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homeschoolanguagearts

How to Effortlessly Blend Kindergarten Homeschool Subjects & Life

July 21, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Blending kindergarten homeschool subjects and life doesn’t make it easy to determine kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

However, today I’m helping you to know how to effortlessly blend the kindergarten subjects with what you’re doing naturally every day.

Further, don’t forget up to this time you have not used any curriculum in your instruction.

Sometimes very little kindergarten homeschool curriculum is needed.

In addition, families vary in their needs, but all children benefit from a gentle and relaxed approach to the kindergarten homeschool subjects.

How to Effortlessly Blend Kindergarten Homeschool Subjects & Life

Moreover, it’s important to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

And it begins what the subjects that are foundational and the subjects that can be folded into your day naturally.

Beginning my journey 20+ years ago, I didn’t have to make a choice about common core and by the time the No Child Left Behind act was passed, I was well on my way to homeschooling.

Because the educational world can be muddled to trek through, I will give you a glimpse of what is important at this age.

Essential Kindergarten Subjects

Too, it’s important for you to first to know what subjects you need and want to teach.

1. Begin with the subjects your local homeschool law requires.

First, begin with your local law.

No, you don’t choose homeschool curriculum first because your local law could be relaxed or it could be rigid. And your curriculum can help or hinder you meet state law.

Choose curriculum after you’re familiar with the subjects you must teach.

2. Second, focus on math and language arts which are your essential subjects

Then, know what are foundational subjects for kindergarten.

Although curriculum companies tout that you need all subjects, the truth of it is that math and language arts are the key components.

How to Effortlessly Blend Kindergarten Homeschool Subjects & Life

But, I know you want details because that is what I needed to when teaching my first child.

What’s more look below at this list to see what skills you need to focus on.

ESSENTIAL SUBJECTS IN KINDERGARTEN
MATH | LANGUAGE ARTS (Tip: The subjects vary by age and grade.) For Kindergarten, the subjects are Reading, Phonics, and Writing.

SKILLS TAUGHT IN MATHSKILLS TAUGHT IN LANGUAGE ARTS
Know the ordinal numbers up to 10, but recite numbers to 100Names the parts of a book like cover, back, and inside pages. Understands which direction to hold the book And knows that a story has a beginning, middle and ending .
Knows how to compare two groups to understand the more than, less than and equal to.Recognizes the letters of the alphabet and understands that the letter represents sounds.
Recognizes shapes, and understand patterns ABC, AABBCC, ABBCC, ABAB, etc.
Identifies money.
Is familiar with conventional measuring tools like rulers, but starts with unconventional tools like a pencil.
Can see that we read right to left and top to bottom. Associates sounds with symbols for writing and begins with inventive writing which letters can be indistinguishable. And practices adding new words to his vocabulary.
Compares objects based on size and capacity.Can retell stories and can even act them out.
Counting by 10s and understands what is a pair.Begins to learn and recognize signs from his community like stop signs, etc.
Is familiar with a clock and the numbers on it.Recognizes his name and attempts to “write” it.
Becomes familiar with word that represent position like under, through, on top of, etc. Also, begins basic addition and subtraction by learning how to group sets and break them apart.Begins to sound out and read CVC words like cat, rat, and sat.

3. Decide how to pair kindergarten subjects with life skills.

Next, look at these skills above which are normally introduced in curriculum through a scope and sequence or order.

Kindergarten Subjects

So, you can either use a laid-out curriculum or continue to do what you’ve been doing up to this time in your child’s life.

For example, look at how I effortlessly blended the kindergarten homeschool subjects with life skills.

  • Reading aloud increases your child’s vocabulary, ability to retell, and encourages him to act out what he has learned.
  • Point out words or signs in your home and community to explain their meaning and what they say.
  • Provide plenty of pictures books to your child to look at and dream about.
  • Plant a garden to cover science, measuring, and “write’ on plant markers.
  • Instead of using the app on your phone, have your Kindergarten help with a grocery list.
  • Encourage your kindergarten to understand money by adding some to his piggy bank and paying for small items with your supervision.

  • Beautiful and Flexible Early Learner Homeschool Planner

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Kindergarten Homeschool Ideas

Also, here are more ideas of things you’ve probably already been doing.

  • Take care of a pet and learn to measure the pet’s food or medicine.
  • Practice and recite rhymes. Rhymes are not just child’s play but the foundation to hear rhyming and syllables of a word. These skills are the beginning of phonics. Eventually, the sounds will be put to writing to learn spelling. It’s important to rhyme.
  • Use paint brushes, q tips, sticks, to ‘”write” with.
  • Bake cookies and learn fractions and the measurements on the cups.
  • Take a nature walk and look for patterns in nature. For example, look at the repeating patterns of petals and the seeds in the head of a sunflower.
  • Do crafts and make a clock with moving hands.
  • Play games like uno and dominoes to learn number and additions.
  • Use popsicle sticks and glue on 10 beans and use as a counter for 10s, 20s, and etc.
  • Use these fun rock crayons which encourage the correct grip prior to holding a pencil.
How to Effortlessly Blend Kindergarten Homeschool Subjects & Life

Moreover, as you can see all of this can be done without worksheets. Puzzles, play props, and play-doh should still be part of kindergarten.

Do not give up what you’ve done for the first five years of your child’s life. Learning doesn’t always have to be divided into subjects.

Finally, if you need a curriculum, remember to use it as a framework, but do not make it the ultimate way a child learns.

What things are you naturally doing with your kindergartner each day where you’re blending learning and living?

How to Effortlessly Blend Kindergarten Homeschool Subjects & Life

Other Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Resources

  • Homeschooling Kindergarten: What Subjects to Teach and For How Long?
  • Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning
  • 21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum
  • BEST Free Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum With A Gentle Approach (List)

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Homeschooling, Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: homeschool subjects, homeschoolanguagearts, kindergarten, language arts, languagearts, life skills, skillsubjects

Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning

July 5, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Delightful kindergarten homeschool curriculum which promote a love of learning can be hard to find. Find my other tips for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum on my page.

Not only will I share how to choose a delightful curriculum, but I’ll explain the essentials.

Besides, it’s hard to choose a curriculum if you don’t know what subjects to teach.

Another important part of a kindergarten homeschool curriculum is the hands-on part.

Kindergarten aged children learn best by playing, exploring, and discovering.

Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning

When a curriculum for kindergarten is overly focused on academics instead of promoting a love of learning, a child’s start can be stunted.

From the beginning, all children have a love of learning.

So, it’s important that whatever resource you use to teach your kindergartener that it will continue to nurture the love for learning.

First, what is a delightful kindergarten?

Appreciating how to sort curriculum begins with what you know and don’t know.

Back 20 years or so ago, it was much easier to choose a kindergarten homeschool curriculum because educators mostly agreed that children should play learn.

Now with a shift in education, there is a mindset that more lessons, earlier academic lessons, and a busier schedule works. It does not.

Instead, I’ve seen young adults push back at being what they perceived as over achieving or forced learning.

From the parents perspective, they thought they were conscientious educators.

What a horrible mistake to make.

Some of those families who started their homeschool journey when I did have a strained relationship with their young adult kids. How sad.

This may sound dramatic, but the truth of it is from kindergarten, their parents constantly pushed their children. Being overly ambitious bites.

As I mentioned briefly, defining what is delightful will help you to match curriculum with a child’s development.

What is Delight-Directed Study

And the BEST description of what is delight-directed learning still comes from Greg Harris which I read over 25 years ago.

A delight-directed study is like a wonderful fire in the mind of a student. It starts small, but as it grows, it begins to consume vast amounts of information until it bursts into a roaring blaze of insight, understanding, and creativity. It takes on a life of its own. — Gregg Harris

Can you see why what you choose from the beginning matters?

What Kindergarten Subjects to Teach

Now, learning what is foundational to teach and what part of a body of knowledge can wait or added in later matters.

From the meaning of delight-directed study, the essential kindergarten subjects are math and language arts.

Taking this a step further, the components of language arts change from kindergarten to high school.

For example, composition is a component of language arts, but that skill is not necessary until about fourth grade.

Before you can narrow down your choices for language arts, you need to know what is language arts.

Language arts includes all facets of English. Phonics, reading/literature, spelling/vocabulary, grammar, composition, penmanship, and even oral speaking are the components.

What are the Kindergarten Language Art Subjects

As you can see a kindergarten homeschool curriculum should not cover unnecessary language arts.

When a program does this, it takes away from the basics.

It is not nurturing lifelong learners by stuffing in academics.

The language arts components to a kindergarten curriculum for homeschool are phonics, reading, penmanship, and oral speaking.

Language arts is learning to both write and speak English.

Let’s not make this any more complicated than it must be.

Also, if you want a big picture of the subjects to teach, you’ll love my online self-paced course, Teaching the Stages of Homeschool.

Best Language Arts Curriculum for Kindergarten

With that being said, look at some of my favorite language arts programs for kindergarten.

I have listed both all-in-one which means all subjects are purchased together and separate components.

Moreover, I have listed a variety of the best language arts curriculum for kindergarten because you need to decide what are you needs this year.

For example, if you’re just teaching one or two children you can hand pick a phonics and reading program.

If you have a sweet handful of younger learners where you’re outnumbered, you may want to go with something put together already.

  • The Good and the Beautiful.
  • Rod and Staff.
  • Moving Beyond the Page
  • And one of my VERY favorites is Five in a Row because it’s literature based.
  • Blossom and Root.
  • Heart of Dakota
  • Winterpromise

However, the best part of homeschooling Kindergarten is when you can hand pick each component.

There are so many wonderful resources now in the homeschool world which benefit your kids.

Best Language Art Separate Components

Learning through nature, hands-on games, and interactive content are some of my favorite ways.

All About Reading

Whether you’re teaching kindergartener handwriting (hopefully not too much) or you want to teach them to read, you’ll love these resources.

  • All About Reading is fun, thorough and hands on. In addition, when your child needs to learn spelling, it goes naturally into the next language art component.
  • Foundations (Logic of English) Levels A-D is another wonderful program to begin in kindergarten.
  • Explode the Code for phonics.
  • The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.
  • Horizons Phonics.
  • And because I believe in teaching children cursive first instead of unlearning print, my vote is New American Cursive.

Moving on to math, it is the second important component of a kindergarten program.

Homeschool Math Kindergarten and Supplements

Too, math is best learned hands-on with math manipulatives.

Some programs push a child to give up the concrete for the abstract of ideas too soon.

  • Horizons Math
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Math U See Primer
  • Math U See Manipulatives Starter Set and Completer Set with Wooden Storage Boxes

I’m an advocate of keeping math hands-on as long as the child needs it not until a certain grade.

And some days you should skip formal math lessons in favor of a fun game. There is NOT a subject that can’t be taught through either a board game, card game, or a fun app.

  • Math for Love Tiny Polka Dot
  • ThinkFun Zingo Bingo Award Winning Preschool Game for Pre/ Early Readers Age 4 and Up
  • Learning Resources Sum Swamp Game Addition & Subtraction Game – 8 Pieces, Ages 5+
  • Race to Planet X: Number Bond Game

Furthermore, the fun subjects are what keeps kindergarten fun.

Although language arts and math are the foundation, science, geography, history, art and nature are just as important.

However, remember to keep it a skinny lady in your teaching so that you stay clearly focused on what is important.

The skinny lady subjects are math and language arts.

So, when you become overwhelmed, focus on those two content areas.

History Curriculum for Kindergarten

Whether you’re looking for geography books for kindergarten, history books for kindergarten or history activities for kindergarten, you’ll love some of these resources.

  • Look at this United States Coloring Book.
  • Galloping the Globe and White House Cut & Assemble.
  • Another series The Magic Tree House has the Magic Tree House Books 21-24 Boxed Set which is American History.
  • There is a reason this much loved Who was What was Where is series has close to 200 books. It was a hit when this series started.
  • Little Passports has both World and United States geography. Recommended for ages 3 to 12 years old
  • The Early American History Jumbo Primary pack for K to third grade introduced my kids to American history makers through beautiful literature as opposed to a boring text book
  • .The d’Aulaire Biographies. George Washington
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Pocahontas
  • Columbus
  • Leif the Lucky
  • Buffalo Bill
  • Abraham Lincoln

And don’t forget I have these fun Westward Expansion Coloring sheets to engage your young historian.

  • 0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

    0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

    $1.75
    Add to cart

Science Curriculum for Kindergarten

Finally, here are some fun kindergarten science homeschool curriculum resources.

Before you jump into choosing, you’ll need to decide if you want to use one which is Christian-based, secular, or faith-neutral.

I find that most resources I can tweak to my worldview or what is important to me.

In other words, just be aware but don’t get caught up in too much worldview at this age.

You have much time as your child grows to help him think critically. At this age, let him explore the world around him.

  • An all-in-one-is BookShark.
  • The Good and the Beautiful

However, what I like more are science kits and games because science is about doing.

  • MEL Stem subscription.
  • Green Kid Crafts for preschool through elementary. Different theme each month to emphasize STEAM. For ages 2 to 10 years old.
  • Magic School Bus science club through (The Young Scientist Club) has 12 kits with the program and each kit has a 12 page colorful manual. For ages 5 to 12 years old with younger kids needing some supervision.
Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning
Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning

Finally, remember that forced learning before a child is ready can not only hamper, but harm a child’s ability to love learning.

Kindergarten Curriculum

A child needs to explore in nature, have plenty of time indoors and outdoors to play, and not be rushed when he is intrigued.

It’s not hard to pique curiosity at this age. Follow your child’s lead in what interests him, and he’ll carry that same love of learning all the way to high school and into adulthood.

What do you think? See anything that can help you or do you have questions?

Look at these other posts:

  • Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning
  • 10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum
  • BEST Free Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum With A Gentle Approach (List)
  • 21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum
  • 15 Fun Resources For History for Kindergarten Homeschool
  • 18 Kindergarten Science Homeschool Curriculum For Active Kids
  • How to Choose a Homeschool Phonics Program Like a Pro (& recommendations)
  • 5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program
  • 12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers
  • How To Get Your First Homeschooled Child Reading
  • Homeschooling Kindergarten: What Subjects to Teach and For Long

1 CommentFiled Under: Choose Curriculum, Homeschooling Tagged With: curriculum, homeschool, homeschoolanguagearts, homeschoolchallenges, kindergarten, language arts, languagearts

Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)

June 7, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’ve used some of the best homeschool writing curriculum; I hope you’ll benefit from my experience. Also, I’m going to help you hone your goals. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

Your goals are key to choosing a homeschool writing course which works for your family.

Then, I’ll share some quick comparisons between the best homeschool writing curriculum.

 best homeschool writing curriculum

Besides, what is the best homeschool writing program during the elementary years is not always the best writing course in high school.

First, look at how I honed my writing goals and standards for my children.

This is your beginning point. Isolate your goals with clarity.

4 Ways to Identify the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum

  1. Identify what type of writing curriculum your family needs now. A curriculum can include the physical act of learning how to write which is penmanship. In addition, it may only be the mental part of writing which is composition. Penmanship is learned in the early grades; a good rule of thumb for beginning composition is fourth grade.
  2. Narrow down the choices to either a complete language arts course or just the writing component. I prefer to keep language arts separated components because my children were at different levels. From my experience, my children learned better by not heaping grammar, reading, and spelling into one lump. Isolating just to composition or writing courses helped my children to learn the art of writing.
  3. Understand that learning how to write is an interactive skill but that doesn’t mean it should always be learned online. Although I didn’t have experience teaching composition when I started, I chose detailed teaching manuals so I could understand the writing process. I’ve learned that most children just need a caring adult to guide them even if they choose an online course. So, even if you choose an online writing course, your writer, no matter the age still needs you.
  4. Be sure these vital components can be identified in a writing curriculum: brainstorming tips, prewriting, drafting, editing/rewriting, and publishing.

Homeschool Writing Courses for Elementary Students

Next, look at these writing courses I used for varying purposes and times through my journey.

In my children’s early years, I used curriculum which encouraged copywork, but equally important was what was being copied.

I hail to the mindset the great writers need to see excellent writing, hear beautiful words, and copy them.

We used part of Aesop for Children: Story and D’Nealian Copybook Volume I and Writing Strands.

However, I started by using the older version of Writing Strands; a newer one has come out. I have mixed feelings about Writing Strands.

While it sometimes did not give an abundance of clear direction for me, it was a lightweight and fun curriculum.

At the time when I was struggling with an outline of what to teach in each grade, it eased the burden I had put on myself.

It gave me a glimpse of how easy it can be teaching writing logically.

Another curriculum I loved and used in the early years was Writing with Ease by Susan Wise Bauer.

As an artist when it comes to writing, you’ll love her methods for teaching writing.

Did I mention Susan Wise Bauer is a homeschool mom whose career was based on writing?

Not only is her passion for writing contagious, but she understands that as parents we want comprehensive teaching tips.

It’s true that Writing with Ease is a classical approach which means a heavier focus on writing, but it’s a solid writing program for the younger years.

Then, WriteShop is another favorite written by two homeschool moms. We loved the crafts and hands-on way to bring writing to life and reduce the struggling writer syndrome.

WriteShop worked for me when I needed step-by-step instructions of the writing process. In addition, I’ve learned to toggle between a gentle and rigorous approach in the early years. This means mixing curriculum.

Writing Reference and Supplement Tools for Young Children

Besides, mixing curriculum with different approaches is based on my child’s development.

Some years we did more writing.

Other years my children focused more on brainstorming and organizing thoughts.

It’s all part of the whole writing process.

So you need a variety of tools and references for your child to get the whole picture of writing.

Don’t feel like you need to stick to just one curriculum.

For example, I love Daily Paragraph Editing.

Besides, essays at the higher grades are really just bigger paragraphs. If a child struggles with writing, typically it can be traced to the basics — a lack of variety of sentences and how to write a paragraph.

Next, I’ve always used these books by Emma Serl because they use a gentle Charlotte Mason approach.

  • Intermediate Language Lessons
  • Writing Fabulous Sentences & Paragraphs, Grades 4-6.

Moving on to the older grades there are just as many solid choices for writing curriculum as they are for the early grades.

Middle School and High School Writing Curriculum

We have loved Institute for Excellence in Writing for middle school and high school.

Institute for Excellence helped to foster independence in my kids for writing. Having a fun writing teacher to teach my kids was one of the best parts.

I didn’t completely abdicate all teaching to Mr. Pudewa but it was hard to contend with him.

He is funny and teaches writing to be something that my children looked forward to.

And although it’s more structured writing curriculum it still maintains a Charlotte Mason flare.

The next one I used with my middle son was Jump In: Middle School Composition.

It’s a great example of how a curriculum should take a student from brainstorming to prewriting and end with a final version.

Jump In: Middle School Composition takes a traditional approach to teaching writing.

I found it quite easy to implement with my teen and it presented the writing steps in a coherent way. We loved the step-by-step help.

Finally, like any conscientious parent, I worried about finding the perfect homeschool essay writing curriculum.

More Homeschooling in Middle School Resources

  • How to Successfully Homeschool Middle School
  • A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives
  • Fun Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School Homeschool
  • Beginning Homeschooling in Middle School – 3 Questions Worth Asking
  • 10 Best Science Movies for Middle School
  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • How to Choose the BEST Homeschool Middle and High School Language Arts Curriculum & Options
  • Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazines

Little did I realize that Jump In: Middle School Composition had already given my sons a great start in how to write essays.

Once I learned that all essays follow the same format — introduction, body, and conclusion, I encouraged my sons to write on a variety of topics.

Homeschool Essay Writing Curriculum

Similarly, The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School is written by the same author as .Jump In: Middle School Composition. It’s another winner for us during the high school years.

One year I felt one of my sons needed more of a challenge and the curriculum touted to be a college-prep course.

 best homeschool writing curriculum

He absolutely soaked up the challenge.

Look at my post Review of The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School.

Another one we used in high school was Essentials in Writing.

Although it is a complete language arts curriculum by the time your teen gets to high school, he needs those teens.

One of my sons loved using Institute for Excellence in Writing for his essays and preferred their structure. At this age, I do think your teen should have a voice in how he learns best.

My vote is for Essentials in Writing and The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School for essays because I love things that are detailed and simple.

Both programs have visuals to help my teen organize his writing and evaluate his work.

Also, another resource which has helped me through the years is Write Source 2000.

Beyond writing, it helps your middle school and high school students learn how to think. All the parts of learning how to write are connected.

It’s not just about putting pen to paper. Why?

Because a teen needs to learn how to learn, how to organize his thoughts, understand his audience, and know the difference between formal and informal writing. Write Source 2000 has served as guide to me and a reference.

Did this help you to identify a few writing courses which can help you this year?

Moreover, here are more homeschool curriculum posts.

  • BEST Digital Homeschool Curriculum – Big Ol’ List
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)
  • 10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum
  • Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)

Find more writing curriculum tips here:

  • How to Rock Homeschool Creative Writing (when you don’t feel like THAT creative mom)
  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • 5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids
  • Cursive Matters; Handwriting Style Doesn’t + Free Resources
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 3
  • Faith-Neutral Homeschool Grammar and Writing Program
  • Homeschool Writing Program For Middle and High School Students
  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)

1 CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: composition, essays, handwriting, homeschoolanguagearts, language arts, languagearts, onlinewriting, teachingwriting, writing, writing prompts

How to Choose a Homeschool Phonics Program Like a Pro (& recommendations)

May 30, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

With my first reader, I wanted to know how to choose a homeschool phonics program like a pro. Also, look at more tips on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

It’s hard to do when you’ve never taught a child to read. Teaching a child to read has many parts and choosing a homeschool phonics curriculum is only a small part.

Today, I’m diving into helping you understand what is phonics and how the reading journey progresses.

a homeschool phonics program

Beyond choosing a homeschool phonics program, you’ll want to focus on how to develop a strong love of literature in the early years.

In addition, I’ll share a few recommendations of the best homeschool phonics curriculum.

First, before you can choose any curriculum, understand what is phonics.

What Is Phonics

Simply put, phonics means using letter sounds to read words. Mastering sounds is the first BIG step.

Did you know that it’s not as important to read the words immediately as it is to become familiar with the letter sounds? But let me back up a minute to explain two different educational mindsets about phonics.

Back when I started homeschooling, whole language advocates were numerous and very vocal.

But what exactly is the whole language approach? The whole language approach means to learn whole words basically in their context and not by phonics in step-by-step lessons.

One of the best examples of to show that we need both a whole language approach and phonics was shared with me by a seasoned homeschool veteran.

She explained that eating requires both chewing and swallowing; learning to read is similar.

Now, the educational world has shifted in how to teach phonics. There is now a focus on skill driven learning like phonics.

Most young children need direct instruction to make the transition from sounds to words.

However, remember that while children are learning phonics, we are exposing them to sight words.

Sight words don’t really follow regular rules of phonics. This makes complete sense to me — we use both whole language and phonics as we need them.

As you can see, when you start teaching phonics, tap into both direct lessons and a whole language approach. It really is a natural way to begin reading.

What Grade Should You Teach Phonics

Next, I get many questions like what grade should you teach phonics.

While it’s true that you want to teach phonics as early as Kindergarten, there are many factors which affect when a child should begin.

For instance, it’s important to know that pushing a child when he is not ready can have a negative effect.

From the beginning, a child’s love for reading can be ruined if you don’t look for clues of readiness by your child.

While waiting on the development of your child to show readiness in learning to read, you want to create a literate environment.

Look at these 4 ways to foster reading awareness while watching for phonics readiness.

  • Set the example by reading. All my children as adults love to read although my childhood was not filled with many books. My parents didn’t see the value of great books in our home, but I loved reading. I carried that love into adulthood.
  • Fill your home with a mix of genre. Wordless books, picture books, and even beginning chapter books introduce the fringes of the world of reading to your budding reader.
  • Reading aloud. Out of all the things I did, reading aloud to all of my children from birth was one of the best things I did. It was hard to appreciate that at the time.
  • Continue having fun with letters and crafts. The transition from letter sounds to beginning reading is a gradual one. Don’t rush it. Allow a child to linger with letter names and hands-on fun manipulating letters.

Better Later than Early Philosophy

Additionally, remember that each child is different. I had one child that was interested in reading early and I started with phonics lessons at age 5.

In contrast, my second son waited until closer to 6 years old before he showed the slightest interest in reading. Teaching him formal phonics lessons in Kindergarten would have been counterproductive.

Waiting on my son’s maturity to catch up, I did formal lessons later in the school year.

You are the only one to decide if a later start will work. But do keep this important thing in mind.

Children are soaking up everything they can learn. It’s our job to lead our children and not push them.

Introduce phonics and move at the child’s pace. Waiting too long for some children can likewise be disastrous.

Teaching phonics can be like an ebb and flow. I do think that children take huge leaps when they’re ready then seem to linger or ruminate.

When my children didn’t seem to retain anything I taught them, I realize now they were ruminating on the lessons. It’s important to let a child stay at a level until he is ready to move.

Next, don’t quit teaching phonics the minute your child seems to get it. As a rule of thumb, a lot of phonics programs go to about the fourth grade. There is a good reason for that.

If you stop teaching phonics too soon, a child may not master decoding (breaking written words into spoken sounds).

Eventually, it’s my experience that encoding (translating a spoken word to a written word or symbols, i.e. writing) is affected as well. By the way encoding is taught through spelling.

And although writing and reading are connected, they’re not learned at the same time with beginner readers.

So, the point is to take cues from your child and keep learning fun. You are the only one to know whether you need to wait later or move ahead.

Best Phonics Homeschool Curriculum

Then, there are many wonderful homeschool phonics programs that we have available now.

Here are some of the ones I really love.

1. All About Reading.

I loved using All About Reading because of how interactive it can be made for your child.

When your child is learning to read, using all his senses are important.

Some kids are visual, and others are stronger using audio. In addition to having everything you need to make learning fun, the teacher’s manuals are helpful.

2. Explode the Code.

Second, we used Explode the Code series and loved using every books. This is an affordable and easy to use program which makes it easy for beginner readers. I love how complete the set it is.

Just follow the sequence suggested which makes this program easy. Your child can progress at his pace.

Another one I used and loved is The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

3. The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

If you want a bit more hand holding, you’ll love using The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

4. Hooked on Phonics.

Now, this next one I haven’t used as much, but have helped others to use it.

Hooked on Phonics. is an easy-to-use program which has been around for a while. There is a reason. It works. This program is geared for ages 3 to 4. Again, many have a love or hate relationship with this program.

5. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Another program loved by many homeschoolers is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Many homeschoolers have successfully taught their children to read using it.

I started using it but found that I wanted more hand holding. Again, you decide if it will work for you.

Lastly, we loved using Horizons Phonics.

6. Horizons Phonics.

I used Horizon Phonics with my son who was later to learn reading. It is an advanced program, but if you use it from the beginning the pace is gentle. I started using it with later grades.

a homeschool phonics program

Homeschool Phonics Program

Choosing a homeschool phonics program does not have to be scary. Creating lifelong readers happens by choosing beautiful books. It begins with a solid phonics program and thankfully in the homeschool world we can choose from many excellent ones.

What do you think, feel better narrowing your choice?

  • 12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled
  • How To Get Your First Homeschooled Child Reading
  • 5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program
  • 10 Fun Things You Can Teach Using Geronimo Stilton Books
  • Homeschool Colorful Reading Journal to Motivate Kids

1 CommentFiled Under: How To - - -, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Homeschool Preschool, Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: homeschoolanguagearts, homeschoolreading, language arts, languagearts, phonics, reading

21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

May 1, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When it’s your first time, choosing an all-in-one kindergarten homeschool curriculum can be stressful. New ones are popping up all the time. You’ll love my other tips on kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

So, I’m sharing timeless tips on how to choose an all-in-one kindergarten homeschool curriculum. In addition, kindergarten is not about buying a bunch of worksheets.

21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

You need to know what skills should be learned; better yet you need to be equipped in how best to teach the skills.

Furthermore, drawing on my 25 years of experience, you’ll know what is important to teach now and what can wait.

All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Definition

First, here is the definition of an all-in-one.

An all-in-one kindergarten homeschool curriculum or boxed curriculum means that all your core subjects like the 3 Rs – reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic are laid out. Too, content subjects like science and history are included in the program.

Today, all-in-one means online curriculum, physical curriculum, or a mix of both.

In summary, all the basic subjects are covered in a school year which can be anywhere from 160 to 180 lessons.

In addition, most all-in-one providers have teacher’s manuals or teacher notes along with suggested schedules on how to cover the material.

However, what is important at this age is to equally align academics with how a child at this age learns best.

Don’t make my mistake of being too formal because you’re afraid you’ll drop the ball on an important skill.

Why You Shouldn’t Buy Numerous Kindergarten Worksheets

The way children learn best in kindergarten is through play learning.

Conversation, movement, and exploring through personal experience are more ways children learn. Being outside and learning through nature is a natural and organic way to learn.

Not one point in my definition included worksheets.

I’m not saying I’m against the use of worksheets.

However, completing worksheets does not mean your child mastered Kindergarten.

And completing a curriculum does not mean your child fully understands all skills.

Also, look at my tips on my video What Is An All In One Homeschool Curriculum a k a Boxed Curriculum

At the Kindergarten level, you’re not looking for your child to master skills.

Your goal is to lay a strong foundation with purpose.

Because children are learning with every breath they take, you build a master learner by recognizing their development.

This means your teaching should align with your child’s development. Would you force a six-year-old to drive?

Ludicrous you say. I know, but that is the exact mindset of pushing beyond development that some parents have.

6 Reasons to Use An All-in-One Kindergarten Boxed Curriculum

With that being said, look at six reasons to use an all-in-one curriculum.

  1. Using a package gives you an idea of how you may or may not want to lay out your day.
  2. Especially when I had all younger children, my time to prep lessons plans was almost non-existent. A laid-out framework was sanity-saving for me.
  3. When it’s your first child, you may want the reassurance that you’re doing enough for the day.
  4. If you live in a state which requires record keeping, boxed curriculum can help you meet the requirements.
  5. On top of that, some all-in-one teacher’s manuals are exceptional with background information. Having teaching tips and background information at your fingertips saves time.
  6. Lastly, I learned from an all-in-one a pattern for teaching. A pattern is something you repeat over. Learning to follow a pattern when you’re new to homeschooling catapults your teaching experience.

Next, you also need to know how to NOT use an all-in-one curriculum.

Like any tool in the world, you need to know how to use an all-in-one kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

5 Ways How to NOT Use An All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum

  1. Do not use a curriculum which does not align with your goals. Like I mentioned at the outset, there is an explosion of public-school minded advocates entering the homeschool world. We welcome them, but the public-school approach and homeschool approach are two completely different approaches.
  2. Tweak EACH day’s lesson to fit YOUR child. If your child needs to move, stop and MOVE. Or better yet, stop the lesson and do something outside or play.
  3. Forcing your child to sit for long periods signals to me that a curriculum is trying to teach robots. Children learn in spurts and NOT all learning occurs while a child is sitting. The lesson plan should fit the age of the child.
  4. Another problem is thinking you must do EVERY lesson. You do not. There is NOTHING MIRACULOUS about forcing your child to complete everything. On the other hand, trust your intuition. Skip lessons as needed and remember ALL curriculum is a framework, not the exact.
  5. Choosing a teacher’s manual that is not comprehensive is another mistake. Any company can provide a glorified answer key. Narrow down your choices by asking questions on what kind of information is included in the teacher’s manual. Ask about teaching tips, schedule suggestions, and other ways their teacher’s manual is of value.
  6. Foremost, do NOT rely on the curriculum to teach. Curriculum doesn’t teach anything, you do. Through everyday conversations with you is how your child learns.

Equally important before you choose an all-in-one kindergarten curriculum is knowing the skills of math and language arts need consistent teaching.

Teach the Skills Subjects First Using Content Subjects

The fun subjects like science, history, geography, music, nature, and hands-on crafts are the vehicles used to learn math and language arts.

An example of how you mix living and learning without worksheets during the natural flow of your day is below:

Reading – You read aloud to your child or have them listen to an audio book.
Math – Bake cookies and learn measurements. Learn weights and understand dollars and cents while at the grocery store.
Geography – Understand what we do at the post office by visiting it and explain who are folks in the community we call for help.
History – Stories about famous Americans can be read together or build the pyramids made by ancient Egyptians.
Writing – Copy a beautiful poem for handwriting. Then, have your child dip his finger in chocolate paint and write on a cookie sheet. A bit of finger licking allowed.
Science – Any explosion is an awe factor of any kid. So, build a volcano and explode it. Take a simple nature walk or have your child explore his backyard to collect and identify his collection.
Art – Even the youngest child appreciates art. A trip to the museum fosters the love of beautiful art pieces. Or, a game like Professor Noggin’s History of Art Trivia Card Game piques interest in art in a fun way.

21 All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Finally, look at these twenty-one providers.

  • Timberdoodle.
  • The Good and the Beautiful.
  • Rod and Staff.
  • Moving Beyond the Page
  • Christian Liberty Press.
  • Calvert Education.
  • Easy Peasy All In One.
  • Winterpromise
  • A Beka.
  • Memoria Press
  • Time4Learning.
  • Sonlight.
  • Oak Meadow.
  • MasterBooks.
  • Christian Light Education.
  • BookShark.
  • Blossom and Root.
  • Heart of Dakota
  • Alpha Omega Horizons.
  • A.C.E. 
21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Kindergarten Fun Supplements

Adding fun pages can be part of your program, but not the framework. I love books like

  • Evan Moore Skill Sharpeners,
  • Kindergarten Big Fun Workbook (Highlights Big Fun Activity Workbooks),
  • DK Workbooks like for Science and Geography are gorgeous, and then my very favorite is Five in A Row to do unit studies. FIAR is not listed as all in one because you have to add phonics and math.

What do you think? Have any questions on some of these?

Here are some more posts you’ll like:

  • Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning
  • BEST Free Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum With A Gentle Approach (List)
  • 10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum
  • 21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum
  • 18 Kindergarten Science Homeschool Curriculum For Active Kids
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)
  • How to Use a Boxed Curriculum without Giving Up Your Homeschool Approach
  • 8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum
  • Homeschooling Kindergarten: What Subjects to Teach and For How Long?
  • A 20+ Year Homeschool Mom’s 5 TOP Tips for First Time Homeschoolers

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: all-in-one-curriculum, boxedcurriculum, curriculum, homeschoolanguagearts, homeschoolcurriculum, kindergarten, language arts, languagearts

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