How to Start Gentle Homeschooling with Memoria Press: A Parent’s Guide

When my youngest was approaching 4 years old, I started thinking about introducing some structured homeschooling into his day. He was already participating (not regularly by any means) in our Morning Time family routine and the evening read aloud hour along with the older kids. In addition, he had plenty of occasions during the day playing with and being read to by his siblings and myself.

But I was looking for a gentle way of starting and getting his feet wet into his home education journey.

Memoria Press Preschool Curriculum

So, a few months ago, I bought the Memoria Press Preschool curriculum from the MP US website. The order came quickly within a few days and contained the Pre-school curriculum manual, a book called “Prayers for Children”, and 27 read-aloud story books. My son was so excited to see all the wonderful books and immediately got to work asking his siblings to read them to him. The thought that these were his books for his school made him beam with pride. Presently, we are almost halfway through the curriculum, and I thought that I would write a short review on my thoughts so far about it.

What’s Included in the Curriculum Manual

I first got started by reading the manual which has:

1. Tips on how to improve language, cognition, social-emotional development, and fine/gross motor skills.
2. A handy list detailing the books that will be read aloud for 34 weeks. Every 5^th or so week is a Review week where the books from the previous 5 weeks (usually 4) were read together. Review weeks as a result tend to take longer than normal weeks where we read only 1 book.
3. Supply list of things to buy for each week and the lesson it falls under (For example: in Week 8, children’s scissors are required for a lesson on Fine Motor skills). Most of the items are common items that you can find at home and as a rule, I try to use what I have or a close substitute.
4. Teacher Notes: concise explanation of the goal of this curriculum (to cultivate a sense of wonder and appreciation for language), an encouragement to enjoy nature, and socialise with friends. I especially liked the admonition at the end reminding parents not to impose an “overly academic or school-age” approach to this programme.
   Each day of the week (there are 34 weeks) has 9 categories listed which include Prayer, Calendar, Recitation, Alphabet Lesson, Number Lesson, Oral Language & Literature, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, and Enrichment. All these categories are briefly explained by describing what they are, the importance of including them, and advice on how to go about implementing.
5. Each Week has two pages that tell you what to do from Day 1 through to Day 4. Days 2-4 are pretty much a repeat of Day 1. Each day is split into the 9 categories mentioned above. Under each category are activities with a checkbox in front of them that you can check once done. Although the curriculum is set up for a 4-day week schedule, it is up to you whether you want to do a 4 or 5-day week.

I love how open-and-go Memoria Press is! You literally buy the curriculum, read the instructions, and then follow their prompts. Nothing makes more sense than starting the morning with a short prayer (For example: The Lord’s Prayer, The Doxology), reading a classic book, and doing a few fun exercises which are entirely optional.

So how do we run it at home?

Sample Day: A Gentle Preschool Morning

1. PRAYER: We start the homeschool at 8:30 a.m. or slightly earlier, and the first thing we do is pray a prayer from the Prayers for Children book. This week we are singing the Doxology. I also remind my son to close his eyes, bow his head, and fold his hands before we start.
2. CALENDAR: Then I tell him which day of the week it is and ask him to repeat. Sometimes I refer to a calendar that is on our wall and point to the appropriate day of the week. Next, I ask him what the weather is like, and he takes a quick look at the direction of our garden door and answers, “sunny”, “cloudy” or “rainy”. Sometimes we draw a picture of the sun, a cloud, or some rain on our wall calendar.
3. RECITATION/ALPHABET LESSON/NUMBERS LESSON: I encourage him to recite a verse from the Bible, sing the ABC song, and count his numbers forwards and backwards. All these three activities are done in rapid succession because he has memorized them over the past few weeks. I often noted that the simple repetition of verses, poems, and rhymes over the course of the week was sufficient for my son to retain the information.
4. LITERATURE AND POETRY: It is at this stage that we read the readaloud assigned for the week. For example, today on Week 18, Day 3, we are reading a portion of A Children’s Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and trying to memorise one or two rhymes.
5. ORAL LANGUAGE: I look at the activities listed under this category and follow the instructions or modify them slightly. Last week we did an activity called Rhyming words which he really enjoyed. This week they are suggesting we sing “Pat-a-cake” with hand motions.
6. FINE MOTOR/GROSS MOTOR/ENRICHMENT: Finally, I skim through the Fine Motor, Gross Motor, and Enrichment activities. I decide which ones to include and which can be delegated to an older child who can guide him through the activities. In previous weeks, they have made cookies with playdough, drawn and coloured shapes on paper, and practised cutting paper with scissors.
7. It took less than 10 minutes.
   That’s it! We are done with the structured part of homeschool for the day!

Here are some additional thoughts:

Tips for Sibling Involvement

I think my daughter enjoyed the responsibility of taking over some of the teaching and training of her younger sibling. The joy of serving and knowing that her help was crucial to running the homeschool smoothly was her reward. I encourage you to get older siblings to help!

Routine & Rhythm in Our Homeschool

Since my three older kids (ages 12,10,9) have a lot more work planned out for their homeschool day, it is imperative that we have a routine in place. The children know that the youngest does his school first, and after that, the older ones get started. I prompt the children in advance that school is about to start.

The regular rhythm of our school week builds security. They know what to expect, when, and in what order: his school first before the older kids start. Except for days when the homeschool is interrupted, schooling hours are not random and dependant on my or the children’s whims. The kids are secure knowing that we have a manageable routine that sets us up for the day. There is also the realization that we need to think of others, that we are a team homeschooling together, and that we help each other when required.

Love the suggestions but don’t be a slave to them

There are LOTS of lovely ideas for developing fine motor and gross motor skills, and for enrichment activities. Some of these exercises involve practical child-care and training – from learning how to put on mittens to how to think about Jesus and the Christmas Story. More than anything the lists were giving me ideas of additional fun things I could do with my child when I had the time and inclination. It was a buffet that I could choose from and not a hard taskmaster that needed to be meticulously followed. I do not check every box each day but decide which activities are beneficial and do those.

Literature Choices We Love

I love how literature-rich the preschool programme is! All the curated book selections seem gentle and well-thought through; you can tell that the Memoria Press team has taken great pains to choose the best titles for this age range. I’m glad that he is reading nursery rhymes, memorising them, and being exposed to classic Christian prayers and books written in beautiful, reverent language.

Handling Resistance: When My Preschooler Says No

Some days he is writhing in his chair, covering his eyes and not engaging, making faces, refusing to recite, asking me to say the memory work, or even refusing to do his school. Those days I calmly and firmly remind him that we all have to do our part and encourage him that it will not take long to complete. Sometimes, I address the issue by changing our environment from the table to the sofa. Although it is important to maintain a consistent routine, I sometimes postpone his school to a time when he might be in a more favourable temperament. Use your discretion, you know your child best.

Do Preschoolers Really Need School?

And lest you say that kids this age need no school at all and only need time to run around and play, I would like to say two things: His “schoolwork” takes all of 10 minutes in the morning – occasionally, it is longer if it is a review week. Secondly, the rest of his day is play!

And in those few minutes of structured “school” learning, he is being trained, habituated to a gentle routine, to memorization within context, and to reading beautiful stories appropriate for his age.

If you have a 2 to 4-year-old and are just diving into classical Christian education, please consider checking out their preschool programme!