2.5 year old

You sound like me and you’d really like some more stucture to your days.  My 1st response is don’t start school now.  He’s so young, let him play to learn, play to see the world and play to learn to clean.  I am just assuming so if I’m wrong please except my appoligies but he is your only child at this point?

If i’m write you can still do some simple scheduling.  Like we get up and make our beds at 7, by 8 we are ready to eat and clean up the kitchen, after we do a little bible time (every child can do that by listening to stories etc), then maybe you do a bit of cleaning together, then it’s play time with blocks or what ever, then it’s story time.  Anyway I don’t want to go on and on.  But if scheduling is what you need (some of us liek me need that) then just set some “very basic” time slots to have a little more feeling of knowing what you are doing and then to see that you are “teaching” your son different things during the day.

Hope that helps a bit.  If I’m totaly off the wall please forgive me.  Very tired today.  Misty

A quote that has stuck with me regarding mothers and young children (wish I could remember where I read it) “The days are long, but the years are short”. My own children are young as well, my oldest is 5 1/2 and youngest the same age as yours. Quite often recently I have been asking myself where the time has gone – especially since my oldest is nearing school age. I remember my mom telling me when he was 2 to enjoy the early years I would have with him – at the time 5 seemed an enternity away… I thought I’d have lots of time. 

I agree with what Misty and Lindsey posted, take the time to enjoy your child at this age and also make a simple schedule or predictable routine for yourself. I recall facing the same thing with my oldest, I felt I should be teaching him more and that our days just ran one into the other in a mush, with typical housework and him playing… didn’t seem that much was happening! In hindsight, it seems to me that most of what happens in the preschool years in terms of growth and development is more subtle not like the obvious changes and in some ways not as dramatic as an infant’s first steps, words (etc.) but it’s not that it’s any less important or necessary. 

I would suggest that while it’s important to plan some things specifically for your child, you might consider thinking more about fitting your child into your family’s life as opposed to structuring your day like a preschool (15 minutes of singing, 30 minutes of craft time, followed by outside play, snacktime etc…) I realized while a preschool does provide structure and learning opportunities, it really is an artifical enviornment, and does provide “entertainment” so to speak for the day. A home doesn’t need to be the same way. i personally think a child can learn just as much, and sometimes more by growing up in a peaceful, natural home enviornment at his own pace. This might come from my own personal aversion to being the entertainment committee. I also want my kids to develop their imaginations and problem solving skills as well as find ways to occupy themselves without always needing my assistance. 

Having said that, here are a few specific suggestions for your schedule/routine, depending on how structured you want it that I would include (I have done all of these at one point or another):

• Generally speaking, I try to involve my kids in whatever I’m doing, while this is not something we have down by any means, I’ve found they have learned to be more helpful this way, and are slowly picking up the skills that will eventually make them helpful with chores. If nothing else, it has aided in shaping their attitudes – a willing, cheerful worker is worth a great deal -something I try to make myself remember when they dump the dustpan! Also, it is much easier to train them in good habits when they are with me.
• A large block of time outside, or two smaller blocks of time. 
• Bible reading time, as Misty suggested
• A read-aloud time. 
• A nap or rest time. Regardless of whether or not you have one child or more than one, I’ve found our family needs a at least an hour of quiet rest everyday. Sometimes I will nap too, my youngest almost always does, and the oldest rarely anymore. But he’s learned to be quiet on his bed (with books) until rest time is over. And I personally appreicate the block of time myself.
• An activity or box of toys for when you make dinner, or better yet involve him when apporpiate or have him sit and watch in a safe spot, obviously away from the stove etc. (You can look at your library for “The Toddlers Busy Book” or the “Preschoolers Busy Book” both by the same author, Trish Kauffner. While it may sound like I’m contridicting myself about the preschool activities, there are some times when I really do need to get something done and ideas like sorting milk jug caps in muffin tins helped occupy my kids, and they did learn something from it – colors/shapes/counting.) 

As someone wisely suggested to me, if you are planning to homeschool, you can take the time now to learn about it now, and in particular familiarize yourself with Charlotte Mason’s methods, if you plan to use them. The person pointed out that it would be benefical to learn about these of time, rather than learning them while homeschooling Don’t be discouraged about waiting to start for what seems a long time. While I have slowly begun reading and getting ready for first grade, often times I will think – Egad! You mean we don’t get to be outside all day anymore? Nature study only once a week?! 

Most of all, do try to enjoy it – Preschoolers have a sense of wonder and curiousity that is unparrelled in my opinion. It can be refreshing (and at times the exploring is exhausting) but there’s really only once that you will see your child chase after a butterfly and call, “Mama! What’s that?” while he tries to catch it!