Thinking about homeschooling your kindergartener?
This is a big year for those developing young minds. It’s when kiddos start to learn foundational skills, such as writing simple words, addition basics, and early reading. But a traditional classroom environment isn’t the right choice for every child, especially those who march to the beat of their own drum.
That’s a big reason why some families are opting for a kindergarten homeschool curriculum instead of taking the public school pathway. Each year, around 3.4% of children in the US learn from home. The number of homeschoolers globally is increasing as well. From Australia and South Korea to France, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, more families are starting their kindergarten-aged kiddos with at-home learning.
But how do you know what curriculum will spark curiosity and help your child learn all those important kindergarten fundamentals?
If you’re considering homeschooling your kindergartener and aren’t sure where to start, this guide is for you. You’ll discover the 6 of the best kindergarten homeschool curriculum options, what a solid curriculum should cover, and tips to make homeschooling work for your family, no matter which curriculum you choose.
A kindergarten curriculum is designed for students between the ages of four and six. Below are 6 of the best kindergarten homeschool options to consider for your family.
Easy Peasy is a faith-based (Christian) homeschool curriculum that’s completely free to use. Lessons are text-based and come with printables and worksheets. There are no signups or payments. If you’re looking for something stripped down and straightforward, this one delivers on simplicity.
That being said, the trade-off for “free and simple” is that there’s very little guidance for parents. You won’t find detailed lesson plans or teaching tips, so you’ll need to feel comfortable figuring things out on your own. For families who’re already confident in directing their child’s learning, that might not be a dealbreaker.
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Time4Learning is a self-paced online curriculum packed with interactive lessons, games, and click-through activities. It gives your kiddo a chance to learn at their own speed, which can be a lifesaver for children who like to take their time with new concepts — or those who want to fly ahead. You can plan lessons, customize what they’re working on, and track progress through a parent dashboard.
The interactive, play-based format tends to keep kindergarteners engaged without needing constant parental involvement. That being said, “self-paced” for a four to six-year-old still means you’ll likely need to sit nearby and help them navigate the material, especially in the early days.
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Oak Meadow takes a flexible, nature-based approach to kindergarten education that’s rooted in books, outdoor exploration, and hands-on activities. They personalize learning at this age by putting the focus on healthy movement and creative play. Think nature walks, watercolor painting, and storytelling rather than worksheets and screens. It’s a beautiful option for families who want to bring the natural world into their child’s education.
You’ve got two learning paths to choose from at Oak Meadow. The first is to purchase the curriculum materials and teach them yourself. The second is to enroll in their distance learning program with teacher support. That choice gives you a nice range of flexibility, depending on how much structure and outside help you need.
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Five in a Row has two offerings for kindergarten students: “Before Five in a Row”, which is also suited for preschoolers, and “More Before Five in a Row.” Both programs are built around beloved picture books.
Your kiddo reads (or listens to) one book repeatedly over the course of a week, and each day focuses on a different subject. You’ll go through math one day, science the next, art after that, and so on. It’s a gentle, play-based, and discussion-based curriculum that feels less like school and more like storytime with more structure.
“More Before Five in a Row” introduces a bit more structure with its five-day format while keeping the same cozy, literature feel to its predecessor. Both are ideal for families who want learning to grow naturally out of reading together instead of following a rigid lesson plan.
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Brave Writer is all about turning parents into their child’s writing coach, even at the earliest stages of learning. Their “Beginning Writers” program is designed for ages 5 to 7 and combines handbooks, picture books, and oral and writing projects to build confidence with words. If your kiddo is already showing an interest in storytelling or scribbling notes, this can be a great way to nurture that spark.
It’s worth knowing that Brave Writer works best as a complement to a more complete curriculum rather than a standalone learning resource. It’s laser-focused on writing and language arts, so you’ll need to cover math, science, and other subjects elsewhere. They also offer online classes if you need some extra support beyond the handbooks.
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Power Homeschool delivers its lessons through video-based online modules, with automatic progress tracking and grading built right in. It covers English, math, natural world learning, and social interaction education. This means the core bases are covered without you having to piece together multiple resources.
For parents who want something that mostly runs itself, it’s a great pick.
The automated setup is the main selling point here. Your kiddo watches video lessons, completes assignments, and the system handles the rest. It’s efficient, but younger learners may find the video-heavy format less engaging than more interactive or hands-on approaches. Keep an eye on how your child responds if you choose to try this curriculum.
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For many parents, homeschooling adds to an already full plate. If traditional schooling isn’t right for your family, but homeschooling feels overwhelming, an online school like bina can provide quality learning in a schedule that works with yours.
One of the biggest perks for busy parents is the live teaching. bina is a complete online school, not just a curriculum. This means you don’t have to juggle being the parent, the planner, and the teacher all at once. Your child learns from experienced educators in real time, with classmates from around the world, while you stay in the loop without carrying the full instructional load.
More on bina later.
Now that you’re equipped with some of the best kindergarten homeschool curriculum options, let’s go over the important topics to cover for your kiddo so you can make an educated decision.
Kindergarten is when literacy starts to kick off. Kiddos begin to connect letters with sounds, recognize familiar words, and read simple sentences. Writing their name will be a proud milestone, and they will have fun creating their own stories with pictures and, possibly, a few simple sentences.
A typical homeschooling week of literacy may include reading picture books together, practicing letter sounds (phonics), tracing and writing letters on a whiteboard, and playing rhyming games.
According to the Common Core State Standards, a kindergartener should be able to:
When reading with your child, ask them to recall the story to test their comprehension skills. You can also take a field trip to the library and let them choose their books for the week.
In kindergarten, learning math means exploring numbers, patterns, and shapes. Throughout the year, your child will work on counting, number recognition, and simple addition and subtraction.
Your homeschooling week may include counting different toys and objects, math games, measuring ingredients while cooking, and shape sorting.
Focus on these key skills from the Core Standards guide:
You can integrate math into daily life, too. Whether it’s counting the leaves you collect from the garden or how many red cars drive past the house, there are always opportunities to learn.
For young ones, the arts should be messy, fun, and creative.
With arts and crafts activities, your child can explore colors and textures and develop those fine motor skills. Songs and music-making using kindergarten-friendly instruments like handbells, castanets, and tambourines help kids express themselves while developing rhythm.
What will your week look like? Think drawing, coloring, cutting, pasting, and threading beads. For music, try playing a tambourine, drum, or maracas along to music from different genres to introduce your child to new sounds. You can also learn songs to sing or create lyrics to music based on how the sounds make you feel.
At this age, the final result can be wonderfully far from perfect — it’s about the adventure more than anything else.
Art also supports social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, including self-expression and confidence.
During the kindergarten years, science is all about discovery. Kiddos learn from observing, experimenting, and asking questions.
Whether it’s collecting rocks or charting the weather, at-home science doesn’t have to be complicated. Your homeschooling week may include making slime, planting an indoor garden, and watching educational videos. You can also take advantage of tech with interactive apps and science-themed games.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) outlines key areas for kindergarten-aged children, and suggests you help your child:
Remember to encourage your child to ask questions, make predictions, and discuss the outcomes.
For children, play is essential. It’s how they build social skills, try new things, and express themselves. Playtime isn’t just a break from learning — it is learning.
A typical homeschooling week might include dress-up games, building forts, virtual playdates, trips to the park, and imaginative adventures with toys. Play also gives your child a chance to practice important life skills like problem-solving, empathy, and communication.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies five core SEL areas that can be nurtured through play. Here are some examples we’ve put together using the CASEL framework as a guide:
Remember, you can merge some of these subjects. For example, if your child collects rocks, they can identify them for science, count them for math, and then paint them for art.
Want to make homeschooling work for your family? Try these tips:
Kiddos this age need lots of breaks, so don’t try to force them to sit down and study if they aren’t in the mood. Keep lessons short, and be prepared to mix it up if you need to. For example, you can always enhance a math lesson with some painting by numbers or building with blocks. You can turn science into something spectacular with song and dance. And literacy is always a blast when you get to act out what the characters are doing or make up a new ending.
Children will be more likely to absorb information if they are engaged with the content. To make it relevant, add touches of their personality into the curriculum.
For example, if they love dinosaurs, use this as a reference when learning about size and comparing objects. If rainbows make them smile, teach them how to create patterns using colors.
Homeschooling is a full-time commitment, so you might find that you need some support to make it work for your family. Try to find other parents to connect and share ideas with, and make sure to take time for yourself to unwind.
Children also benefit from socializing with other kids. Whether it’s virtual playdates or after-school activities such as dance or soccer, it can be a nice way to break up the day.
You can also opt for an online school that teaches kindergarten-aged children. bina gives you all the perks that come from being at home, but with a live teacher and classmates.
Your child should have a dedicated space for learning. It can be part of the living room, a space in their bedroom, or somewhere else. Consider setting up a desk with all the tools your child needs. The basics will include a laptop, headphones, pencils and crayons, paper, and materials for basic arts and crafts, like glue, construction paper, and kid-friendly scissors.
Let them decorate and personalize their space so they love going to their ‘school’ in the house.
A regular routine for your kindergartener can help them feel secure and stay on track. Just like a bricks-and-mortar school day, try to follow the same routine each day. For example, a kindergarten homeschool day might look like this:
Make sure you have everything ready before the day begins. From a charged laptop to the daily planner, your child should be able to jump straight in.
If you want your four to six-year-old to start school at home but aren’t sure about managing a homeschool curriculum yourself, bina is a solid option.
bina is a globally accredited, full-time online school that keeps class sizes small, meaning your kiddo actually gets noticed. The curriculum is grounded in project-based learning and backed by educational research, with a precision education approach that puts curiosity front and center.
In kindergarten, there’s a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning, which helps little ones build skills like empathy, self-awareness, and collaboration right alongside academics.
Book a spot in our virtual open house and find out if bina might be the right fit for your kiddo!
A kindergarten curriculum is designed for students between the ages of four and six. Besides the basics like reading, writing, math, and art, a good curriculum will include opportunities to develop social-emotional skills like self-awareness and responsible decision-making. This means building resilience, empathy, and relationship skills alongside academic achievements.
What else should you look for? Science experiments and hands-on projects encourage curiosity, while art, music, and movement encourage expression and creativity. There should also be plenty of time for play and adventure with games and activities that help your kiddo explore the world, whether through books, local excursions, or virtual field trips.
Yes, social-emotional learning can support our littlest learners. It doesn’t have to be a separate lesson; it can be tied into other subjects such as art or literacy. For example, here is a list of books with an SEL focus that you can read with your child.
Kiddos are still learning how to manage emotions, build relationships, and understand themselves and others at this age. SEL helps their mental health and their confidence.
For kindergarten-aged kiddos, two to four hours of structured learning each day is usually enough. However, you’ll still need to set aside additional time for games, downtime, and free play.
