Any advice, comments gratefully recived, please!!

[emmawil37]

HI, I'm hopefully going to home ed my 4 year old. I did put in my options for school (I live in Kent and they don't get their choice of school time end of March). The schools I choice were nice village schools, but I just do not feel that she will be ready for school at 4 in September.

I have done a lot of reading on home education and whilst I believe I can home ed and I love the ideas, I am just still so nervous I am making the right choice.

She hated preschool with a passion expect for one teacher who she says she misses but doesn't wont to g back. She also never found it easy making friends.

I am not the most sociable person after suffering very badly with post natal depression with my son who is now 3 so I don't have many freinds and we don't know many people with children so I really worry she will miss out on the opportunity to make friends.

I also worry that my memories of school are clouding my judgements, as I hated school with a passion not only was I bullied or being the fat kid, I was also dyslexic in a time when dyslexia was not really understood. I don't know!

Any advice, support, etc would be very gratefully recived.

Thank you

[julienoshoes]

Hello emmawil37
If you have read about home education, I guess you will have found the main HE websites?
There are threads here about 'websites on home education' and 'books about home education', in case you haven't.

Most of the hundreds of home educators I know felt nervous about their ability to home educate, before they started-whether they did so from the beginning or had it forced on them by some difficulties with schools.

Not all children are ready for the hustle and bustle of classrooms aged just four and are happier at home with a parent.
I wouldn't worry too much on whether your own issues with school are getting in the way, concentrate on what you think is best for your daughter. If she hated preschool so passionately, how would she cope with formal schooling?
How I wish I had listened to my children's feelings at that age and gone looking for an alternative to school.

I'd strongly suggest you talk to other home educators-locally and nationally.

Not all children socialise best in big groups either, many prefer smaller groups or friendships on a one to one basis.

Living where you do socialisation is possible for your daughter with the local HE group.
Please do contact Home Educators in Kent I know one of the organisers of that group really quite well. She has young children, understands dyslexia issues and will be empathetic about your PND.

Then there is a home education email support group for families with young children. There lots of folks will empathise with your concerns there and some will have been in exactly the place you find yourself now.

You can talk through your issues and get advice and support from folks who understand the realities of home educating young children and not just people who have an opinion about it but no experience.

hth a little

[emmawil37]

Thanks for the advice I guess I just shouldn't worry to so much.

Thank you.

[Runnerbean]

Hi emmawil37,

i am in SE london on Kent border, so know lots of HE'rs in Kent and they are a lovely friendly bunch!
Agree with Julie join this group

immediately, whereabouts in Kent are you?

[emmawil37]

I live in Ashford Kent. I have a car so I don't mind travelling, would love to join a group especially if there are any groups that meet regularly, so my DD can make some friends and have fun with other children.

[karise]

We had this problem with DD as youngest in year! Hated pre-school, so we found a local nursery who would take her for just a couple of sessions per week.
Was the best thing we've ever done! They got much more attention than at re-school & the staff were fantastic.
If you can afford it, and are able to defer her school place until the last intake at Easter it's well worth a try!

[lilyfire]

Really wanted to endorse the advice about joining a group. I decided to HE my son who would otherwise have gone to reception in September. I was really scared about doing something so different and only got through it by going to the groups we found. We've found most HE'ers to be really friendly and supportive and happy to talk about the way they HE. My two younger sons also v much enjoy the groups, which was an added bonus I hadn't anticipated. Seeing my 1 yo grinning from ear to ear and getting carried around the park, by various 6, 7 and 8 yo's is lovely. I also find reading HE blogs v reassuring. Also, remember your daughter can do after school actitivities and socialise that way as well. Another bonus of HE'ding is that my son has energy to do groups at the end of the day that he'd prob be too tired to do if he'd been at school all day.