Flexible and enriching are two words that can be used by homeschool educators to describe their experience of participating in homeschool activities. With the time to tailor lessons to the needs of your children and move at your own pace, there are numerous benefits to homeschooling, one in particular being a strong focus on experiential learning. The Homegrown Preschooler, by Kathy H. Lee and Lesli M. Richards, is a wonderful homeschool resource that captures the positive effects homeschooling can have on a young child’s development.
Experiential learning means exactly what it says: it is the process of learning and gaining new skills and knowledge through experiences. With the complete freedom to create a personalized preschool curriculum to meet the specific needs of your preschooler, homeschooling allows more time to slow down and focus on connecting with your child as they grow and learn, as opposed to teaching them according to a set routine that may or may not foster their particular level of creativity or readiness to learn.
Homeschool educators should keep in mind that it is best to assess the priorities and circumstances of your family before you homeschool your preschooler in order to create the most effective homeschool environment possible to benefit your child. However, they should also realize that, overall, homeschooling can be a wonderful opportunity to grow alongside your child as it encourages self-reflection throughout the daily experiences you will share with your little learner.
With you determining the rules and ways by which your child learns, you can let them “run free,” and take their own time to explore learning at their own pace. From learning about Ancient Egypt by dressing up and building pyramids in the sandbox, to secretly gaining math skills by baking muffins, your child will engage in learning through play and ultimately benefit from the positive lessons gained through experiential learning.
Learn more about the benefits of homeschooling and activities for homegrown exploration in The Homegrown Preschooler.
Author(s)Lesli Richards, Kathy Lee
Anna Wilmoth
Marketer. Publisher. Reporter. Educator. Mother. Runner. Explorer. Anna served as director of marketing for Gryphon House from Oct 2014 - May 2017.
