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Home > Homeschool > Our Favorite Curriculum (by grade level!) > Kindergarten
Kindergarten Curriculum (Ages 5-
Kindergarten is one of those grades where I feel a little more structure is required
for the child, but still not a lot of “pressure” to do things “just-
I hear a lot of parents express concern, at this age, if their child isn’t reading fluently (or hardly at all), so I just want to mention here that I honestly don’t think it right to put a lot of pressure on the child to read at a particular pace or aspired level. In my experience, every child is different, and every child learns to read at their own pace, in their own time. So, in Kindergarten I certain put a lot of focus on learning how to read, but absolutely no pressure on how quickly they need to learn to read. As long as the child is making visible progress in their phonics and reading skills, then the pace does not matter in the least. The emphasis should not be on how quickly they are picking up on reading, but rather how much are they enjoying reading, and are they making progress learning new skills in reading? If the answer to both of these is yes, then I am satisfied.
Read and Share Bible Videos. The Read and Share Bible Videos are the very best Bible videos I have found for kids! As far as children’s Bible videos go, these stay very close to the actual story, and they are very calm and peaceful (no added hype that we see in a lot of other animated Bible movies). With all of my children, the Read and Share Bible Videos were their very first screen time exposure. And I was amazed to see my 1 and 2 year olds actually tracking with the story and understanding the Bible stories. I think these animated Bible stories were a very formative part of my children’s development and faith.
Douglas Talks (Christian Puppet Videos for Kids)
Douglas Talks. We often watch these short episodes of Douglas Talks as part of our Christian devotion time in school, and I have to admit, this is one of the best puppet shows I’ve ever watched! The puppet, Douglas, talks in a way that is so relatable, that you sometimes forget he’s not real – he’s just a puppet!
I’m really thankful for this show, though. It brings up so many great topics for kids, and talks to them about some really deep spiritual truths in a way that kids can totally understand and relate to. My kids absolutely love watching Douglas. I let them do some coloring while we listen to an episode or two each morning in school. This show has been a huge part of our homeschool mornings!
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds First Grade Workbooks
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds First Grade Workbooks. Even though these books are geared
specifically for First Grade, I like to introduce them to my children right around
age 5 (or shortly before they turn 6). I don’t follow a set “school year”, and I
don’t pressure my kids to finish a book in a certain amount of time. So, often times,
they are finishing their books and beginning the next grade level half-
Reading Eggs “Starting Out” Mini Book Box Sets (for First Grade)
Reading Eggs “Starting Out” Mini Books Box Sets. These “Starting Out” books are meant to be used along side the Reading Eggs First Grade workbook. In fact, at the end of each lesson in the workbook, there is an “assigned reading” activity, where the student is supposed to read one of these mini books.
There are four of these “Starting Out” box sets that go along with the First Grade
Reading Eggs workbook, and you’ll notice that they start out with “Pack 5”, this
is because sets 1-
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds Online Program
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds Online Program. I absolutely love this online learning program! As a homeschool mom with four kids, being able to log my kids on to this independent learning program has felt (to me) a lot like adding a second teacher to our classroom; an assistant teacher, of sorts.
My kids love this program so much that I actually like to use it as a motivator, or reward, for them. If they do the work I assign them in their workbooks, then they are rewarded with some time online with this Reading Eggs and Mathseeds program.
My kindergarten students especially love the Fast Phonics program, with the Yeti’s. Though, I find it just a little too hard for them when they’re given an actual book to read in the program (and they haven’t reached that level of reading yet) . . . so I usually read the story to them and help them answer the quiz questions after each story – but apart from that they are usually able to work independently without needing my help at all.
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Note: I’m listing these books here in the Kindergarten curriculum list, but honestly, I don’t push my kids to learn to read at any set speed, I just have a lot of early readers in progressive levels and allow my kids to progress at their own speed . . . so whether they’re ready to start reading these in Kindergarten, or aren’t ready until second grade, it doesn’t really matter to me, as long as I can see progress in their reading from year to year.
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And again, all this does NOT have to happen all in Kindergarten. I don’t push my kids to learn to read at any set speed . . . I just have a lot of early readers in progressive levels and allow my kids to progress at their own speed . . . so whether they’re ready to start reading these in Kindergarten, or aren’t ready until second grade, it doesn’t really matter to me, as long as I can see progress in their reading from year to year.
If it’s helpful at all, here’s the list of the Scholastic books we used (they certainly have lots more, but these are the ones we used), in the order we read them in:
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(Note: We skipped Buddy Readers Level C because it had ghosts in it)
Primary Phonics Storybooks. This series of early reader books are also really excellent. Very simple, black and white pictures, but excellent stories. I especially appreciate that this series actually uses phonetic words (as opposed to other early reader series that throw in a lot of “rule breaker” words before the kids have even mastered the basics of phonics). The books also do a really good job of helping kids progress through multiple skill levels in reading, as well. All in all, really excellent early reader books.
Pencil Control Workbook (Hippidoo)
Pencil Control Workbook. This is my favorite pre-
School Zone Fun and Games Kindergarten
School Zone Fun and Games Kindergarten. My kids really love this book. I like to use it as a sort of “reward” from time to time – especially on days when they’ve been focused and got their other work done quickly. It’s just a lot of puzzles and games that help with logical thinking skills and added pen control practice. Not to mention it helps kids to keep a very positive impression of school, helping them to think of school as being “fun” – not boring!
In Kindergarten, we also do a lot of “early learning” activities.