Preschool / Kindy guilt

Oh dear. I am suffering guilt. I have just pulled my 3yr old out of Preschool where is been going part time for just over a year, and he is about to start kindy (a number of reasons for doing this). What I am feeling guilty about though, is that we are moving rural in a few months and as far as I am aware there is no kindy in the area. There is a new preschool but have heard there is already a huge waiting list. I have yet to find out if there are playgroups. I am worrying my eldest is going to be "missing out". And if there is no kindy then how/what prepares them for school?
Aargh, then I go make myself feel even more guilty : wht if Mr 20mths won't get to go to kindy/preschool at all? Then I start feeling like he hasn't had the same "start" as his brother.
Sorry, silly guilt moment getting the better or me and thought I'd put it on here lol.
Even though I know this is ridiculous to think this way, I still can't nelp it. We are moving rural as we love the lifestyle and are moving closer to family and have been saving towards this for over 10yrs so not like we aren't aware of what we're doing. lol.
Gotta love motherhood and the guilt we put on ourselves sometimes.

Depending on how rural you are.... (i nannied for a couple that lived in apiti.. about 2 hours out of palmy)   anyway... there is a correspondence kindy and they can send you lesson plans and things like puzzles etc to use. They are really neat. this is what this family used.

For social development, surely there must be some kind of playgroup, otherwise get to know others in the area, i take it you are probably going to a farming community - my sister often found with all the moving around they did, that there were many many other mums around with youngs kids in the same situation so it didn't take long before they met through hubbys etc and would get together for coffees and trips into the major cities for the day so their kids got the social side of things, and often the kids ended up going to the same schools anyway.

And in terms of getting them ready for school - these are things that as a parent i am sure you are already doing anyway, it doesn't take a teacher to teach them, it's definately not hard...      Chances are your 3 yr old will know songs and rhymes and alphabet song etc and know some counting and some shapes from life already and from daycare. Just build on these, take time to make of buy flash cards...    we had some great ones that were colours that we'd play with, we've alphabet ones that we use now for paris and ayja, we also have opposites etc too.      As for writing etc, learning to draw is good, offer different types of things to draw with - from crayons to pencils to pens, and he will learn to hold a pen/pencil well if you can help a little. From there, again, things like drawinghis name on the picture he's drawn and talking about the letters, then move on to helping him learn to write them.

Basically, mostly alot of this stuff you do without being conscious of it.    and in terms of your younger one, you'll find the more time you make to spend doing these activities with the older one (we try at least half an hour to an hour a day where possible) the younger one will like to join in and will pick up alot. Ayja isn't too far behind her sister even though she was later to talk etc..... she tries to "read" paris's reading books. she goe sup to our fridge phonics set and will play with that for ages and can identify numbers and letters etc, and alot of this has come from watching her sister. She learnt to write her name cos she wanted to do it instead of mummy having to do it all the time.    they really pick thing sup fast.

gooooood luck. It's lots of fun, it doesn't take much, just a bit of creativity

Edited by mum2paris