Unless you're in a state that has trouble minding their own business, I suggest you wait till kids are around 7 or so to teach writing. At this age, they have pretty much already taught themselves and it will be much less of a headache for you and them both. Get the reading and math portion started, the rest will be easy! If you plan on enrolling them into kindergarten, however, just be patient. At that age they do not have the fine motor skills to be writing, so it can be a very frustrating experience.
Step 1:
Purchase 2 poster boards, white.
Purchase markers, all same colors, that you can write with. This is important, they must be the same colors! Otherwise they will associate the colors, not the letters.
On the first one, write the entire alphabet Aa Bb Cc Dd.... and so on. Line them up neatly, and hang on the wall in childs bedroom.
For the number one do 1 2 3 4 .... all the way to 100.
Practice counting throughout the day. When your child wakes up, takes a nap and goes to bed, excitedly say you're going to do your letters and numbers. At first, you may only be doing the first few letters. Always start off with "A .. B....C..." say it with them, and when you can see they're saying it with you, move on to more.
Never, and I mean NEVER sing the song. The song means nothing, and will only confuse them. They are not reading, they are singing a silly song that means nothing until they start alphabetizing. They need to learn to read.
Do the same with numbers.
When you get to Z, have them say the letters alone, with no help from you. Get excited, and have fun!:) Each step is a graduation. When they finish this, say together, "Big A, little a (or capital), Big B, little b..." pointing them out. This may be obvious, but will probably confuse them at first. Once they finish this step, work on phonics. " A says, 'a', b says 'b'.... until they can do it on their own. Every child learns at their own pace so never worry. They are homeschooled, they can not be behind. Where they are is where they should be.
For numbers, once they get to 100, have them count backwards! We used to get louder as they got to the end, and our voices lowered when we counted backward.
This is how I taught my two older daughters to read and count.
Of course it is always important to read together. Find something they're interested in. Cooking with kids is also fun. Accidental learning is the quickest way kids learn.
What is accidental learning, you ask?
Accidental learning is when kids learn on their own, or just by accident. You may be baking with them and you say, now half a cup of sugar. The child will see the half and just learn the concept. This concept can also work with thirds or basic vocabulary. Educational television feeds on that concept.
Other ideas are board games. Take a Candy Land board, or anything similar, Chutes and Ladders board, and start playing. A Candy Land spinner teaches them colors. A Chute's and Ladders Spinner teaches them numbers. You can make it even more educational by putting letters on a stack of index cards. If they spin, and get the letter right, they get to go again! Once they progress, you can do the same with phonics.
I will leave you with that. This should take at least half the year, but don't be surprised if it takes longer. There is no need to rush. Make it fun!!
Happy Homeschooling!
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