Looking for kindergarten homeschool ideas to teach your child about?
What a great time to establish a love of learning!
At this age, kids typically work on developing skills in reading, writing, math, science, and art.
That said, a lot of these subjects overlap and can be sharpened through one another – for instance, we spend a lot of time in the garden and are teaching our oldest daughter the basics.
While gardening, she learns how to grow food, reading (from seed packets), writing (labelling plants) and math (measuring, watering, and fertilizing), among other things.
I’ll circle back to that later 🙂
Keep reading to learn:
- what should kids know before kindergarten
- what to teach in kindergarten
- which curriculum is best for level K
- how can I make learning fun at homeschool
- kindergarten supply list
- where to download free level K homeschool worksheets and curriculum
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Kindergarten Homeschool Ideas: What to Teach + How to Get Organized
Having been the first people in our family to homeschool, we’ve learned a lot after the first couple of years.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry, you can do this!
Teaching your kids and spending the day together is such a blessing.
We believe in combining a traditional curriculum based education along with real life experience and can’t wait to share what we’ve done during our first official year.
What should kids know before kindergarten?
Before starting kindergarten, you’ll want to work on the following with your preschooler:
- motor skills (pencil grip, holding safety scissors and tongs, lacing beads, etc)
- recognizing letters and numbers (a to z and 1 to 10)
- identifying colors and shapes (and sorting according to category)
But if your child hasn’t mastered them all, that’s ok!
You spend a lot of time working on these things in kindergarten too.
What should my child know by the end of kindergarten?
A few things you’ll want to focus on learning during kindergarten are:
- phonics
- spelling
- reading and writing
- grammar and punctuation
- counting and identifying numbers 1 to 100
- counting backward
- position words
- addition
- subtraction
- even and odd numbers
- days of the week
- months
- seasons
- telling time
- spatial reasoning
- left and right
- symmetry
Your child may learn even more than this and/or need a little extra time for some concepts – that’s totally ok.
These are just a few concept ideas.
What to teach in kindergarten
Here are a few fun subjects we really enjoyed exploring for kindergarten:
- Bible Study
- Language Arts
- Math
- Foreign Language
- Music
- Science
- Art
- Sports
- Gardening
- Cooking
Bible Study
I love starting our day with the word!
A few fun ways we like to do it are with:
- Bible stories
- singing worship songs
- puzzles
- activities
I try to read a page of this book of 365 morning devotions daily with my first cup of coffee and if the girls are awake then, I’ll often read it out loud at the request of my oldest daughter!
Our faith teaches us gratitude and gives us purpose and comfort in knowing that everything happens for a reason.
Children too are capable of understanding this.
I really like the way that this writer from What Christians Want to Know phrased it:
“
A child’s faith provides hope, stability, self-worth, and guidance, which are all necessary for healthy living as an adult. If you want your child to make wise decisions without falling into despair when they’re faced with difficult times, this is the best way to teach them. Without faith, it’s hard for a person to find meaning in life. It’s difficult to find peace when they’re struggling with difficult emotions or what their purpose in life might be. This may lead them to make harmful or hurtful decisions which will not only harm them but can hurt others. Teaching children about faith from a young age is essential for their development and future happiness.
“
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Bible Study Resources for Kids:
Audio and Video
We really like Listener Kids, Saddleback Kids, and Kids on the Move for videos and worship music.
Since we all love singing and playing instruments, I like using the Chordify app to learn how to play these songs too.
I recently created a music binder with lyrics and am using Chordify to fill in the chord changes according to the words now 🙂
Books and Activities
When it comes to reading stories, we love the Tales that Tell the Truth Book series – my oldest daughter’s favorite book fo all is The Friend Who Forgives!
They’re well written, feature beautiful artwork, and many have companion coloring and activity books to support teachings and focus on themes illustrated in each storybook.
Puzzles and word search books are another great way to make bible study fun for kids.
Language Arts
Reading is one of the most essential skills your child can learn in kindergarten.
You’ll want to focus on phonics, letter blending, reading, writing, and sight words.
Once your little one has a grasp of these, you can move on to basic grammar and punctuation (i.e. learning what a period and comma are and when to use uppercase and lowercase letters in words).
To give you an idea of what you can expect, my daughter couldn’t read on her own when she “officially” started kindergarten.
Now that we’ve completed our Level K Language Arts curriculum, she’s reading I Can Read! books between My First and Level 1 independently.
Some fun stories we have in our kids library are:
- Noah and the Great Big Ark
- Joseph and His Brothers
- The Berenstain Bears 12-Book Phonics Fun!*
- Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School
- Fox is Late
Phonics Fun! books are great for beginner-level readers – personally, we’ve found them really similar to the My First level books we’ve read.
Suggested Language Arts Resources
(1) Reading and Writing
I love this exercise book for reading and writing because it reinforces skills according to their difficulty.
For instance, kids first trace the word several times before attempting to write it independently.
After that, they fill it in the blank of a sentence they need to read and find it in a word search type of puzzle.
Once they’ve done these four activities, they write sentences of their own using the word and draw a picture of the idea they came up with!
Word search books like this are another one of my oldest daughters absolute favorite activities.
I’ve found a lot of the ones at the dollar store are a bit complicated for her age though, so finding kindergarten specific ones has been a blessing.
Lastly, I can’t stress the importance of reading to and building an at home library for your children!
A collection of story books and I Can Read! books is a great way to establish a love of reading early on – that and making sure to spend time reading to and/or in front of your kids often 🙂
(2) Spelling
We’re big fans of self-correcting puzzles like this one and this one – the short words are easy to say and children can easily differentiate between the different letter sounds used in them.
However, if it’s a little tough in the beginning, the large cute pictures make it even easier for kids to find and match all of the three and four-word puzzles.
Math
Counting and measuring are skills that kids begin using even before they officially start school – ones they’ll use every day for the rest of their lives!
A solid kindergarten math curriculum might include:
- counting from 1 to 100 by ones, twos, fives, and tens
- counting back from 20 to 1
- position words from first to tenth
- addition and subtraction using numbers 0 through 20
- even and odd numbers
- days of the week and month
- months of the year
- telling the time
We did the Level K Math curriculum from the Good and the Beautiful and really enjoyed it – I also picked up this book and this other one as practice material to keep her math skills sharp over the summer.
The most important thing is to spend time and be patient with your child while making the experience enjoyable because math doesn’t have to be hard!
Suggested Kindergarten Math Resources
(1) Number Recognition, Writing, Addition, and Subtraction
I recommend picking up at least one wipe-clean math book instead of flash cards!
They’re more fun and interactive than memorizing numbers on a card and can be used over and over again.
Use them with these dry-erase markers – they come in a bunch of fun colors and have erasers on top so your child can correct mistakes on the go.
Once your child has completed the whole book, you can just wipe it clean with some dish soap on a wet cloth and dry it with another towel.
It’ll be like new and ready to use again!
Books like these are good for number recognition, learning to write numbers, as well as addition and subtraction – after enough practice, your child will begin to memorize the answers to problems on their own naturally instead of the forced flash card approach.
Self-correcting puzzles like this and this are another way to make math fun!
(2) Telling the Time and Dates
I’d also recommend picking up this calendar and having your little one update it daily with the day of the month, day of the week, weather, and any activities you have planned for the day.
We have this time-telling game which is really cute and fun too – just remove the two more complicated decks (there are four in total that range in difficulty) to use it for a kindergartener.
I found that teaching my oldest the difference between the hour and minutes hands and that minutes hand on 12 means o’clock and that on six means 30 was a good start for us.
Kindergarten Homeschool Reviews & Tips:
- Our Accelerated Kindergarten Homeschool Schedule
- An Unsponsored The Good and the Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum Review
Foreign Language
Whether you and your spouse speak the same foreign language, two different ones, or none at all, teaching your child how to speak another language at a young age is a very valuable skill that offers a few other benefits including:
- enhanced planning, concentration, problem-solving, and multi-tasking skills
- improves empathy and the ability to understand perspectives, intentions, and tone of voice
- maintains a connection to family culture and expands understanding of other cultures
- accelerates academic abilities (for example, literacy and the ability to learn new words)
- provides a foundation to make learning other languages easier in the future
I grew up in a Croatian-speaking household and my husband was raised in a Slovak household but these Slavic languages overlap a lot.
For instance, the word “up” in Croatian is gore (goh-reh), and in Slovak, it’s hore (hoh-reh). The word for “milk” is mlijeko (mlee-yeh-koh) in Croatian and in Slovak, it’s mlieko (mlee-eh-koh).
By teaching our kids Croatian, they’ll be able to understand other Slavic languages like Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Polish, etc. fairly well too.
Languages like Spanish, Italian, German, and Dutch are neat this way as well!
Suggested Language Learning Resources
(1) Online Learning
We’ve recently started using Dino Lingo and LOVE it!
You can get resources for more widely spoken languages on Amazon but if you speak a less common one like we do, you’ll want to check out their official website.
There’s also a free 7-day trial so you can check out the interface and lessons before you commit to their monthly or annual plan.
(2) Books
Bilingual books like these are another great addition to your home library!
Stories are told in both English and another language on each page of the book so children can experience familiar foreign words in a unique way.
We also like picture dictionaries for language studies.
(3) Family and Friends
Have family members or friends who speak the language you want to teach your child?
Ask them to use a combination of English and your target language when you get together.
For instance, in our household, there are just certain words we always say in Croatian and Slovak – words like papuče (slippers) and jaja (eggs).
Our kids know the English words for these things but we call them by their Croatian names when we’re together.
Try doing this in your household with foods or objects you use daily and introduce new words gradually to build a solid foundation.
Music
My oldest daughter loves to play the piano!
Making music requires a child to use both their ears and eyes at once and offers numerous benefits ¹ ² for other areas of their lives:
- aids in the physical development of the left side of the brain involved in language processing
- improved sound discrimination and fine motor skills
- reduces stress and improves mood and well-being
- improves spatial-temporal skills
- enhanced results on concentration-based tasks
- improves basic and verbal memory recall
- enhanced language skills – better performance on language tests, speech processing, and reading comprehension
- improved math skills like counting, diving beats, as well as reading rhythmic notation
- increased self-esteem and the ability to work in a group setting
Learning to read music is similar to learning how to read in another language as well.
Five skills required for learning a language and music are phonological awareness, speech-in-noise and rhythm perception, auditory working memory, and sound pattern learning ability.
The best instruments for kids to learn on are:
- piano
- ukulele
- guitar
- drums
Piano
My oldest daughter loves playing the piano, so we try to make time daily for her to practice – this is a really good beginner’s keyboard for kids at an affordable price and the resale value is very good for what it is on Facebook marketplace.
The piano is a fantastic starter instrument for small kids because they don’t need to have finely tuned motor skills or hand strength to play it.
Keys are perfectly in tune from the get-go and it’s easy to learn the basics of rhythm and melody on this instrument.
Once your child gets more comfortable and/or you think the piano will become a regular hobby, you can upgrade to a premium keyboard (it has 61 keys instead of 37) – we have a Casio at home too.
Ukulele
This ukulele starter kit is a really affordable option and is available in a variety of colors – I noticed my daughter was much more excited about playing a colorful instrument than the natural color guitar we picked up for her, haha.
However, I don’t know a thing about playing the ukulele, and teaching her chords on there is a little trickier because I have to learn them myself first and we’ve only got one instrument.
If you want to learn how to play this musical instrument yourself though, I’d highly recommend getting one for you and one for each child who wants to learn though.
The ukulele is a really easy way to get your foot in the musical door!
Guitar
Based on our experience I’d recommend picking up a 3-string guitar like a Loog Mini for kids under nine (Donner also makes one called a Tri-pop which is a little cheaper but it doesn’t seem to be as durable as the Loog).
Teaching my oldest how to play this instrument is fun and easier for me since I already love to play the guitar.
But learning on a six-string guitar at age six is challenging since your little one’s hand strength and fine motor skills are still developing.
A three-string guitar is tuned the same way that the top three strings are on a standard guitar but it’s easier to play for someone whose little fingers don’t bend the same way they we adults are capable of bending ours!
Here’s what M’s Loog guitar looks like.
The little bag you see above has two yellow picks and guitar chords flashcards in it.
The full six-string guitar chords are shown in the top right corner of the cards and a little red box is used to distinguish the three-string variation.
Here are the first four chords M has learned on these chords.
If you think that you might want to learn how to play the guitar one day but don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, a Loog would be a fun and easy way to get started while providing a neat bonding opportunity with your child.
Pick up the Pro for yourself though since it’s a bit bigger – if your child is six or under right now, they’ll grow into this one when you’re ready to upgrade to a standard guitar 🙂
Be sure to check out our in-depth Loog guitar review.
Drums
Like the piano, drums are an easy instrument to build confidence in budding musicians early on!
They’re fun to play, offer a lot of neat sounds, and can be customized to you and your child’s liking.
You can get a basic drum set with everything a kid could need for a great price.
BUT if you’re about the noise, size, and/or portability, you might want to consider getting an electronic drum set.
Drums are fantastic for rhythm and coordination and are used in almost every style of music.
Music Learning Apps We Love
Technology has come a long way since we were kids!
A few apps we’re using as part of our music curriculum include:
- Simply Piano
- Simply Guitar
- Chordify
- Notes Teacher
- Loog Guitar
Science
Life sciences are the usual focus of a kindergarten science curriculum.
We used The Good and The Beautiful Science for Little Hearts and Hands: Fields and Flowers curriculum in addition to our favorite Lift-the-Flap books for a biology-based Kindergarten approach.
Both of the girls loved learning about animals like insects, birds, and reptiles as well as flowers, fungi, and water plants!
Books like this and this with games and activities are another way of making kindergarten science fun and engaging.
Science Resources
Usborne offers a ton of reasonably priced great science books for kindergarten students and up including 365 Science Activities.
We also recommend checking out the Look Inside and Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers books which are great for even younger and older siblings to participate in.
Art
Arts and crafts are a wonderful way to learn for kids of all ages!
Some great kindergarten homeschool ideas for art include:
- painting
- tracing and drawing
- weaving
- cutting and pasting
- beading
- sculpting
- stamping
- decorating
At this age, you’ll find that you need to guide kids for the first few lessons but after a while, they’ll be able to keep themselves entertained while you get some work done around the house!
This is the reason I love having our homeschool area in our living room/kitchen area – I’ll post a tour of our homeschool space here soon 🙂
Art Resources
Step-by-step drawing books like this one are a great way to introduce kids to art.
They provide easy-to-follow instructions that help build confidence in a child’s ability to replicate what they see.
Other arts and crafts books we love are from Usborne’s 365 Things series including:
There are literally ideas for every day of the year here!
For in-person art classes, check out your local rec center or homeschool Facebook group to see what’s happening in your area!
Here’s a pretty thorough Kindergarten supply list for arts and crafts:
- Beads
- Buttons
- Chalk
- Clay
- Cotton Balls
- Cotton Swabs
- Craft Sticks
- Felt
- Glitter
- Glue
- Googly Eyes
- Paper Plates
- Paper Rolls
- Pipe Cleaners
- Pom Poms
- Stamps
- Stickers
- Straws
- Tape
- Tissue Paper
- Water Color Paint
- Water Color Paper
- Yarn
Related Homeschool Resources: Free Printable PDF Homeschool Supply List
Sports
Whether your child shows an interest in team or individual sports, gymnastics, or dance, physical activity is important and beneficial at this age.
In addition to learning new skills, kids get to enjoy socializing and learning how to be part of a team.
My oldest chose ballet and loved being a part of choreographed dances during her winter and summer recitals.
Dance teaches kids how to memorize choreography and helps to develop parts of the brain related to:
- movement
- muscle memory
- balance
- rhythm
- emotions
- expression
Sports Resources
Check out your local Facebook homeschooling group to see what kinds of sports and activities are available in your area!
Recently, we’ve seen the popularity of kids’ gym time explode around here.
Although it’s not an organized sport, play gym times offer a fun way for kids to get active and socialize while they do it!
Gardening
You don’t need to have an off-grid homestead to teach your child about gardening – but if you do, I’m envious, haha!
All you need are a few pots, some seeds, soil, gardening tools, a bright window, and/or some outdoor space to get started.
Kids love being outside rain or shine and what’s better than enjoying nature and playing in the dirt at this age?
Our girls love watering, planting seeds, and collecting fruits and vegetables from the backyard when they’re ready – my kindergartener has even come to understand the importance and process of weeding!
A few benefits of gardening for kids include:
- developing motor skills
- engaging senses
- learning about natural processes
- improving self-confidence and healthy eating habits
- bonding as a family and being part of a team
- developing responsibility and patience
Kids Gardening Curriculum Resources
We really like these gardening books for kindergarten:
- Let’s Get Gardening – a collection of 30 easy gardening projects for kids
- Gardening Projects for Kids – 60 practical projects for making things and growing plants and flowers
- Gardening Lab for Kids – 52 fun activities and lessons for families to learn and grow their gardens
Cooking
Getting kids involved in the kitchen is another great way to establish a love of learning and cooking early!
There are so many simple tasks that kids can help out with including:
- measuring and pouring ingredients
- setting timers
- rolling out doughs
- spreading spreads
- cracking eggs
- chopping foods with a plastic knife
- stirring or whisking
- filling bowls and/or plating easy-to-handle foods
In our own experience, this has also helped out oldest become a better eater!
Cooking for Kids Ideas and Resources
A cute cooking set like this one is a great way to get your little one started in the kitchen – you get a cookbook, apron, measuring cups and spoons, kitchen timer, tongs, rolling pin, nylon knives, spoon, spatula, whisk, cookie cutters, a cutting board, and a toolbox to keep it all in so everything stays organized.
Easy-to-follow kids’ cookbooks like this and cookbooks with recipes for families to make together like this one are great additions to your home library.
Kindergarten Homeschool Ideas: Final Thoughts
One of the most beautiful parts about homeschooling your kids is that you can start as early as you want to and work at your own pace – whether that’s fast or slow depends on you and your child!
You also have a lot more time for extracurricular activities and classes like music, art, swimming, dance, tennis, soccer, and more.
And when your child finds something they love to do, they can continue pursuing it instead of switching to a different topic part way through the year.
This was one of those things I really didn’t like about attending public school as a kid – I highly recommend seeing if you can find the book Dumbing Us Down at your local library or getting it here.
It was a real eye-opener for us!
To recap, the 10 subjects we recommend and really enjoyed covering as part of our kindergarten homeschool year are:
- Bible Study
- Language Arts
- Math
- Foreign Language
- Music
- Science
- Art
- Sports
- Gardening
- Cooking
I hope you found this guide useful and would love to hear about which of these topics you’ll be teaching below 🙂
Happy homeschooling, friend!
