Preschool - Where to Begin

A couple of months ago, I received the following question from one of my husband's old friends:

I would like to begin some more formal homeschooling of Juliette, especially in her Catholic faith. Can you point me to a curriculum, or any specific books or resources that you would recommend for that age?

My slightly edited response follows:

Earlier this year, I shared what I am using with Elizabeth here.  Some of the materials are a little bit above her level, but I am using a few of the items with multiple children. When Elizabeth is older, I will most likely enroll her in Seton Home Study School.

Joan was ready to learn to read at 3 and I had more time, so I used a Montessori approach with her. Two books that I remember reading for guidance are Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years by Elizabeth Hainstock, Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler by Kathy Pierce and Lori Rowland, and Beginning at Home by Mary Perkins. The latter two books are about the Faith. 

A book that I have read and reread over the years is How to Raise Good Catholic Children by Mary Reed Newland (the original title of this book was We and Our Children: How to Make a Catholic Home). If you plan on assisting at the Latin Mass at any time, then I recommend getting a copy of We and Our Children; it is unedited and contains a section on the Latin Mass. The sacraments are discussed in light of the Tridentine Rite or Extraordinary Form too.

Anthony benefited from participating in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program taught in a friend’s home. If there is a CGS program near you, you might want to observe a class and possibly enroll Juliette.

As you know, the most important thing that you can do is take Juliette to Mass as often as possible. Daily Mass is not an option for us due to Mass times at NAM and distance, but we do try to go to Mass one extra day a week and it does make a difference in the children’s lives, not to mention mine. Hopefully, NAM’s Mass times will change when we get a permanent location.

It goes without saying that in addition to going to Mass whenever possible, reading to Juliette daily is important. There are a lot of good Catholic picture books available. I always check to see if the library has a title before considering whether or not to purchase it. Our library system carries a lot of Catholic books. Library sales can be a great place to buy books.

When Juliette is a little bit older, you might want to ask Julie T. about Mother of Divine Grace, another homeschool program.

Please excuse my rambling and any typos. I am responding with our youngest in my arms and Elizabeth waiting for me to read to her.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

May God bless your family!