I homeschool my daughter for preschool, and she LOVES it. I toured some preschools, but the kids were behaving reprehensibly (not just kid-fun behavior), and I didn't agree with their philosophies of just about anything...actually I checked out about 15 preschools, when I realized the only way to make it "perfect" for my daughter would be to design it myself for her.
We do one letter per week. All of our activities are built around that. We try to do a snack and a craft each day that relate to that letter. I also love to try to do a field trip that relates to the letter (Airport, bookstore, campground, etc. - it doesn't need to be an "actual fieldtrip", just going and walking around can be fun and educational, though our trip to the airport was an organized one with a guide, and it was great.) I also have her memorize a Bible verse to go with the letter ("As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us" was the one for A week; "Fear not, for I am with you." was for F week, you get the idea). It's amazing how quickly kids can memorize things at this age - they just soak it up like sponges, and she honestly LOVES it.
We do other stuff too...what I have are index cards for each activity. We have an index card for Snack, one for Craft, one for Bible Verse, one for Worksheet, and one for Missionary (we pray for one each day when we do school, and look up where they are on the globe...talk a little about that country while we're at it). She gets to pick which index card to do next (she always picks snack first, lol), and we can do the whole thing in 30-40 minutes. We can also take breaks in between cards, if she's not "in the mood". If we do all the cards for the day, she gets a sticker. It's very low pressure, very laid back (even if it doesn't sound that way). She dearly enjoys doing it, and I have a blast too.
We started doing this when she was 2. She was reading at 3, and she'll be 5 this year. She LOVES learning, loves "school", and...well, not to brag, but she's incredibly brilliant, well spoken, and has a lovely temperment and a kind heart.
I personally believe that "socialization" is highly overrated. There's no way that a four year old can teach another 4yo the appropriate way to behave or act. When she does get together with other kids (individually and in groups) she is quick to share, quick to smile and chat with them, quick to both initiate play and to follow along in a game that someone else initiates. She's good at taking turns, and encouraging to the other kids.
I'm so sorry that this sounds like a "toot my kid's horn" post, but I'm just trying to encourage you...doing preschool at home can be such a wonderful, rewarding, exciting, playful experience, and your child will not suffer academically or socially just because of not "going to" prechool. To top it off, considering the cost of preschools around here (even the church ones), I've probably saved about $2K by keeping her home for preschool!
Do what you feel is best for your child and family, regardless of my post or others. You know your kid best, and only you can make the best decision!
