It might sound a little early to start teaching a 2 year old preschool, but if they are interested and you are willing, it can be a great time to learn some very basic things and start developing a love of learning.
I started teaching my first child preschool at home when she was 2, and have started preschool with my second child now that he is 2.
Now, please don’t picture us doing a long, in depth lesson over here, because that is not the case.
We keep it very short, simple, and fun.
I have a short stack of materials for my 2 year old, and another short stack of materials for my 4 year old each day.
We probably spend around 10 minutes working on my 2 year old’s preschool, and 15 minutes working on my 4 year old’s work. We also do another bible time together at snack time, and we read books throughout the day, as well.
I like breaking up our work, so the kids don’t get frustrated or too tired of sitting down. For young children, play time is most important, but it’s great to get a little learning in, too.
Below I’ll share what I’m using to teach my 2 year old at home and some tips I’ve learned, too.
What I’m Using to Teach My 2 Year Old At Home
I’ve tried several curriculum plans for both my children, as well as developed some plans of my own. I finally feel like I’ve found something that works well for me and the kids.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time planning out the work, but I do like to have some input and flexibility.
Some programs have been too rigid and difficult, some too boring for the kids, some way too simple and easy. It’s hard to find the right preschool plans that you enjoy as a teacher, and that work for the child’s attention span and learning level, too.
Sometimes it takes a little trial and error to find the right thing for your family. I enjoy trying new plans and ideas, and switching things up from time to time, too.
I think with homeschooling, you don’t want to get bored, burned out, or disconnected with what you are using.
But that’s the beauty of homeschooling, too, you can always switch it up when something isn’t working anymore, and you have the time to devote to figuring out how your kids learn, what they enjoy, and what works well in your home.
Each day is a new day, and there is a lot of grace in that, as well.
Here’s what is working best for my 2 year old right now:
If your child is ready to start a small amount of preschool learning, these are my favorite options.
However, if you child does not seem interested, don’t push it! All kids start talking, learning, and developing at different times. If you are unsure, I would start with just reading books and talking about them. Ask them to point to certain things in the book, and work on saying different words.
1. Memoria Press Preschool Curriculum
I just purchased the curriculum manual to save money, and I get the books from our library or a used book website.
I don’t follow this curriculum manual exactly, but I do follow which books to read each week, the questions to go along with the book, and the lessons for the week. I like to highlight the parts I want to do each week.
Note: We do bible time all together, normally at snack time, to break things up.
We read the same book all week, and by the end of the week, he knows what to point out, what to count, and is learning the story really well.
I used this program with my first child as well, and we both really enjoyed it for the 2-3 year old age.
You can get the Memoria Press Preschool Curriculum Manual here.
2. Counting
We started counting to 3, then to 5, and we are now mastering counting to 10. I don’t use anything to teach this except my fingers. (For my 4 year old, I use a number chart, so she can learn the visual numbers, too.)
3. Preschool Beginner’s Activity Set from Christian Light
We are working through the first book right now (About Three) and it is the perfect workbook for this age. It’s mostly working on tracing lines and matching things that are the same.
We do one or two pages each day.
I have a supply box for each child, with their own pencils and crayons, so they feel like they have their own nice materials to work with. (Pick their favorite color or add stickers to make it more fun!)
It’s very simple and age appropriate, but a great starter workbook to get ready for more advanced work later on.
The other workbooks in the set work on color recognition, counting, cutting with scissors, more line tracing, and visual discrimination. The books build on each other, and get a little more difficult.
You can get the Preschool Beginner’s Activity Set from Christian Light here.
You can teach your 2 year old at home!
As you can see, I keep it very simple for this age.
There is no need to have a lot of work for a 2 year old.
Really just reading a great book together, asking some questions about it, pointing at things in the book, and working on vocabulary is a great way to start.
You can count as you go through your day, or count before you start reading.
If you feel like your child is ready for a workbook, the Beginner’s Activity Set from Christian Light is a great place to start.
If you want to keep it really simple, just make a simple plan of a book to focus on each week. It can be as simple as that!
We also keep a lot of pretend play games in our home, which I love for letting the kids be creative and use their imagination.
Here’s a few more ideas:
- Take your child to the library weekly for new books and storytime.
- Keep a basket of fine motor activities, and pull one out each day.
- Read to your child at breakfast time, snack time, bedtime, and all throughout the day.
- Talk about what you are doing throughout the day.
- Let your child help you in the kitchen.
- Have your child help with laundry or other simple chores.
- Go for walks and explore nature.
Your child will learn just by being with you, talking with you, and watching you. So, enjoy that time, mama! You’ve got this!
You might also enjoy:
