler, especially if you don’t want your toddler glued to a device all day (but there are lots for Grades R and up). Last, there are even fewer that are South African focused... but there are some. We gathered a list of those that we hope will get you started and inspired.

There are a couple of South Africanbased websites that bring together ideas and resources, and will link you to a community of homeschooling parents. Starting Homeschooling (startinghomeschooling.co.za) even offers a six-week “starting homeschooling’” webinar course aimed at parents, presented by Shirley Erwee, who educated all six of her children at home, and is now a homeschooling activist and materials developer.

Another is: Tuisskolers: Association for Homeschooling (tuisskolers.org or sahomeschoolers.org) – while mainly focused on Grade R and older, there are some good articles on getting started, the legal requirements, and links to articles, resources, blogs and forums.

The Homeschooling Curriculum Guide website (homeschooling-curriculumguide.com), run by another veteran South African homeschooling mom, Willemien Kruger, has lots of articles on getting started, as well as a very useful section on the 0 to 5 years age group, with links to free activities, child development guides and suggestions for books she has found helpful.

The Department of Education has published a set of downloadable PDFs with National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) outcomes-based themes and lesson plans for pre-schoolers aged 3 to 6 years (preschoolthemes.co.za/ caps-outcomes.html). This is also a good starting guide for planning your own curriculum, and ideal if you plan to send your child onto an on-site school for their primary years. The Department has also developed downloadable booklets, in each of the 11 official South African languages, that outline the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for children 0 to 4 years (education.gov.za/Curriculum/NationalCu rriculumFrameworkforChildrenfromBirtht oFour.aspx) – another good place to start if you are developing your own curriculum. See our books feature on page 116 for some truly useful books that are also in line with the curriculum.

One of the first decisions you will need to make is whether to follow a specific curriculum or programme (and which philosophy: mainstream, Waldorf, Montessori, or one with a religious framework, for example) or take a more eclectic approach and develop your own curriculum.

When making your decision, a great piece of advice is to “start as you mean to go on”. What that means is if you also plan to homeschool your child for primary school, it is a good idea to choose a preschool curriculum that will get your child ready to engage with the same primary curriculum. For example, formal British reading and writing programmes start at an earlier age than South African, Australian or even American ones, so your child will not feel “ahead” or “left behind” in another system later. gives day-by-day (171, in fact) instructions for school readiness: (allinonehomeschool. com/getting-ready-1). For a religionbased resource for Muslim families check out: Our Muslim Homeschool (ourmuslimhomeschool.com/2018/11/ home-learning-preschool-children. html) with a YouTube channel, Facebook community and a free learning guide – it is UK-based, but is a good place to get some helpful ideas.

Parents who are looking for a structured and complete programme from birth to 7 years can look at Practica (practica. co.za). You will be sent a big box full of resources, including toys, books, games and activities.

Another off-line option is ABCFun &1-2-3 (shirleys-preschool-activities. com/abc-fun.html). It is a manual with gentle, age-appropriate pre-school activities focussing on numeracy and literacy, and if you order the book, you’ll get access to an e-book with 26 weekly lesson plans too.

Clonard Distance Education (clonard. co.za/pre-school) is another screen-free curriculum, written by a qualified teacher emphasising “learning through play”. It consists of a manual with creative and fun teaching ideas, based on the South African curriculum, as well as a box of equipment, sent for free when you sign up.

Little Footprints – South Africa in Stories is a literature-based homeschool curriculum for children between ages 4 and 8 years, again especially for South Africans (which also means you can pay in rand and don’t have to wait for ages for your package to arrive). Designed to inspire a love for reading and South Africa, it uses stories written about South Africa and written (in most cases) by South Africans. If you have decided to follow an international curriculum, supplementing it with this programme is a fantastic way to connect your child’s learning back to home. Check it out at: shirleys-preschool-activities.com/ south-african-homeschool-curriculum. html#little.

You could literally spend your child’s entire pre-school career sorting through the pages of ideas, images and activities out there, so here are just a couple that really stood out from the crowd for us…

Shirley Erwee’s Preschool Activities (shirleys-preschool-activities.com) website has more than 200 pages of themes, ideas and printables especially for pre-school at home. Kidsactivities.com is an US-based website that is jampacked with printable play projects, ideas and inspiration – sign up for a small yearly fee, and get access to thousands of pages. It also has a structured pre-school-at-home programme, and even has a pre-school kit that can be shipped to you (if you can foot the international courier bill) (kidsactivitiesblog.com/56908/how-to-homeschool-preschool).

Twinkle (twinkle.com) has a range of pre-school and Grade R resource packs, available in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa and isiZulu, covering handwriting and fine motor skills, mathematics, language, as well as craft activities, role plays, games and parent guides – there’s also a lot of great freebies.

Reading Eggs Junior (readingeggs.co.uk) and its sister numeracy app, Mathseeds, are great apps for supplementing off-line activities. Aimed at ages 2 to 4, these take you through a series of games, activities, characters and songs that build alphabet knowledge and ready-to-read skills, as well lessons that nurture maths skills. Your child works at their own pace, and only “moves” on once they have mastered the skill.