How to Homeschool Kindergarten + my top curriculum choices
You have made the choice to educate your child at home and now you have a few thoughts about it. What will it look like? How will I know if I’m doing a good job? What is the first step? What will others thinK?
There are so many things to consider, but I want to offer you a big old serving of peace and encouragement right now. Take a deep breath and do one thing at a time. The most important step? Follow the conviction you have to homeschool and trust that the Lord will guide you. OK, now that you are breathing well and feel some peace let’s talk about step one; naming what matters.
Name what matters, that sounds really lovely, but what does that look like, Amber?
I’m glad you asked. Grab a journal or spiral notebook and ask yourself the following questions to gain clarity on what matters to you, your child, and your family culture.
It’s the end of the school year, What are you most glad you made time for this school year?
What will nurture my child’s heart (how do I want him/her to feel)?
What will nurture my child’s mind ( what do I want him/her to know)?
What will nurture my child’s soul (what values do I want to pass on)?
Ok, now to answer some of the top questions I get asked.
Top questions I get asked:
How do I legally homeschool my child?
How long should lessons be?
What curriculum do you recommend or are you planning to use for kindergarten?
What academic subjects should I cover in kindergarten?
Let me tell you a little secret about homeschool kindergarten, it isn’t this giant occasion with HUGE benchmarks to meet to qualify your child to learning well. There is a lot of pressure in public school setting to meet standards, academic goals and even to enter kindergarten knowing how to read. These standards have changed SO much from the time I was in kindergarten and quite frankly, I think it’s a bit crazy. What happened to art projects and character building? *steps off soapbox
Ok, so if homeschool kindergarten is not academic pressure and goals then what is it? Homeschool kindergarten is an invitation to learn, it’s the beginning of formal education, and in our home it isn’t super formal or structured. I care more about developing a love of learning and an excitement about each new page or activity we do and focusing on character than I do about academic excellence.
Just like I mentioned in my preschool post, focusing on your personal/family top goals + priorities matters most at this young age. In our family we don’t officially start kindergarten until age 6. Does learning occur from birth to age 6, absolutely, but it’s just not formal. In fact, our state doesn’t require that we report school activity until that age anyway, so we delay because of the many benefits, but that’s a post for another day.
Our top goals
Love for reading
Unstructured play- inside and outside
Life Skills
Character training
Fostering family connection
How do I legally homeschool my child?
Homeschool laws are regulated by each state and can vary quite a bit. You need to know what local law requires of you and your child. Most states require a formal letter of intent to homeschool. Some states require testing, attendance tracking, or a teacher’s evaluation. Some states have very little regulation at all. You can find out about your state’s requirements here.
How long should lessons be?
I have always taken the approach of doing short bits of focused learning scattered throughout the day at this age. Finding a curriculum that you are both excited about that also has short lessons, helps a lot. We probably spend 15 minutes to 1 hour in a day on formal learning. It’s difficult to really say how long we spend on learning in a day because our home is set up to facilitate learning and it happens naturally all day long. We typically sit down with our curriculum 4 days a week and it’s done with joy because it’s just an extension of our learning home.
What subjects should I cover?
Math
Handwriting/copywork
Phonics/reading
Literature that covers a bunch of topics
Group subjects- This is a bit different for Max because he listens in to his big brother’s history, bible, science, nature lessons and does pages according to his level. You can read more about that in this post. If you just have a kindergarten aged child, don’t worry about getting these subjects covered in a formal curriculum, instead go back to literature and choose a wide varitey of picture books. Remember, kindergarten year is an invitation to formal education, so enjoy the time spent together, reading about whatever interests your child.
What curriculum do you recommend/ are planning to use for kindergarten?
There are SO MANY options for homeschool curriculum these days, which is a huge blessing, but it can lead to you feeling overwhelmed, quickly. So here are my top picks based on what I have used over the last 7 years of homeschooling kindergarten aged kids. The choices marked with a + sign are the ones I’m using for Max for his kindergarten year.
Math
Simply Good and Beautiful Math K + This is available to purchase as a printed set, or to download for free to print at home
Simply Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic This won’t be our primary curriculum, but I will pull bits and pieces to use in conversation
Handwriting/copywork
Handwriting without tears- Letters and numbers for me, My first school book, Kick start kindergarten we have used these in the past, but I’ve switched to gather round and the good and the beautiful (things that were not available when my oldest was in kinder)
Copy from scripture, poetry, or excerpts from favorite books- sometimes formal books and structured curriculum can feel boring, Max loves to do special selections from family read alouds or verses we are memorizing.
Read Aloud Revival Family book clubs+ This community and HUGE resource has been so life giving to our homeschool this past year and I plan to continue it. Most of the family book clubs include handwriting/copywork for the younger kids and are so rich.
Doodles and pre-writing from The Good and Beautiful-+ These pre writing books (two volumes) that Max has been doing for Pre-k and will continue to do through his kindergarten year are great and fun.
Gather Round Letters and Numbers- + This is a full curriculum that covers letters, numbers, handwriting etc. We are using it for preschool, but it could be a great place to start if your child needs a confidence boost or you want an all in one source
Phonics/Reading
Easy Peasy all in one homeschool- we loved this when I was starting homeschooling with Reid + Eli, it’s simple and straightforward and teaches phonics well
Read Aloud Revival-premium + reading aloud has truly been the thing that helps my kids learn to read. We read a chapter book together as a group, but I always have sat with my boys and read along with them in smaller books. The visual connection has helped so much.
Gather round Homeschool, ready to read+ This curriculum has been such a joy to use in the past that I will continue it for Max. We are currently working through the Letters and Numbers preschool curriculum and will roll into the ready to read as Max progresses.
Literature
Ambleside Online Year 0 book list
Five in a row books- the curriculum is literally built around reading a book and doing activites with it. You can find samples
I hope this post is a helpful resource for you as you start your homeschool year with your sweet kindergartener. Ask any additional questions in the comments below!