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First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have first grade homeschool curriculum for history and geography. Also, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

Out of all the grades to begin choosing homeschool curriculum, first grade is really overwhelming.

Not from the point that it will necessarily be hard to teach, but it is the first formal grade.

You want to kick off your formal years right.

First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

The first of anything can be tough just because of inexperience.

Add to that the mega choices we have in homeschooling and it can be downright stressful to choose curriculum.

Starting with history and geography (because they are two of my favorite subjects) I want to give you a bit of help in sorting out the choices.

First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History

When starting with history for any grade and especially first grade, keep these two important things in mind.

1. Decide An Approach to History

When I first started homeschooling, studying history in chronological order made sense to me after I read The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition). I started my homeschool journey with classical roots.

I started off first grade using The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Revised Edition (commonly referred to as SOTW).

Story of the World covers history in a 4 year cycle beginning with the Ancients and moving forward to Modern. You spend one year on each time period.

The teacher’s guide is helpful and necessary because you have questions and answers to help review the reader. 

History is told in a story fashion and my boys found it delightful.

Homeschool Curriculum for History

However, after schooling for a few years, I realized that because of his younger age, my middle son wasn’t retaining as much information as my oldest son had retained.

So I questioned the chronological approach and switched to a literature approach by Beautiful Feet where my son could learn history through a famous historical character.

This made a huge difference to him and helped my middle son make a meaningful connection to history.

Using living books like George Washington by the D’Aulaires or Abraham Lincoln (Bicentennial Edition) helped my son to understand some of the major players in history. Chronological order came later.

So, using Beautiful Feet is one example of living books and is a literature approach to history.

Using classical books, history comes alive through people and events and it’s not chronological.

First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

If you feel your background in history was lacking, there is nothing wrong with starting in chronological order and adding in living books too.

It’s taking the best of both approaches.

If you have it in your budget, there is nothing wrong with choosing one history curriculum as your spine or the essential guide you are using and another one you like to supplement with.

Now, please don’t make the mistake of doing two curriculum because that is overwhelming.

But using curriculum which fits your teaching style more and using the other one to help add other things your spine may be lacking is a good technique to keep you rounded out in your teaching.

Before you can make curriculum choices, you want to take stock of how you think best your children will learn and how much background help you need in history.

2. Determine If You Want to Tech History Using a Secular, Christian or Neutral View

The next biggie to decide is how you want to approach history.

Do you want the history of religion woven into your curriculum like Mystery of History, which too is taught in chronological order?

Or would you prefer a more neutral stand to history like The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Revised Edition?

Too, another reason for choosing a program like The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Revised Edition is because you may want to add your own Bible study information to it.

I didn’t need any help with a worldview and so I chose SOTW. I also used other resources which I’m going to tell you about in a minute.

First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

Though some may argue that a secular and neutral approach in history are synonymous, it has been my experience that they are not.

In my earlier years of homeschooling I felt that you taught Bible based or used something that conflicted it and this idea is still popular among homeschoolers.

I still feel like that way somewhat but have expanded my view of what is neutral because of using so many different history curriculum.

More Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

There can be some fine differences though it is tough to tell at times until after you have finished the curriculum in full.

Then there is secular curriculum that takes a more neutral approach in that they merely introduces the idea of the big bang theory but then talks about true history like making disciples during Roman times.

The book I am talking about and is an example of a more neutral view is a book by Virgil Hillyer, A Child’s History of the World.

I skipped the first two chapters of the book because of the mention of the big bang theory which I didn’t want to introduce at this age.

A Child’s History of the World makes history come alive for this age and it has been the one book that has held each of my boy’s attention as they started first grade.

I can’t say enough good things about this book.

Looking back now, I could have easily only used A Child’s History of the World and added in my own free resources.

For hands-on learning we’ve always used Home School in the Woods products.

First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

Look at a couple of the ones for grades K to 2.

Homeschool Geography for the Littles

It is important to mix hands-on activities with formal learning.

I enjoyed using the series by Steck Vaughn called Maps, Globes, Graphs. It was a mix of coloring, crossword puzzles and search and find clues in the workbooks along with maps.

Another super resource for grade K – 4 is Galloping the Globe, which is a unit study approach.

It it not as easy to follow along because I feel it is more like a reference but it is meaty enough for this grade level to understand about the cultural of other places.

The beauty of this resource is that it adds in things like cooking and cultural, which certainly needs to be included to help a child appreciate that geography is more than just a map, which could be boring.

Galloping the Globe would compliment a workbook approach.

My other love to have at this is Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary (Trophy Picture Books).

This is a reference book along with pictures to explain different features of geography.  A must have if I were homeschooling this grade again.

I hope this background information along with some of the things I used will keep this process fun and exciting like it should be.

Also, another one that we love for this age and that fits my idea of what teaching history and geography is Beautiful Feet curriculum that I mentioned earlier.

First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 100 free unit study resources. Unit studies have a way of taking any topic from drab to fab. Grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies pages

They can bring life to the most seeming lifeless topic.

Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources

So today in sharing toddler to teen 100 free unit study resources, I hope you find something that inspires you and your kids.

A good amount of the work has been started for you already with the resources I have listed below. And no, I just couldn’t stop at 100 resources!

Free Unit Study Resources

General Information & Unit Study How-Tos

Free Unit Studies

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Also, look at Beautiful Feet literature for some fun literature, history and geography unit studies.

Homeschool Unit Studies

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F

Unit Studies for Multiple Ages

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Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources

K

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100 Unit Studies

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N

O

P

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Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources

Free Unit Study Printables

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Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources

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Don’t forget that I have the Ultimate Unit Study Planner. Having an eye for detail and creating many unit studies with multiple levels of kids, I know you’ll love it.

Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources. I have 100 free unit study resources. Unit studies have a way of taking any topic from drab to fab. Grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies pages. They can bring life to the most seeming lifeless topic. So today in sharing toddler to teen 100 free unit study resources, I hope you find something that inspires you and your kids.
  • This is a DIY printable Ultimate Unit Study Planner in COLOR.
  • Undated pages, so it is a 1 Time Purchase
  • You do not pay for “Fluff” pages like calendars found freely on the internet and provided here on my blog. Only unique working forms are part of your comprehensive download.
  • Lesson Pages are divided by lower, middle and higher grades.
  • Learning Objective Forms & Assessment Forms
  • Brainstorming Maps

Feel inspired to try one or two or . . .?  You’ll be hooked!

You’ll love these other posts and tips too:

100 FREE Toddler to Teen Homeschool Unit Studies. Your kids will love these ideas and you’ll find plenty of topics to keep homeschool planning easy. CLICK HERE to grab one or two!
100 FREE Toddler to Teen Homeschool Unit Studies. Your kids will love these ideas and you’ll find plenty of topics to keep homeschool planning easy. CLICK HERE to grab one or two!
Ultimate Homeschool Unit Study Planner - Comparing Two Different Lesson Planning Pages @ Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus


This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Toddler to Teen 100 Popular Free Homeschool Unit Study Resources

12 Easy Pick Up And Go Homeschool Kindergarten History Curriculum

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have 12 pick up and go homeschool kindergarten history curriculum. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

Teaching history to a young child can be daunting.

And sometimes we may not have a handle on what is and isn’t important to teach in kindergarten.

12 Easy Pick Up And Go Homeschool Kindergarten History Curriculum

Additionally, you want to understand what pick up and go means. It can mean different things for each person.

For me it means the resource gives me in a capsule the important parts to teach.

Day-to-day lesson plans are what some families thinks of pick up and go.

With the resources I’ve listed, you’ll have a chance at both of those approaches along with others.

First, you need to determine what is the best way for you to teach history to your kindergartner.

For example, kids this age do best by hands-on learning.

That lesson was a hard one for me to learn because I felt comfortable with worksheets.

3 Ways to Make Homeschool Kindergarten History Relatable

And was comfortable thinking that completing a worksheet equated with understanding. It does not as I learned.

Worksheets do not teach anything, but they can guide you as the educator.

For instance, worksheets can condense important parts into smaller parts, and you can use them to construct a lesson plan for the day.

Or you can use the worksheet question and answers to summarize important points from the curriculum.

However, beyond choosing homeschool kindergarten history curriculum it’s more important to make history relatable to your child.

Look at these 3 ways to make history relatable to your young child.

1. Use a story telling method.

Because young kids don’t really have a significant grasp of time like the past other than the day they were born, a story is a fun and relatable way to bring history to life.

For example, Story of the World uses a reader to tell the story.

The rest of the work in the activity guides can be saved for next year when a child can write.

However, the activities can guide you how to flesh out the topic.

Too, living books are some of the best stories.

The Geronimo Stilton series of books is about a scaredy mouse Geronimo who goes on many adventures through history.

He’s a timid single guy afraid of new adventures yet finds himself reluctantly traveling the globe with his friends and family solving mysteries and completing research for his next big story.

They bring history to life without too many details which can be distracting to young learners.

2. Do Hands-on Activities.

This next point is hard for new parents to accept. It was for me.

I didn’t have enough experience to know that hands-on activities makes learning stick.

True I was quite judgmental thinking crafts was fluff learning.

But when you know better you do better. My kids showed me the way.

When we did hands-on activities, points in history stuck.

Also, we would do coloring, lapbooks, and use these hands-on lap packs.

Next, is one of the most important ways although I didn’t fully appreciate it in the beginning.

3. Through play learning.

Play is how children use their imagination to connect information.

Simply, children are learning about the world around them when they engage in play.

12 Easy Pick Up And Go Homeschool Kindergarten History Curriculum

Use a diorama like Rocky Mountains Oregon Trail Fun Large Diorama Craft for Kids to teach kids about the early pioneers, learn about Daniel Boone through creating an edible cabin, and learn the difference between myth and true happenings by making the lost city of Atlantis diorama.

12 Easy Pick Up And Go Homeschool Kindergarten History Curriculum

More Kindergarten Homeschool Resources

Finally, look at some resources for teaching kindergarten homeschool history.

12 Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

12 History Curriculum for Kindergarten

You can get as much help as you need or as little with these resources. Sometimes we want lesson plans laid out and other times we want just a framework.

A Homeschooler’s Quick and Painless Introduction To Learning Styles

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a quick introduction to learning styles. And grab my other tips I have on my page homeschool learning styles.

Also, it’s not necessary to be concerned about educationalese so learning about homeschool learning styles should be painless.

It’s not necessary to understand all the jargon of learning styles like I tried to do.

A Homeschooler’s Quick and Painless Introduction To Learning Styles

Too, I want you to know why it’s important to understand this brief introduction to homeschool learning styles prior to choosing curriculum.

Additionally, I want you to understand these 3 things.

  • you need to understand your child’s weaknesses and strengths.
  • that you should tailor curriculum to meet your child’s learning personality and
  • the more you educate yourself and your child the better you’re equipped to meet his needs.

Introduction to Learning Styles

First, it’s important to success as homeschool educators to understand our children and ourselves.

For example, as parents we know from the time our children are born, they have a definite personality.

In addition, we have pre-set ideas of how to raise them.

However, their personality and our ideas of how to homeschool can collide.

So, you need to understand your child’s weakness and strengths so you can best know how to homeschool him.

Better yet you want your child to excel in life as well.

What is a Learning Style

Although some scientific studies want to complicate the simple, here is my simple definition.

A learning style is the way a person prefers to learn. It goes beyond visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. It involves the way a person feels, senses, and thinks about certain topics. Also, it is a preferred way to interact with new information and it involves their personality. And to accept the differences in people and understand there is no reason to change a person because differences are a good thing.

The reason so many educators can be overwhelmed is that they try to make it science to understand how the brain works.

While it’s true that studying the brain is vital and it is science, it’s equally important to know that we will never know all that affects our brain, emotions, and personality.

Key to moving forward in teaching children is accepting their personality and understanding that they we should not try to change them.

We only see what children can do and how they interact and will never be able to know everything about the brain.

True, we want to nurture them and pass on what we know.

However, that is much different than changing something about somebody that we have no control over. If a child is born with black hair, then it’s black.

As absurd as it is, we don’t insist we have a child who is blonde headed even if he or she dyed their hair.

We’re born with certain traits which can’t be changed no matter how much we may hide them.

Why should we tailor our curriculum to meet our child’s needs?

Next, another point to know is that tailor curriculum to a child’s learning style is not coddling them.

Just as you have a preferred teaching style your child has a preferred way to learn.

Each of your children began to walk and talk at different times, not the exact same day.

So, when our curriculum is varied it means we accept and recognize differences.

And you recognize that just because one math program works for one child it doesn’t mean it will for the next child.

Again, this is because there are differences in our learning personality that need to be recognized.

When a child loses self-confidence or thinks he is weird because he doesn’t comprehend our teaching method then the curriculum is counterproductive.

We simply cannot expect each of our children to be the same and this is because they each have different learning personalities.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Childs Learning Personality.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child? Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles. A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling. However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.

Moreover, look at the resources to help you understanding learning styles.

Homeschool Learning Style and Personality Book Helps and How to of Homeschooling

Arming yourself with more information as to how children learn and how to teach them best should be part of every homeschool library.

Our goal in homeschooling is to be the best teacher and learn how OUR kids learn best and not every child or grade level.

More Homeschool Learning Style Resources

A Homeschooler’s Quick and Painless Introduction To Learning Styles

Your children are so much more capable of learning than we sometimes give them credit for. Understanding their learning personality unlocks the power of learning.

How To Determine The Best Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten & Recommendations

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m sharing tried and true tips for how to determine the best beginner reading books for kindergarten while homeschooling. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

Besides, reading is one of the most important subjects to teach well.

Teaching other subjects in kindergarten is important.

How To Determine The Best Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten & Recommendations

However, if a child doesn’t read well, he could struggle lifelong in all subjects.

Also, I have a free reading journal you can download below to help you track reading time.

As he grows and has interests in other subjects, like history or science, he may struggle with comprehension.

So, what we do in the beginning or while homeschooling kindergarten matters.

For example, beginner books for children should not only meet them where they’re at but be engaging and delightful.

3 Questions About Beginner Reading Books for Kindergarten

With that being said, look at these ways you can meet your child where he is in understanding phonics and growing in reading.

Some kindergarten aged children are ready for beginner chapter books or higher and others are still very much finding delight in repeated texts and phonics readers.

Being at either level is very much normal as well as anywhere in between.

Now, look at these 3 questions to see if your child needs more prereading help or if he is ready to tackle beginner chapter books.

1. How well does your child understand or master rhyming?

Rhyming is not just a fun childhood pastime, but learning to rhyme helps him to see patterns in reading.

After that when you point out the similarities in the word pattern, he learns to make other words quickly.

For example, if you print CAT on a card, then write FAT.

After you show him how the first letter is different, but the end is the same, he sees and hears the pattern.

This is an effective and simple way to have a strong foundation in reading.

Next, identify his knowledge of letter sounds.

2. How well does he know letter sounds?

That is more important than the shape of the letter or knowing the name of the letter.

While recognizing the shape of the letter is important, your child will need to grasp that it represents or stands for a sound.

Thereafter, you want to be sure of his print awareness.

3. What is his understanding of print concept?

For example, does he hold the book right way up, looks at the pictures and knows we read from left to right?

Even if he doesn’t understand his left from his right (even as adults we get confused) does he point with this finger or lead with his eyes and track left to right to read?

If you can answer yes to these prereading concepts, then barring any special needs he is ready for beginner reading books.

Additionally, if your child is still mastering some of the concepts listed above, then keep his reading diet steady with phonics readers and mixing in easy chapter books.

The books listed below will help him to not only reinforce basic reading concepts but challenge him to continue moving on in reading levels.

How To Determine The Best Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten & Recommendations

More Homeschool Kindergarten Reading Tips

I have chosen to mix both phonics readers and fun readers so you have a choice to mix and match.

Too, look at more activities for kindergarten.

More Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum And Crafts

Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten

A homeschooled kindergarten child’s reading diet should still be a mix of repeated texts or phonics readers and beginner readers.

This way your child’s basic reading skills continue to be strengthened while your child’s reading level is advancing.

However, I also have a way for you to track your reading time, or help your child track his time in 15 minute increments.

Free Reading Journal Tracking Reading Time by 15 Minute Increments

Free Reading Logs by tracking reading time in 15 minute increments.

How to Get the Free 7 page Reading Logs With Journal Cover

Now, how to grab the freebie. This is a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my subscribers library and this freebie.

 1) Sign up on my email list to get my emails.
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 3) Last step. Look for my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following..