In 2012, I asked myself can I homeschool a kindergartner before I started Homeschooling Bailey. Here is some information I’ve learned along the way.
Yes you can homeschool your kindergartner. In most states you are qualified to teach your child. Most children start kindergarten between the ages of 5 and 6 depending on their birthday. Kindergarten is taught through hands on activities, playing, listening to you read books aloud, field trips, and through doing things over and over.
I know it can seem overwhelming at first. Take a deep breath and read on. This is my second time to teach Kindergarten and I have picked up a few bits of information that will help you on your Kindergarten Homeschool journey.
What qualifications do you need to homeschool your kindergarten child?
According to the Coalition For Responsible Home Education or CRHE, most states do not require parent qualifications to homeschool. But there are 11 States that require a High School Diploma, GED, College Credits, or the completions of a Homeschool Study Course.
Here are the 11 states that require qualifications for you to teach your child at home. Please make sure to check what your state’s qualifications are in the link above.
- Georgia
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
How do I start homeschooling my kindergartner?
The first thing you need to do before you start homeschooling your kindergartner is to check your state’s laws and regulations for homeschool. I recommend the Home School Legal Defense Association or HSLDA. Make sure to check every year to see if any of your state’s laws and regulations have changed.
The second thing you need to do is to determined were to start. If your child has not done any preschool work, like writing their name, knowing some colors, some shapes and some of their ABCs that is the perfect place to start.
The third thing is to start looking at homeschool curriculums if your child has mastered some of the above preschool skills. This may seem overwhelming at first but it does not have to be. Most Kindergarten curriculums contain the same basic information. I will cover Kindergarten curriculums a little later.
Last is to just have fun! Take it slow at first until you and your child get the hang of homeschooling. There will be some bumps in the road, but you know a lot about your child and this will help you along the way.
How to take the first three steps to homeschooling your children
What is the best kindergarten homeschool curriculum?
I highly recommend My Father’s World, God’s Creation from A to Z. I started using this curriculum with Bailey and have not looked back. He is now in 5th grade. I find My Father’s World curriculums to be very organized and easy to use. That is why I always recommend it for homeschooling beginners.
“MFW created and designed God’s Creation From A to Z to teach kindergartners about the natural world using the Creation story from Genesis. MFW created and developed hands-on units about plants, animals, geological features comprising creation. MFW chose hands-on exercises, classic literature, fine arts, and character development resources for each of its units based around Creation.”
I stand by my word that I think My Father’s World is the best curriculum, but I wanted to give you another option. I used it with Bailey in preschool. It is called Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool.
“We exist to help families homeschool. We enable families to homeschool who thought they couldn’t because of a lack of finances, a lack of time, or a lack of know-how. Others join EP just because it’s easy and fun and they’re confident of the quality of education. EP seeks to free families from the burden of pursuing the “perfect” and encourages them to let it be “enough.” Each family and each child is different and we seek to provide the resources to enable your family to be who you were created to be.”
Here is a great Math Curriculum for Kindergartners. I have been using Saxon Math curriculums for years with Bailey and I love it. It is great for beginner homeschoolers.
“The Math K Home Study Kit contains the Teacher Edition and the Meeting Book. The 112 lessons cover counting, number recognition, and sequencing; addition and subtraction stories; sorting; patterning, identifying shapes and geometric designs; telling time to the hour and using a calendar. No workbooks at this level.”
What subjects are required for kindergarten homeschool?
Some states require you to teach certain subjects in kindergarten so check your state’s laws and regulations. If your state does not require you to teach specific subjects in kindergarten, here is a list of the subjects that I am currently teaching Bekah:
- Bible
- Handwriting
- Phonics
- Social Studies
- Science
- Math
- Reading
- Arts
The above list is a suggested list and a starting point for new homeschoolers. If you buy a curriculum, it will provide or suggest the subjects that you need for Kindergarten.
How long should I homeschool a kindergartner?
It usually takes us about an hour a day to homeschool at the Kindergarten level and we homeschool 4 days a week. Some days it may not take the entire hour and some days we may go a little over.
During that homeschool hour we work on Bible, Handwriting, Phonics, History, Science, Math, and reading. At this level you may work on different subjects at the same time. For example Phonics, Reading, and Writing may be combined into one lesson. It may sound like a lot for a Kindergartner, but so far it has worked for us.
Every state has laws and requirements that homeschooling families must follow. Check to see what your State’s laws and requirements are for homeschool days and hours. The HSLDA is a great resource for this information. My State does not have require a certain number of days or hours.
What your child should know at the end of kindergarten?
Here is a general list of what your child should know at the end of kindergarten:
- Cut along a line with scissors
- Follow directions agreeably and easily
- Hold a crayon and pencil correctly
- Know the eight basic colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, black, white, and pink
- Recognize and write the letters of the alphabet in upper- and lowercase forms
- Know the relationship between letters and the sounds they make
- Recognize sight words such as the and read simple sentences
- Spell his or her first and last name
- Identify numbers up to 20
- Count by ones, fives, and tens to 100
- Know basic shapes such as a square, triangle, rectangle, and circle
- Know his or her address and phone number
- Reading very simple stories
- Counting objects
- Writing numerals
- Preparing and understanding charts and graphs
- Comparing
- Classifying
- Sequencing and understanding ordinal numbers
- Fractions (whole/half)
- Clocks
- Money
- An introduction to addition and subtraction.
Click below to watch More Homeschooling Videos.
The following is advice from 10 different Moms that are currently Homeschooling.
- “Relax. There is no rush.”
- “Never give up”
- “The first year can make or break you!! DO NOT LET IT BREAK YOU!
If you are pulling them out of public school, BE PATIENT, it takes a good year to get them out of the mind frame of even simple things like actually being able to chew their food at lunch time.” - “Know your state laws first regarding homeschooling. Find a homeschooling group in your area to connect with. Don’t stress over trying to find the perfect curriculum because it doesn’t exist. What you plan with most likely not go as planned. Have fun! Enjoy your children and take one day at a time!”
- “Every child is different and learns at their own pace don’t rush it or stress about it.”
- “If you find that a curriculum isn’t working for your child, change it. Be real with your kids, I may not have all the answers but I have a God who does!”
- “Don’t compare yourself to others…just because it works for them doesn’t mean it will for your family. Also- follow the “recommended” guidelines for graduation if you want your child to attend a public university- especially if they don’t know where yet- i.e., Basically 4 English, 4 Math, 4 Science, 4 History…. You will notice that pretty much every public university in MS requires at least that. Everyone has an opinion and they all “know” everything— which means nothing. Do the research yourself. And Join HSLDA. :-)”
- “You can do it. My 1st year for kindergarten I was mortified that I was going to fail him as a teacher. He was reading mid kindergarten. Now in the middle of 3rd I feel so much better.”
- “Don’t listen to others who are misinformed on homeschooling. In fact make sure that when deciding to homeschool you are getting your information from reliable sources. I have some friends who are CONVINCED that if they don’t have an “accredited” curriculum that their children will need to get their GED. All because of listening to ones who know nothing about it. I didn’t even realize myself that most public schools aren’t even accredited. Whatever that even means. They won’t tell you that though.”
- “It may take 2-3yrs to find your groove…& every family’s groove is different. Listen to all the advice u can, however, only apply the advice that truly works for your family. This journey is full of trials & errors but it’s a beautiful journey that’s worth it all in the end. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon…we’re in it for the long haul. Also, if you’re planning to homeschool through high school, I recommend looking at college requirements more so or in addition to high school requirements.”
A special THANKS to these wonderful homeschooling Moms that helped me out on this post!
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