So you’ve decided to homeschool your kindergartner! I’ve got news for you. You can toss the expensive curriculum catalogs in the trash. Or you can save them to drool over or browse in just for fun, but believe me when I tell you that homeschooling your kindergartner is possible without spending much money at all.
Kindergarten is pretty much the easiest level in which to begin homeschooling. A parent who begins homeschooling at kindergarten has some distinct advantages. First of all, the subject matter is pretty simple. Most parents can easily teach a child their colors, letters, numbers and how to tell time, without much stress at all. Secondly, kindergarten takes the least amount of time as any other level of school. Thirdly, your child has no idea as to how school is supposed to look. Parents who pull their children out of a traditional school environment, many times have to battle the child’s preconceptions that learning is only possible in a particular environment and by using particular methods. Fourthly, and possibly best of all for those who are strapped for cash, the components of a high quality kindergarten education are available for very little or no money at all.
A good kindergarten program can be accomplished in as little as an hour a day of formal, sit-down type bookwork. But if you have to report hours, as many do, I can tell you how to construct your day as to complete your time without overwhelming your child.
First of all, in regard to book-work, keep in mind that learning can be accomplished whether or not a child is tethered to a desk, pencil in hand, while slaving over a workbook. Educators know that children learn best when they are able to involve all of their senses in learning. So just because your child does not sit at a desk all day does not mean that they are not learning.
Handwriting.
Handwriting should be taught very gently, especially in the very early months of kindergarten. Children should be shown the right way to hold their pencils and encouraged to go slowly. Perfection is more important than speed at this point. Do not pick apart the messy writing of a five or six year old, as many of them have not matured to the point that fine motor skills required for writing are developed yet. Keep sessions short, five minutes or less, while they are learning. http://donnayoung.org/penmanship/index.htm has so many free printable handwriting worksheets that it is unnecessary to purchase a penmanship book.
Reading Readiness and Phonics.
This topic can be controversial, as some educators believe that children should not be forced to learn to read until they are older. Research is beginning to indicate that children learn to read at different ages. Not all children are ready at the start of kindergarten and attempting to force this issue will only breed a hatred for learning. Remember that learning to read, while an extremely important skill, is not a race, nor is it an indicator of the intelligence of a child. If your child is totally resistant to the idea set it aside for several months. Books like Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons and The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading break down the teaching of reading into bite-sized pieces for the average parent. But if you can’t find the book or cannot afford it, slowly start discussing letters and sounds and how they all fit together to make words. Remember, reading is a little like potty training…. when the child is ready it is easy. When they are not ready it’s horrible. So try to be patient, even if kindergarten passes and your child is still struggling to sound out words.
Math.
While at times it is simpler to purchase a published mathematics curriculum, it is definitely not necessary. A parent can easily teach a child every bit of math they need for kindergarten without workbooks. This page http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/kindergarten.php lists many common objectives for kindergarten math programs. These can be accomplished with manipulatives (counters), paper, index cards, dominoes and dice. Internet printable worksheets like this one http://www.kidzone.ws/math/kindergarten.htm will give your student some worksheets to complete, perhaps even making his own math book to be proud of.
Language Arts.
The best thing you can do for your child in kindergarten is to read to them. Read their favorites, but also include classic stories, fairy tales, and Aesop’s fables. Read books about various folktales from around the world. Present your child with books that include rhyme, rhythm, and humor. Discuss the difference between fiction and non-fiction. If your child progresses to reading alone, this site http://www.clarkness.com/ contains hundreds of printable graded readers for absolutely free.
Social Studies.
The main goal of social studies is to introduce the child to the way the world works. Teaching them the differences between towns, cities, states, countries and continents is important, as well as the names for the continents and oceans of the world. Show your child maps and globes and point out the places where you live, where you grew up, and where different relatives live. Learning about the various holidays that we celebrate and why we celebrate them is covered in kindergarten. Remember to teach your child about the more obscure holidays like President’s Day, and Columbus Day.
Science.
Kindergarten science is very basic. It focuses on the changing seasons and weather, basic health and hygiene, and the five senses. Simple horticulture, teaching children how plants grow and what they need to grow is an easy project for kindergarten science.
Science and social studies do not need anything more than a library card and some creativity. Perhaps making a weekly checklist at the beginning of the year of topics to cover each week will help you keep track of what you did. This will also help you plan which library books you will need to dig up for the coming week.
Reporting Hours.
As I said previously, kindergarten need not consist of more than one hour of sit-down, book-work. Suppose you spend an hour each day working on penmanship, a math worksheet or two, and coloring a page that corresponds to the social studies/science topic that you are studying. What else can you do to fill those hours? For one thing, spend thirty minutes in the morning reading stories aloud to your child and thirty minutes in the afternoon. That would make a full hour of story time.
Next, spend thirty minutes to an hour allowing your child to count and sort things. Let them count how much green Legos are in a tub. Show them what estimation means. “I bet there are about 40 red Legos in that bowl.” Show them how to graph their findings. Count everything, from the number of M&M’s they have to how many biscuits you baked.
Third, play a game with them for about 30 minutes. Candyland or Hi Ho Cherry O will teach your child counting skills. Other games will teach your child about winning and losing and how to take turns.
Last, use some teaching websites and allow your child to play for as long as he likes. My favorite is www.starfall.com because it covers all the common kindergarten subject areas and will actually teach your child to read if used regularly. These 2 websites http://www.kindersite.org/Directory/DirectoryFrame.htm
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/kindergarten_links.htm
have other interesting educational games as well, but Starfall is the best organized of the three.
Even if you don’t have to count hours, these activities are very beneficial to kindergarteners. So take the time to lead your child into learning activities. At the kindergarten level it does not take much time and kids are usually excited to do it.
Many first time homeschool parents are intimidated by starting their child out in kindergarten, but they need not be. It is pretty easy and (don’t tell the curriculum companies) you do not need piles of books at home to do it.