In my home, we practice both homeschooling and home learning every day—two different concepts. Kids need structure and routine, and for the most part, I succeed in providing that for my five-year-old. Our homeschool routine consists of structured, uninterrupted time in a dedicated learning area at home, where we focus primarily on reading, writing, and math. We use a combination of hands-on activities, workbooks, and two-way dialogue. Sometimes we only manage 30 minutes in this learning area; other days, we can go on for three to four hours.
I find that when we’ve had a productive morning in the learning area, it sparks his curiosity for the rest of the day. The home learning then follows me into the kitchen, where he helps measure out ingredients for muffins (math), into the garden, where he picks flowers for my hair (sensorial), or around the oak tree, where he runs and roars like a T-Rex (gross motor skills).
Having grown up in the traditional education system, which emphasized academics and discipline, I’ve had to “unlearn” many behaviors that could stifle my son’s development. For example, a few days ago, while I was working on my laptop with the fan on, my son was roaring like some kind of animal, and I was getting increasingly agitated. He disappeared momentarily and then returned, placing an A4 page at the back of the fan so that it stuck without falling. My irritation bubbled over, and I snapped at him to stop playing with the fan, warning that he might damage it. He looked at me and said, “But Mum, I’m busy with aerodynamics.” Of course, I burst out laughing—because he was indeed busy with aerodynamics.
Am I exhausted? Yes. Do I sometimes drag myself into his homeschool lessons? Absolutely. Do my ears ache from all the roaring? Definitely. But I’ll tell you something … those “aerodynamic” moments make it all worth it.
Home learning, as opposed to schooling, requires you to be alert, ready to catch and capitalize on learning moments throughout the day. Learning is an active verb—it suggests experimenting, questioning, and exploring. Schooling, on the other hand, can be seen as a noun or even a passive verb, painting the picture of a teacher feeding a student information without them experiencing it firsthand.
Here are some home learning ideas for five-year-olds:
Kitchen: Measuring ingredients for baking, peeling carrots, washing plastic dishes.
Bathtime: Add a drop of food coloring to the bathwater (boys seem particularly fascinated with green water), or provide a cup of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda for a volcanic eruption (I try to do all science experiments in the bath—less cleanup for me).
Garden: Draw a treasure map and send your child on a treasure hunt, bird watching, cloud watching, playing with a ball.
Car rides: Lower the radio volume and engage in conversations about billboards, cars, or anything interesting on the road. Play “I spy” or see who can spot a blue car first.
My favorite game is “hide the remote control for the TV.” Sometimes, I just make it disappear for a few days, so my child can play, read, and explore.
I would love to hear about your special stories where your little one experienced a home learning moment. Pop them in the comments below…