Well, here you are. Weeks away from sending your five year old off to Kindergarten. Wondering where the time went. Counting down the days, trying to fit in all the things before your time with them becomes limited.
This was me a little over a year ago – struggling with the idea of having my big guy away at school, five days a week, eight hours a day. We tossed around the idea of homeschooling, but I was very hesitant. After all, neither my husband nor I were homeschooled, and we only knew a handful of homeschooling families. BUT, after many prayers, conversations with experienced mamas, and a little research, we decided to take the plunge. Now that we are about to complete our first year of homeschooling, I can honestly say I am So very thankful we made this decision. Homeschooling your Kindergartener may sound scary, but I am here to tell you that if I can do it, so can you!
Click here to read my post on letter recognition resources and activities!
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Why do you want to homeschool?
Start by asking yourself, “Why am I considering the homeschool route?” Whatever it may be, pray on it, and if you are still feeling compelled to homeschool, give it a try! Our reason weighed heavily on the flexible schedule that comes with homeschooling. For those of you who may not know us, our family (The Finches [for more about us click here]) love to camp! We live only an hour away from the Smoky Mountains, and find ourselves there often. The thought of only being able to do those things on the weekends left us feeling defeated. My husband and I are fortunate enough to both have job schedules that are not your standard Monday through Friday work grind. However, I know several families who DO work M-F and still figure out how to fit homeschooling into their lifestyle! If you have a “why” you can make it happen.
There is no better teacher for your child than YOU! You know your son/daughter better than anyone!! Is your child super energetic? Take them to a trampoline park and do flashcards while jumping around! Do you have an animal lover? Go to the zoo and do a unit study on their favorite animal! Is your little artistic? Incorporate painting, coloring and play-doh into handwriting and math problems! The possibilities are endless. No student should have to sit at a desk all day!! Have confidence in yourself – YOU can homeschool your kindergartener!
Decide what style is best for your family
When it comes to homeschooling, there are several styles to choose from. Will you teach with the classical approach? Charlotte Mason? Montessori? How about a homeschool cooperative? Have I completely confused you yet?! My point is, there are so many different ways to homeschool. Honestly, that is kind of the beauty of homeschooling. You can try one method, and if it doesn’t work for you, change it up!
For our family, homeschooling with a cooperative was the best fit. What is a co-op you ask? Co-ops are support groups created by one or more families or groups of teachers. Depending on where you live, some meet once a week while others may meet up to three times per week. The curriculum may be provided for some and have more of a school-like feel, while others get together purely for social interaction. It’s a great way to go, especially if you feel like you will need a little extra support and advice.
We are extremely blessed to live in a city (Knoxville, TN) where the support for homeschool families is abundant. Our son goes to his cooperative two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:15 – 2:30, and is at home the rest of the week. We work together with our “school” and follow the same curriculum. Our syllabus lays it out perfectly – we know exactly what is being taught on Monday, and what we are responsible for covering on Tuesday and so forth. It has worked great for our family, but your journey may look completely different!
Where do I begin?
Okay, so I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The amount of time it takes to homeschool your Kindergartener is…drumroll please…an hour and a half, tops! That’s it! Does that completely blow your mind?! Children learn so much OUTSIDE of the classroom. Learning life skills, interacting with kids of ALL ages, conversing with adults and so forth! Between discipling students, getting everyone focused, recess, lunch – there is a lot of wasted time in the public school system.
Before you begin your journey, make sure you do your research. The laws on homeschooling can differ from state to state, so make sure to check in with your school board on how to proceed. Find a trusted parent in your community and seek guidance from them! Facebook even has several homeschooling groups you can get advice from!
Curriculum
Traditional homeschooling can look very similar to what you would find in a public or private school. Most families use textbooks, workbooks, lesson plans and have their children do projects and reports. Some parents create their own curriculum, while others will follow a premade program. Our co-op for Kindergarten has used three curriculums that I highly recommend!
For reading, we used All About Reading. I LOVED this program. It is phonics based (most public school programs are not), the pace is not overwhelming, and it makes reading fun. My son loved that his workbook was in color and not black and white! We enjoyed the recommended games and activities as well. I specifically remember looking through my teacher manual at the beginning of the year, thinking WOW! By the end of Kindergarten my child will be full out reading!! Now that we’re coming to the end of the school year, listening to my son read has to be one of the most rewarding accomplishments!!
Math, we followed the Math With Confidence curriculum. The program starts out slow, allowing your child to form a good foundation. Each lesson begins with a fun warm up (typically a game) which sets the tone for a positive learning experience. It’s easy to use, full of games and visuals, and truly does give your child confidence in their math skills. Even my 3 year old enjoyed joining in on some of the games!
For handwriting, we used the Handwriting Without Tears program. It’s a very easy book to follow and allows your child to transition from writing letters and numbers to writing words and sentences. I am honestly AMAZED by how much my son’s handwriting has improved over the year. Highly recommend this one.
What we learned over our first year of homeschooling
When I first began homeschooling Kindergarten, I was convinced our day had to be completed like a traditional school. WRONG! I stressed myself out over having my son wake up, eat breakfast, sit down with me and get everything finished by lunchtime. Not that this scenario should be discouraged, I’m sure it works for some, but for my son it did not. Once I took a breath, and realized that there is so much more to learning than siting down with your head in a workbook, I started to enjoy teaching more. Furthermore, kids are not meant to sit for long periods of time, and they learn SO much through imaginative play. If you make it fun, your child will be excited to learn, I promise! Here are some of my newbie homeschooling mama tips:
- Go to the library weekly! Most have story time for kids (I started taking mine at 8 months old), and reading to them is SO important! Find books that spark their interests. I guarantee they will be so much more excited to learn how to read!
- Take your learning materials to a park! Learning while moving is highly beneficial! Let your child swing while doing sight word flashcards! Have them find rocks and turn it into addition…the options are limitless!
- Go outside, go outside, go outside! It’s so good for both of you!!
- Make a scavenger hunt
- Do science experiments at home
- Cook and bake together
- Go camping!!!
Homeschooling has allowed our family to spend more quality time together, visit extended family more often, and go camping!! If you are considering homeschooling, I hope this post has eliminated some of your fears and has encouraged you to go on the journey. Remember, YOU are your child’s biggest advocate, and YOU know your kiddos more than anybody! Please comment with any questions you may have, or some of your very own homeschooling guidance below! Make sure to follow our family on instagram and YouTube to see all of our (mostly camping) adventures! Thanks for reading!!
Your friend, Megan
