Homeschooling Kindergarten – Choosing the right Curriculum & Routine

My daughter can easily add and subtract; however she only consistently can identify numbers 1, 3, and 8. She’s ready to learn more in depth concepts and topics; however, her learning style and needs dictate what we can do.

So instead of spend a lot of money on a pre-constructed kindergarten curriculum kit, I did my research, found the basics of what I wanted and needed, added resources to it, and am even creating my own supplemental learning material (and even sharing it with you) that explore kindergarten learning outcomes and objectives while focusing around fun, timely themes through the year.

Affiliate links included for your convenience. Many links are however simply resource links for your convenience. 

I have known for a few years now that I would most likely be a homeschooling mom rather than send my children into a classroom. In fact, it was the subject of my very first blog post on this particular website!

But I never dreamed I would be starting Kindergarten when my daughter was only three.

Under the circumstances, it’s the best option for my daughter. Despite asynchronous learning in some areas, she performs well above what would be considered her academic level and the idea that her birthday falls barely after the cut off means she wouldn’t traditionally be a classroom for two more years. So for me, if I have to stretch things into two years, I am fine and I have a great record to present my district since I’m in a fairly homeschool unfriendly state.

What you need to do and know before starting Kindergarten curriculum at home

Use a Homeschooling Basic Framework.

Research the different homeschooling styles, curricula, and overall options. For instance there are different schools of thought, different philosophies like Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio, Charlotte Mason, and others. There are also two main schools of thought regarding learning: academic and play based Kinder classrooms. And finally there are multiple types of curricula like Starfall, Timberdoodle, My Father’s World, Living Books, and so many more.

We personally, chose to compile a custom Kindergarten Kit through Timberdoodle.

In it we got things like:

• Math U See
• Spelling You See
• Bede’s History of Me
• Building Thinking Skills
• Beginning Geography

It allowed us to have the flexibility we wanted in ordering while ensuring that we gave our child(ren) a well-rounded education. (In fact, you have to hit on certain subjects in order for it to qualify for the kit discount and to get the Kindergarten Handbook.

And it gave us a way to input how many weeks our school year would be and it calculated how much we needed to do each day, week, and/or month. (With the option of adding outside resources). I was then able to take this and build a year’s curriculum plan.

For instance, we aren’t starting geography until week 5 and then we’ll do one per week. We’re also not starting Science until week 9 and then will do one per week. This allows us to also ease into everything rathe than starting full-force in the beginning.

Supplement according to lifestyle and need.

We then supplemented with extra resources. Some came with our custom kit such as some materials that were from the Pre-K kit and some I bought on my own through local bookstores and Amazon. Plus, I already had collected many resources from teaching, from my retired parents, and just over the years.

Some resource we added to our kindergarten custom kit:

• Montessori Letter Work to have a tactile understanding of lowercase letters.
• Similarly, we got Montessori Letter Work and Shape Work.
• Balance Activities for Proceptual-Motor Development
• ABC Sign & Color book to add sign language and a component where my kindergartener and younger child could learn together.
• Kumon Cutting books to work on hand dexterity and scissor skills.

Set a schedule you can stick to!

Maybe you know your child would thrive on a schedule that is three weeks on, one week off. Maybe they would do better to have one really large break. Or maybe your family’s lifestyle is going to be part of what dictates when and how you homeschool.

Just choose times that suit your little learner to help them thrive best.

Choose your holiday breaks, if any.

I wanted to make sure that we were NOT off at the exact same time as the local districts and that I planned according to our needs. So I added in a week off during a vacation, will do some really basic learning through activity sheets on Thanksgiving, and won’t take things like Fall and Spring breaks or February and April vacations.

For us it means we start in September, get out in May, and have a nice week or two in the middle for Christmas.

Save your receipts.

Copies, laminating supplies, curriculum kits,  books, and more.

Make sure that you’re documenting your expenses. While not all states allow for tax relief by claiming these supplies, it’s also a great way to ensure that you can sell at a fair price if needed or even donate.

What is unique about your kindergarten homeschooling curriculum?

Resources you’ll love!