From the beginning, I’ve decided that I would rather teach Eva all her preschool concepts at home than pay someone else to do it. At 3 years old, she knows her letters, numbers, shapes and colors already, just from natural observation. I’ve learned that if you let a child follow their natural curiosity to the end of the rainbow, they’ll learn and retain much more than from any other method, and naturally develop an insatiable desire to learn more. 
When she saw David out in the garage fixing his bike, she got her little wooden toy box and started “fixing” her tricycle. When he stood it up to test it, she did the same, and when he took it for a test ride, she was right there saying “All fixed, Daddy!” The other day we were at the store and Eva saw an end cap display with writing on it. “Look, Mommy!” she said, pointing out the letters as she said “C-A-N-D-Y, candy!” I know she was just recognizing the letters and the candy on display, not actually reading the word, but it showed me how quickly she picks up thing all by herself, without any formal instruction so far.
Instead of just doing things for her, I’ve been trying to engage her by giving her more opportunities to make simple choices. This shirt and that one? Tuna fish or PBJ? Whatever choice she makes, she has to live with it. I won’t switch it back afterwards, such as making something else for lunch. You wanted PBJ? You’re going to eat it before you get anything else for snack. That’s how you learn to make wise choices: you accept the consequences of that choice, whether good or bad. Sometimes giving her an option will stop her right in the middle of a protest: “I don’t want to get dressed!” The minute I ask her opinion about which shirt to wear, she picks one and puts it on, forgetting that she didn’t even want to get dressed a second ago.
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