Infants +
Preschool
Birth to 5 Years Old
Homeschooling Infants, Toddlers,
+ Preschoolers
Most new parents are not thinking about school choice, but it's the perfect time to start investigating options before feeling the pressure of the first day of kindergarten in public schools! Homeschooling infants and toddlers means starting with the non-verbal, sensory, experiential activities we do with kids every day. Developmentally, 0-2 year olds are looking for physical, emotional, and relational security and trust in caregivers: close, attached parental bonds. The development of trust in close humans enables the human brain to build neurons and synaptic connections in the brain: feel curious, explore the environment and one's own body, develop language and relational communication. Infancy is all about trust in others. The reassurance of a secure base for a child to come back to as a "home plate" when exploring and learning is essential. The more secure and safe a child feels, the more open to exploration they are. Object permanence, or constancy, develops between the ages of 2-3, when little ones can separate from parents knowing that parents exist when they are out of sight. The years of time staying connected build trust in others, which enables trust in self later.
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Toddlerhood and preschool is about trust in self - the development of autonomy: "I can do it!" That's the phrase we want to hear from our preschoolers about the potty, their zippers and buttons, their socks and shoes and toothbrushes. "No!" and "I do it myself!" Expressions of autonomy in toddlers (and teens!) can be exhilarating and frustrating for parents. Use the drive for autonomy to your advantage. Turn your sails, catch their powerful wind, and let it steer the boat towards learning that happens naturally.
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Parent friendships are an important part of homeschooling infants and toddlers. We need connections with other likeminded adults to prepare emotionally and logistically for the years to come. AnySchoolers social pods for parents of infants and toddlers gives you an opportunity to meet and build friendships with people you might otherwise never meet during your child's infancy and toddler years!
Social Matches
for Infants and Preschoolers
Children 0-5 years old participate in three types of play: parallel play, social play, and cooperative play. In parallel play, children play side-by-side, engaging in similar activities but not with one another. This is a great time for caregivers to get to know one another!
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If you have an 0 - 18 month old, a group will really be about meeting other parents with children your infant's age! The early it's not too early to join a group where babies will parallel play and develop their relationships and brains together while you make adult friends to collaborate and share ideas with! In social play, they begin sharing and making eye contact and connecting with one another (and disagreeing with one another). If you have existing relationships with other parents, these connections and squabbles will be easy to navigate together. It's a perfect time to start a group too because the next and final stage of social development for 0-5 year olds is cooperative play: children take on complementary roles and have mutually agreed upon goals. This is where the friendship, comradery and vicarious learning of childhood happens!
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In a social pod, a small group of homeschooling families who are joined together in friendship by AnySchoolers, you and other adults can work together to give your children meaningful friendships from the beginning of life. You can do shared learning experiences, sign up for classes together, go to children's museums or the zoo together, have parties and get togethers, meet up in coffee shops and go to movies, or simply have a virtual meeting regularly to connect and talk about homeschooling babies and preschoolers with other parents who plan to keep their children in home education.