Gauge your child's learning readiness and interest. Starting too early with preschool will lead to the parent and child both being frustrated. Watch your child to see if he exhibits the self-control and communication skills needed to begin. At the preschool level, lessons should not be formal or rigid, but relaxed and fun. See if your child has the attention span to listen and concentrate for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. If he knows the alphabet song and has shown interest in counting, then perhaps he is ready to have some preschool time.
Keep lessons short and sweet. Using a formal curriculum made for preschoolers is an option if you want a daily plan to follow, but is not strictly necessary. Set aside two or three days a week to sit down and purposefully have fun with letters, numbers, colors, shapes and so on. Informal settings work best with preschoolers because they do not know the difference between learning and playing. Most state laws regulate education from age five and up, so do not worry about formal record keeping.
Focus on developing gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Preschoolers need lots of play time so suggest activities that promote improving motor skills. Create a maze in the living room to go through or play jumping games by hopping from one toy to the next to encourage the development of gross motor skills. Practice fine motor skills by building patterns with blocks, doing art projects, or scribbling with crayons. These types of activities increases their attention span while getting them ready to learn how to read and write.
Use books often. Read to your child daily from a wide assortment of books. While all kids love stories, have some non-fiction books handy to open discussions on different topics. Have children's reference books handy to look up answers when preschoolers start asking questions. Encourage their inquisitive minds by answering their questions. Visit the library often and participate in their weekly preschool reading time.
Enjoy music and art together. Play children's music and other music often since music naturally engages young children. Make your own musical instruments and play your own music occasionally. Keep a variety of art supplies nearby to make art projects. Carefully look at picture books and talk about what you see to teach your preschooler to be observant.