If you have decided to homeschool your children, you may choose to begin with a formal curriculum when the child is 3 or 4 years old. At this age, children are like sponges and eager to learn and absorb anything and everything they can.
A set curriculum package is a great idea for parents who don’t really know where to begin. Of course even if you buy a package, you don’t have to follow any program to a T — that’s the joy of homeschooling.
One of the primary benefits of homeschooling is that you can teach what you want, when you want and how you want.
Recently, when I decided to venture into homeschooling with my children, I was presented the opportunity to review a variety of curriculum for preschoolers. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing some of those packages and programs that we have tried.
Sonlight
Sonlight is a Christian-based, literature-rich program and the company has been around for decades. They offer complete homeschool curriculum packages, as well as individual materials for preschool all the way through 12th grade. You can select one of their literature-based Core programs, and add a science and math program too, or just pick the Multi-Subject package that matches your child’s grade level.
If you are overwhelmed by the amount of homeschool curriculum to choose from and want a Christian-based program, then Sonlight is an amazing place to begin your homeschool journey. When you get your package, expect a large box with plenty of materials. The program provides everything you need to get started with homeschooling — daily schedules, books, maps, activity sheets, scripture readings, games, songs, art supplies and much more. The packages let you teach multiple children at one time and allow you to work at your own pace.
The right program
My children are ages 2-4, so we began with the “Fiction, Fairy Tales and Fun for Little Learners” (P3/4). The included items retail for over $350, but you can purchase the program for $269 online at Sonlight.com. This package aims to build pre-reading, pre-math, listening and motor skills and instill a love of reading in your little ones through classic books and fun games.
You’d be surprised at all that the program includes — from Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales to the 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury and the Teddy Mix & Match game to the Usborne Flip-Flap Body Book. In total, you receive 26 items with this package.
Instead of a traditional instructor’s guide, you’ll receive a “Parent’s Companion” — which we found comprehensive and invaluable. It includes activities to go along with each story, checklists for tracking your child’s progress and helpful tips for parents who are just starting out homeschooling. My children found the selection of books and activities in the program to be entertaining and engaging, while my husband and I were thrilled by the wonderful quality of the materials. We also liked that it wasn’t all about repetitive worksheets or flash cards, and that it was flexible enough to use with all our children as a group.
Because my kids are young, we are still experimenting to find what curriculum and method of homeschooling will work for our family. I know that we will end up using a mishmash of different parts of several programs rather than sticking solely to one package. However whatever we decide, we know that we’ll make Sonlight a part of it.
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