2020-2021 Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum Choices
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Kindergarten Curriculum Choices
This is my 4th year teaching kindergarten! I LOVE this age! So much wonder, excitement, exploration, and fun. It’s honestly my favorite age to teach. I could spend all day exploring letters, counting things outside, making homemade playdough, and handprint crafts. However, with 3 older children who need me as well, I do not have the luxury to do so. Tear, tear. But, as a homeschool mom of 5, this is where we are in our journey and we need to roll with the punches and continue to learn together, no matter what obstacles come before us. Here are our 2020-2021 Kindergarten Curriculum Choices.
Before I begin, I want to add that this year we are going to be using a lot of our old favorites as well as add in a few new things. A goal of mine for the year is to try and “embrace technology.” This is something I personally struggle with. We hardly watch TV during the day or allow the use of apps or the computer. I might be a little bit of a control freak. I want to always be apart of the learning with each child and it is getting harder and harder to do that. Using technology (videos, online games, apps, etc) is a great way to keep learning happening when I am not able to be right next to them.
I also want to make some “special time” with my younger two kids. I think I added a few new things to enable me to have a nice balance of independence and one-on-one time with my kiddos.
About My Son
I also think it is important to add that my son is a completely different learner than my other children. Seriously! He is very hands-on and an abstract thinker. There are many times that he surprises me. For instance, this kid can tell you how a wood-burning stove and a tractor work but he doesn’t know his alphabet. He also loves to practice writing his letters in pig feed but when it comes to writing it on paper he loses interest. That is just him and I don’t want to push it.
My last few years of homeschooling have taught me that at this age you need to feel them out and not overwhelm them with doing school. Learning should be fun and if we miss a day of learning about math or reading that is completely okay. There is usually one day of the week that we squeeze a whole bunch of “book work” in and then call it good.
I want to focus on fine motor skills, alphabet sounds, and letter and number recognition for him at the beginning of the school year. Coloring, holding a pencil, and writing his LONG name. Then we will move into learning to read. This is the year that he is really going to grow. I can feel it.
Your kindergartener may be at a completely different level than my little guy here. That is what is wonderful about homeschooling. Teaching to their level.
I break my children into 2 different groups for learning. My olders (6th and 5th) and my youngers (2nd and K). All kids are invited to follow along with My Father’s World Creation to Greeks. That is where we get our amazing bible lessons and discussions. After beginning this program at the end of last year, I do know that this information is a little over my younger kid’s heads. I wanted to do something just for them that wouldn’t take a lot of time for me. I think we can all agree that “mom time” is very precious time indeed especially when you have a large family. I think I found something special that will not take a lot of “mom time” and be very and be fun and educational for my younger 2. Keep reading to hear about the fun.
You can read about how we do our family group subjects here in our 2020-2021 Group Subjects Curriculum Choices.
Without further ado, here are our 2020-2021 Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum Picks.
Alphabet, Reading, and Science… Oh My!
God’s Creation A to Z Alphabet Flashcards
I was not planning to do my favorite kindergarten program (My Fathers World Kindergarten) this year. 2 years ago, I attempted to teach MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures as well as My Father’s World Kindergarten, and as much as I love the program, I failed to do it justice. We only completed half of the Kindergarten Curriculum and that was when I realized that it is too hard for me to follow 2 different MFW Curriculums with small children, watching another child part-time, and attempting to grow our little farm.
But, when I pulled out these Alphabet Cards for my son I couldn’t resist adding a few lessons in. I remembered all the fun we had making a sundial, learning about the moon with oreos, and making our own nest cookies. I brought up my old weathered teacher’s manual full of coffee stains and hope to be able to incorporate some of the lessons in with things we are currently learning about. It really is an AMAZING Kindergarten Program that connects biblical truth with letter recognition, letter sounds, yummy snacks, and science.
In fact, just this week in science, we were learning about rocks and I pulled out my trusty MFW Kindergarten Teachers Manual to connect how Jesus is the Rock and sing The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock. May God lead us to pull in his truth when we can during our busy days.
Reading
My son is such a hands-on learner and he learns so much differently than my other kids.
He still does not know his alphabet. Not because we haven’t exposed him to it, but he just is not interested in learning it AT ALL! The alphabet song bores the heck out of him.
My plan is to continue to work on letter recognition with him using the All About Reading Pre-Reading alphabet coloring sheets. We started this last year and as much as I think it is a great program, I quickly fell behind. So we will follow a simplified version of the curriculum for my kindergartener. We will sing the alphabet song, talk about the letter, read the corresponding All About Reading Book letter pages, and then read a fun Alpha Tales Books to go along with the letter.
I don’t think these AlphaTales books get enough credit! They are entertaining, fun to read, and are packed full of good vocabulary that is focused on the letter you are learning about. Above you can see how many words they pack into the pages.
AlphaTales Books are my favorite books to read when we are learning about letters! Add in some catchy Story Bot videos and you are set.
Once I feel like my child is ready to learn more, I will start Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. All of his older siblings have learned to read using this book. It is so simple for me as a teacher (open and go) and does a great job at teaching blending. Year after year, I continue to come back to this book which is less than $20.
Note: This book does not teach phonics. I would add a phonics instruction book after lesson 50 or so. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons does not go into any of the phonics rules. It teaches your child how to read and gives them the confidence to do so. My Father’s World First Grade Program Learning God’s Story has a great phonics program that teaches all of these skills.
Math
We have tried out SO many math programs! This subject, in particular, has been hard for me. I was notorious for being a math jumper, trudging my oldest son and daughter through new styles of learning because I got frustrated with the current book we were using. (For the record, I wish I wouldn’t have done that. Sometimes you just need a break.)
There was always something I did not necessarily like about the math programs we were using. Not hands-on, too hands-on, too many problems, hard to understand, doesn’t include math fact printables, too much work for me, etc. You can see how I have waffled around a lot. Well, last year we found Saxon Math Primary and I am slowly moving all my kids over to Saxon.
Last school year, I did Saxon Math 1 with my first grader daughter and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Don’t let that ginormous teacher’s manual scare you. This math curriculum is fun, hands-on, and focuses on lots of memorization. It is a solid program that includes things I felt were missing in other math programs we tried.
Below I will list the things I like about Saxon Math and the things I do not like about it. I hope this will help you decide if Saxon Math is right for you.
What I Like About Saxon Math
- The Meeting Book- I LOVE the meeting book! As a busy mom of 5, I do not have time for that perfect morning time calendar. This meeting book gives me personal time with that child and we get to talk about the weather, mark the date, count on the 100 chart, create patterns, etc. No more fights on who gets to say the weather.
- Hands-on activities. I was pleasantly surprised by this last year. Saxon doesn’t look very fun to me but the teacher’s manual is filled with things that you will physically do with your child. One activity I did with my daughter in Saxon 1 last year was that she picked up 6 of her favorite toys and had to put them in ordinal order. We then talked about who was first, second, third, etc. Then we moved them around. I still remember her face and how excited she was. That’s how I would have wanted to learn math and that is how I want to teach it to my children.
- Lots of review!
- Math Facts memorization at a young age. Saxon K does not start this just yet but I know they do in Saxon 1. I appreciated the daily Math Fact sheets all ready for you to pull out and it is right next to the student’s assignment. I felt like my 1st grader was a little young to learn them but she memorized them so quickly.
What I don’t like about Saxon Math K
- It does take some time to sit with your child and discuss their lesson. This can be a pro or a con based on your personal situation.
- If your child knows the information it can be hard to know how to move them forward more quickly.
- Saxon Math K does not come with a student workbook. That made me a little sad because I want my kindergartener to have a math workbook where he can practice writing out his numbers and circling his answers.
Luckily, I found the perfect solution to that. See below.
Reading Eggs & Math Seeds App Along With The Workbooks
I am REALLY excited about this one! We have used Reading Eggs and Math Seeds App in the past and my kids really enjoyed playing the games and having some iPad time. That would be a great way for me to “embrace technology” and keep my little guy learning when I am working with his older siblings.
And then it hit me like an epiphany. Reading Eggs and Math Seeds also have workbooks to go with the app. YES! That is perfect! He can play games and then get some handwriting practice too. Now my son has a math book to go along with the Saxon K program and games to play when mom is busy.
So, this year we went all hog in. I also picked up the Reading Eggs Kindergarten Reading book which goes over letter formation and sounds. These books are nicely constructed and are very colorful and fun. I think it is going to be a great fit for my son.
Handwriting
I do not require a lot of handwriting at this age. If my child is interested then we will bring out this book for additional writing practice. My two oldest children have successfully completed the program (with no tears I may add) and learned how to do cursive too. My kindergartener will be starting Letters and Numbers for Me this year.
I do not use the teacher’s manuals, wooden pieces, chalkboard, or any of the extras. I just sit down with my child and help them carefully form their letters. I watch them closely and correct them on where they start, how their hand is placed, and how their handwriting looks. It is simple and effective.
Tip for parents: I only give corrections to handwriting/writing when we are working on the workbook. Too much correction in the “home” can kill your child’s spirit. If they are writing for their own pleasure- do not correct them or say that you know they can do better. Congratulate them and wait until you are teaching the lesson to correct the problem. This is a mistake I wish I wouldn’t have made. There are a time and a place for correction and it is not when they are doing it for fun.
My two oldest children have successfully completed the program (with no tears I may add) and learned how to do cursive too. My kindergartener will be starting Letters and Numbers for Me this year.
This book is great for learning to be skillful in writing, thinking, and understanding. In the past, my children have done Developing the Early Learner set. I think that the Rod and Staff Book Series are better. I feel that the Rod and Staff books are more professional and that the pictures are easier for the child to identify.
Science
This year I decided to go simple on science. I want science to be fun, interesting, and use real books. I also wanted to have pre-printed science notebook pages to avoid the mess of random science notebook pages all over the place as we have had in the past and the science supplies all set to go in a science kit. BookShark Science fit the build and I decided to try it with both groups of my kids. My two youngers (Kindergarten and 2nd Grade) are doing BookShark Science Level A together and my two older children are doing BookShark Science Level D.
This is going over really well so far! The content has been interesting to my children, they love the Discover and Do video at the end of the week, I like that everything is included (it also includes a box with supplies), and I do not have science experiment pages everywhere because they are all in the kid’s binders. Easy peasy!
Tip: If you are just buying the BookShark Science A Program on its own, make sure that you don’t forget to add on The Usborne Children’s Encyclopedia. That book is included in the Core A Reading and History Program and is an additional add on if you are doing the Science Program only.
Around the World With Picture Books from Beautiful Feet
Eeek! I am SUPER excited about this one. As I mentioned above, my younger kids did not seem interested in following along with My Father’s World Creation to Christ. It was a little over their heads and they would run off and play instead. And that is totally okay. But I did want to fit in some Geography and reading with them and there is no better way to learn Geography than with picture books! Around the World with Picture Books by Beautiful Feet seems to be a perfect fit for what I am looking for.
I wanted a program that would not take a long time to teach and I wanted to fit in reading time with my younger kids without a lot of activities and student sheets. I am looking for easy here. We have also read a lot of these children’s books throughout the years and know that they are good ones. This is going to be a special time with my younger kids. Twice a week we are going to sit down and read a good book, do a little activity, and if we have time to explore more then we will. I also have gotten a lot of these books from the library and know that they are quality literature. I am happy to add these to our home library collection.
Around the World with Picture Books packs in a lot of bang for your buck. You will be learning about geography, art, nature, and trying delightful cuisine from the area. We have really been enjoying this one so far and ALL of my kids have participated.
Fun
Kindergarteners definitely need some fun things to work on.
Sticker Books: When mom is busy and my little ones want to do school, sticker books come to my rescue. We LOVE the Usborne Sticker Books! You can find these in all sorts of interests My oldest son really liked the historical sticker books. Here are some of our favorites: Building Sites, Sticker Picture Atlas Around the World, Sticker Knights, Soldiers, Long Ago.
Kumon Maze Books are always some of my kids favorites. They are fun and are a great way to improve those fine motor skills. Amazing Mazes, My Book of Mazes Animals, Around the World, and Things That Go are a few that each child has enjoyed working on.
Games
Clumsy Thief Junior– Clumsy Thief is the best! A quick card game where players work on finding 2 cards that add up to a certain sum. In Clumsy Thief Junior you are adding to 10. You then make stacks in front of you where players can steal your food piles by adding the correct number to your stack. It is fast-paced, fun, and drills down those addition facts.
Hedbanz– This game is great for some laughs and also teaches some marvelous communication skills.
Sum Swamp– My kids are suckers for this adorable math game! From the cute little animal playing pieces to the beautiful board game. Your child will learn simple addition, subtraction, odd/even, and number recognition.
Sequence Letters– Just like the classic game but with letters and letter sounds. This is an easy game to whip out when we need a break from the daily routine and something that the older kids can play with my little guy.
Tiny Polka Dot– A fun little game to help teach counting and number recognition.
Thank you for checking out our Kindergarten Curriculum Choices. I am really excited to see how much my little guy will grow throughout the year. These early years go so fast!
What are you using for your Kindergartener this year? Did I mention any of your favorites?
If you have any questions or would like to know how things are going, comment below or send me an e-mail. I love talking curriculum!
Stayed tuned to see what Homeschool Curriculum we are using this year for 6th Grade, 5th Grade, and 2nd Grade. You may also like to see what we used last year here—> Our 2019-2020 Homeschool Curriculum Choices (5th, 4th,1st, and 4K).
-Lindsay from Life on Misty Acres
