When I started homeschooling my oldest my second child was already a preschooler. It has been interesting to watch how my toddler adapts to our homeschooling lifestyle. I am a pretty avid unschooler for the first four years or so. I did start my second son on some formal schooling when he was four so he and his brother could do things together, but in general I avoid preschool. I believe play is the work of the child. So, back to the topic here….toddlers. My toddler is around schooling most of her waking hours. She sees her brothers reading, writing, and doing projects. She watches foreign language videos along with them at lunch. She watches praise and worship videos along with them for worship time. While she is free to roam and play during the school day I find her attracted to schoolish things much more than her brothers were at that age. Right now my 18 month old adores alphabet songs. At night when she is trying to sleep she wants to be soothed with the ABC song in English and Arabic. It appears as though she has learned that there is something significant in those little squiggles we call letters and she wants to be a part of it. At this point my plans are to hold off any formal schooling until she is five. It will be interesting to watch my toddler grow and engage in this world she finds so intriguing.
