If you’re like most families, your child’s formal education journey likely begins with kindergarten. The transition from playful tot to curious explorer can be a big jump for little ones, which is why planning for homeschooling can be the right move for your child.
However, there’s no shortage of homeschool curriculum out there. From researching what NGSS is to finding hands-on science curriculum, you might feel in over your head!
The truth is, there is no one best kindergarten homeschool curriculum. You can, however, find a curriculum that works best for you and your children. You need to consider your teaching style, keep certain educational goals and standards in mind, and make a few decisions to personalize your child’s learning experience.
As your child embarks on the early years of their learning journeys, you’ll find they’re full of energy and questions. You’ll also find that they are like sponges‒absorbing information quickly and ready to experience the next item on the agenda! This might cause you to move through certain sections or projects quicker than you anticipated and require some on-the-fly planning.
Luckily, if you can pinpoint these key principles to guide you, you can choose the right curriculum for you and adapt it when needed.
For kindergarteners, you’ll find your teaching style will lean more heavily on interaction, play-based learning, and hands-on experiences. Consider how much you want to integrate or overlap activities and subjects, such as including music in reading activities or math in science. Do you want your child to have a more holistic approach to learning, or would they do better with a structured schedule?
As you introduce academic learning to your kindergartner, make sure you cover these core concepts:
Remember–kindergarten is more about building a foundation to help support them in learning as they grow. At this age, they probably won’t feel prepared for tests that require fact memorization or grammar. So, don’t worry if their work winds up feeling more like playtime. This means you’re doing it right!
In the past, more kindergarten homeschool curriculum was phonic-based for introducing reading to students. Now, you’ll find that many public schools have adopted whole-language reading.
Whole language philosophies believe language shouldn’t be broken down into sounds, letters, or combinations of letters. They believe language is a complete system of making meaning, and focuses more on how words function in relation to one another within their context.
Phonics-based is the opposite. It focuses on teaching children all of the sounds each letter can make, then building on that by combining vowels and consonants. Then, children learn short words, then gradually longer words. It’s ultimately up to you and your child’s learning style which approach you take.
When you research curriculum for homeschooling, you may find debate over traditional models of learning mathematics versus newer approaches. Luckily, for kindergarten, you can table that decision. Kindergarteners should just be introduced to the basics of arithmetic: counting, adding, subtracting.
Your kindergartener’s fine-motor skills should allow them to hold a pencil and begin to write their name and eventually, simple sentences. You may also want to introduce cursive handwriting to your young scholar, because studies show that writing in cursive can allow them to write much faster in the future.
Decide whether you want to focus on just print as your child learns to write, or if you want to introduce cursive.
Kindergarten is the perfect time for your child to engage in hands-on learning, and at this age, it might be the best way to keep them excited about school! However, building curriculum and gathering all of the materials needed to support engaging and enriching science projects and lessons can be daunting. This is where Home Science Tools can save the day!
We offer everything you need, from the best homeschool science curriculum to ready-to-go science lessons and projects that will excite and inspire your little learner. Check out our selection of science kits today!