Informal, play-based learning is the best educational approach for your three- and four-year-olds. Formal lessons can wait; these are the years to develop good habits, get acquainted with nature, read lovely books together, explore with the five senses, grow in their spiritual lives, and spend plenty of time outdoors.

Sample Schedule

Play-based learning is naturally integrated into your daily rhythm in whatever way the activities fit best for your family. This schedule shows one way to spread out the activities across a week. Each day’s activities should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.

Day One	Day Two	Day Three	Day Four	Day Five
Reading (5–10 min)		Reading (5–10 min)		Reading (5–10 min)
Choose from Picture Music Bible Story	Choose from Outdoor Activity Math Activity Rhyme Game	Choose from Nature Hunt Book Outdoor Activity	Choose from Song Math Activity Tale	Choose from Game Craft Poem

Play-Based Learning

A feast of good ideas is offered in a natural, unhurried learning environment. Our Preschool Life provides what is needed to enjoy looking at art, making crafts, listening to music, reading poems, playing outdoors, finding nature friends, sharing tales and rhymes, singing songs, introducing chores, reading great books, playing games, exploring math concepts, and more.

Note: Keep in mind that if you are homeschooling older children, your little ones may want to join in and learn along with them in many of these areas. For example, they may hear the Bible stories you read aloud and the Scripture verses you’re memorizing, they will see the artist’s pictures you’re studying, and more. If a preschooler wants to be included, that is wonderful. Just don’t push your little one to join in on formal lessons if she isn’t interested.

Reading

A gentle foundation for reading is laid by playing short, fun multi-sensory games that teach the letters and their sounds, using the more than 100 games and activities in Delightful Reading, Level 1: Playing with Letters and Sounds. Keep the games low key and allow your child to progress at his own pace. If your child already knows the letters and the sounds they represent, take a look at the reading recommendations for Kindergarten.

Handwriting

Your child explores the idea of drawing, using his large muscles to draw on blank paper or a white board, and practices eye-hand coordination through the crafts and games provided in Our Preschool Life.

Math

Through informal, everyday activities, your child progresses at his own pace from reciting numbers in order, to counting with one-to-one correlation (giving each object only one number), to simple addition and subtraction using real objects around him. He also learns basic shapes as he encounters them in his play and surroundings. Our Preschool Life includes activities that explore math concepts.

Shopping List

Our Preschool Life monthly boxes will give you activities and ideas for a wonderful informal preschool the Charlotte Mason way. Add Delightful Reading, Level 1: Playing with Letters and Sounds to introduce letters through play.