Home Schooling a 9-month Old

I am interested in the home educating methods of (particularly for the birth-Preschool and possibly up to 3rd grade):  Unschooling, Natural Learning, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Better Late Than Early, and other interest-led types of learning.  Before you freak out and skip this whole post because you saw the word “unschooling,” let me explain…

I believe the one factor that has most to do with the success (or failure) of home educating is intentionality.

Being Intentional about Your Child’s Learning

Successful home schooling is more than a method.  It’s a lifestyle.  It is utilizing the teachable moments in the day, prioritizing your children’s learning, caring about what they are interested in, choosing a vacation that will double as a field trip, and figuring out how everything (ok, at least most things!) in life can be turned into an educational experience!  {Parents of public schooled kids can also be intentional about teaching their children!}

Nine months is pretty young, but I want to start being intentional about his learning NOW!  It can take a little thinking at first, but really is easier than it sounds to incorporate learning into your daily activities.  Let’s look at our day:

• We get up and get ready for the day and Olaf plays by himself while I make breakfast.  This is usually the time of day he’s most cheerful, so it’s a great time for him to be on the floor, crawl and stand while he plays independently.  He is learning to not touch the old style stove.
• I do my best to set aside the time right after breakfast to give my undivided attention to Ole and work with him on developmental stuff he’s learning.  I want to get used to this routine so that when he’s older it will already be a habit.  We read 1-3 books depending on his attention span, and I get down on the floor on his level and we do activities like this one below from the book Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready.  (This book is great for ideas and also a great comfort – reassurance that you are covering the necessary developmental things!  Everything is budget friendly which is a plus!)  He thinks we’re playing!   Sometimes it’s 10 minutes, sometimes an hour.

• Switching loads of laundry I say, “In” “Out” as we move the “Wet” clothes over.
• 9:30 or 10:00 Morning nap time – he usually sleeps around an hour.  I try to get stuff done that I can’t do so well when he’s awake, and it always seems he sleeps too short!  Haha! 😛
• While I’m at the computer, he plays with the paper recycle bin under the desk.  He also likes pens, markers and cords.  I like to give him “real toys” as often as possible!
• He has johnny-jump-up time (gross motor skills, PhyEd) while I make sandwiches for our lunch and make baby food.  I show him how to push the button to make the grinder go on.  He’s scared of the noise!  Good healthy food is important and this way he sees another step in the process from garden (or store) to plate.
• Ever since he’s been eating solid food consistently 2-3 times per day, he sits up to the table with us for all his meals.  I want him to be a “clean eater” so at this point he has learned to keep his hands down and I feed him.  Good manners (no screaming, no spitting out food) are also being taught.  I’m trying to teach him sign language as well for “more” and “all done,” but this seems to be a bit lost on him as the other day he SAID “more.”  Maybe he is an auditory learner?
• He plays in the kitchen while I do dishes and general clean-up.  Sometimes I will give him “special tools” like rubber spatula, whisk, and measuring cups for something new to play with.  Measuring cups are great for math!  At this age, it’s just “big” “bigger” “biggest” (comparisons, size and weight) as he feels different things, but later on they can be used for teaching fractions!
• He “helps” me fold clothes (actually he usually UNfolds a stack or two!) and he has some floor playtime in our bedroom while I fold.  This gives him a change of scenery and he can also look out the low window.
• He takes a short nap in the afternoon.  After all, being well rested for all this learning is important!
• Now that the weather is nicer we try to get outside some each day!  Just look at all the textures that can be found in nature!  Rough, smooth, poky, soft, hard, etc.  (Sensory play – this is a HUGE focus of public preschool.)  Every chance we get I take him swimming!  If we are at a park, he goes on the swings, slides and trampoline.   He LOVES being outside in the wind and the sunshine!

• Before supper is his fussy time, so often I wear him on my back while I cook!  He can see over my shoulder or to the side and I explain what I’m doing (stir, stir, look it’s boiling, now we have to rinse it, HOT oven, etc.)

Oh dear, *tsk* *tsk* what about his social life???!  Good thing…

• We are having company over for dinner.  Our good friends, with two little girls, one his age, and one a little older.  Ole adores playing with little people his own age and size!!!  If he so much as sees another baby he smiles, points and laughs with glee! (Yes, even at restaurants and grocery stores!)  We go to MOPS twice a month, church every week, and he gets a good amount of time with his little aunts and uncles too!  No lack of social events around here!
• We don’t have a lot for a bedtime routine, though he gets nursed and is learning to sleep in his own bed (which is right next to our bed.  He still wakes to eat several times in the night so he must be growing a lot!  He loves his bath and we’re trying to teach him the sign for that as well.  We need to adjust the time we read a Bible story because he is too cranky for it usually.
• I talk in complete sentences, use real words, and explain why I’m doing what I’m doing, or why it’s not safe to touch that, etc.  I treat him like the smart little person he is.  We sing and I call his attention to different sounds throughout the day.  We pet animals and watch the wild ones.  We take pictures and selfies.  He gets ZERO screen time except when over at someone else’s house and it’s out of my control or Skype video with his grandparents occasionally.  He will learn personal hygiene, polite manners, courteous social behavior, nutrition, healthy habits, personal discipline and self-control, good speech skills, being a good friend and neighbor, kindness and thoughtfulness, and a hard work ethic as a part of LIFE.  And it will happen at home.

So that is what our day looks like!  Of course some days we go out, grocery shopping or to graduations and gatherings.  Sometimes he gets babysat while I do a photo shoot too.  But usually he’s with me and we explore and discover together!

Being intentional about his learning will cover all the necessary preschool subjects… at home.

I don’t read a lot on “what he should be doing by this age” because I figure if he’s not there yet, I’ll be worried.  I would rather be aware that he’s developing and progressing and understand that each child may be a little different pace.  Is there anything I’m missing?