Homeschool Tot School vs Nursery School

 

To outsource or not to outsource? That is the question.

 

It was actually a very easy question for me to answer as my 2 year old’s need for attention, guided play and an educational foundation steadily increases (or in my perspective speedily increases). His energy and need to be stimulated is incredible and often times overwhelming.

 

How overwhelming? “I want to pull my hair out!” overwhelming.

 

These days, his energy literally blazes through nap time allowing him to go on and on and on anywhere from 7:30am and 9am to 9pm when its time to go to sleep for the night.

 

The only types of people I’ve seen who can do that and more are adults and sometimes even they can’t handle such hours.

 

Take the time to imagine the bewilderment on my face.

bewildered

So as you can probably guess, I was leaning towards having all this outsourced (aka nursery school).

 

Why? I just have this insatiable desire to center my focus on my projects/ventures and of course bringing you the content you deserve. Then there’s the me time that is just irreplaceable sometimes. These things are challenging to manage all at the same time on top of my other roles.

 

And yet, though my plans say I can’t manage homeschool and my projects and this blog and my other roles all at the same time, God said I can. When I said I’ve run out of ideas of things to do with my son, God said He gave me the ability. When I said I was committed to going until 2 years old at which point we part ways, God said my plans are not your plans.

 

Challenging feat? Yes. Impossible? No.

 

Okay, so I’m totally aware of this. I see mompreneurs doing it all the time ever so flawlessly. It’s serious ministry to my soul. The list is too vast to mention them all, but here are just a few that I really love:

 

  1. The Unlikely Homeschool
  2. The Hip Homeschool Moms
  3. Christian Homeschool Moms 

 

Yes, I was blessed with a gift who goes by the name Aaron-Ethan.
Yes, I have duty as a mom to train up my child in the way he should go.

 

But last I checked God, moms and their kids do just fine without homeschooling.

 

Well, one thing I have learned to do in my lifetime is to trust God. Trust is always followed by ideas, supernatural energy (literally), peace and just all around results.

 

So apparently, I can have the best of all worlds. If God says it, it is so.

 

And “homestyle tot schooling (school for ages 1-3)” is not as hard and tedious as it looks (atleast this is what I have to tell myself to accept the fact that this is what’s going to happen in this household). It can be as simple as pouring water into cups and stringing cheerios together. To top it off, there are so many resources out there for ideas and printable activities.

 

There are so many resources that my mind hurts at the thought of planning something else each week. BUT, being the “chugger alonger” (as the train chugs along that is) that I am, I press forward hoping that I’m not bald by the time he turns 3. Parts of me wants to send him off to nursery school part-time, but like I said “Chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo!”

 

Being the overzealous organizer that I am, time to revamp the schedule and move along. “chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo!”

 

Just so you don’t feel completely duped, let me give you the information you were probably expecting from the title.

 

If you are having trouble deciding whether homeschool your tot or placing him or her in a nursery school is the right choice for you, maybe this can be your guidance: a list you can totally create on your own, but why do it yourself, when someone can do it for you.

 

PROS

  1. You can create a flexible schedule and are not bound to a specific schedule.
  2. You are in control of the what and how your kid learns.
  3. You will have focused attention on your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
    • You can take advantage of your child’s interests and use it as a learning tool.
  4. Following #3, you can encourage them through the process each step of the way because you have a front row seat.
  5. You get to experience the “1st time” things.
  6. Bragging rights on your kid’s knowledge.
  7. No pressure for achievement levels (except the one you may or may not put on yourself)
  8. You are not confined to a school’s limitations.
    • Most schools I’ve visited say that they focus on the socialization aspect at this stage. While I understand the importance, I think there should be balance to meet a specific child’s interests.
 

CONS

  1. Extra work in research, planning and purchasing materials.
  2. Challenges in finding time for yourself.
  3. Per number 2, where do you leave your kid(s) when you want to have a random lunch date with an old friend? (If you had to think about it beyond 2 minutes, then exit stage left)
  4. Challenges in socialization skills.
  5. Attachment issues can ensue.

 

Challenging feat? Yes. Impossible? No.

But I digress. Ultimately, if God is saying carry the challenge one more year, then so be it. After all, motherhood is ministry too.

 

Decide what’s best for your family and go…”chugga chugga…..” You know the rest.

Wife to an amazing husband, mother to an exploring toddler and an MPA graduate aspiring to impact the world with encouragement in mothering and in social entrepreneurship.

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