Why I Chose to Homeschool My Child Before She was Old Enough for Kindergarten

My daughter wanted to go to school in the worst way. She wanted to learn to read and write, especially, and loved the idea of school and learning new things. There was just one problem. She was four, and the schools I called, both public and private, told me she was too young. Many of them even told me I was "pushing her too fast" by making her learn so young. This greatly offended me, as I am a big believer in letting children grow and learn at their own pace. That's when I began to think about homeschooling. If I homeschooled, I decided, I could teach her at her own pace, even if that pace was learning to read and write at four. I felt that if I began to teach her when she was truly interested in learning, she would love learning for her entire life. My fear was that if I waited another year for the acceptable 5years, her interest would wane, and I would have missed my window of opportunity to instill a love of learning in her. Besides which, why is 5 the magic number? I have known many children who were ready for school at 4, and many who were not ready at 5, or even 6. When a child starts school should depend on the child, not on the magic age they are in the fall of the school year. My daughter was ready for school at 4, so we undertook to swim through the murky waters of homeschooling.

At first, it was frightening. Most of the homeschool correspondance programs on the internet were designed for 7th grade through high school, and those that weren't were very religous oriented. I am a religious person myself, but I believe that religion should be taught as a subject in and of itself, and other subjects shouldn't be taught through it. Therefore, our first hurdle was finding a curriculum. I decided to call our local Department of Education for help. They were very helpful, and pointed my to the kindergarten standards for that state, then suggested picking up some simple reading, writing, and math books at the bookstore to start. Before we knew it, we had gotten some books and were on our way! We stared out with a simple book called, "My Do and Learn Activity Book" by Evan-Moor publishing (Amazon.com, $14.93). It led us, in a fun way, through math and language skills. We also used Reader Rabbit's Kindergarten CD (Target, $14.95) and meandered in a fun way through kindergarten. At the end of the year, we'd had so much fun and my daughter had learned so much, I decided to homeschool her permanently, even though she was now old enough for kindergarten!

It has been awhile since we first started, and our curriculum has expanded greatly. We have added science, social studies, and even art and P.E. to our original math and language (writing and reading) book and CD.We have learned, through trial and error, and help from our local DOE, how to meet the state requirements for homeschooling and how to properly record our homeschooling. (These vary by state, so check with your local DOE about requirements and recording procedures in your state).

The socialization aspect of homeshooling bothered me at first (or lack thereof), but we have also conquered this through trial and error. Our state has a very active homeschool group, complete with field trips and curriculum swaps. We have met lots of nice people this way and have formed a strong support network. We also meet others at the park, at church, and in our neighborhood. My child has many friends, not just her own age, like most children in regular school, but of all ages, both older and younger than her. I feel this makes her a more well-rounded adaptable person, traits that will see her through life more easily.

In short, homeschholing has been hard work, but it has been rewarding. Letting my daughter learn at her pace, and not the pace of the rest of the class, makes her more apt to learn and enjoy what she is learning. It is also great from a social aspect, since she makes, and keeps, friends of all ages, and so do I! I would reccomend it to anyone who has lots of time and patience, and who wants to instill a love of learning in thier children.