One thing I was really trying to get a sense of when I started homeschooling was WHAT I needed to teach my kids. I wanted to make sure they were learning what they should be so they were on track. Here are some basic skills to work on with your Kindergarten Kid, this is by no means a comprehensive list. This is just a starting point for you. Remember, some children will know these things already, while others will be able to master them by the time they are done with Kindergarten. That’s ok, work at your child’s pace, let them lead, and teach them skills using themes they love, they are much more likely to pay attention and soak up the knowledge if you use something they are interested in to teach with.
What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know
Do you have a little one obsessed with dinosaurs? Use 10 plastic dinosaurs to teach addition, subtraction, and more than less than. Does your child have a fascination with flowers? Use silk flowers to teach abab patterns. Play grocery store with your child’s play food to practice money identification. Your day should still include a lot of play based learning initially.
One Kindergarten workbook I love to make sure they have mastered these concepts is the Big Kindergarten Workbook.
Math
Identifying numbers 1-20
Counting 1-20 using one to one correspondence
Basic addition and subtraction
More, less, same
Basic shapes- circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, star, octagon
Time- o’clock, quarter, half hour
Ordinal numbers- first, second, third, etc,
Recognizing money (working with play money is a big help)
Calendar
Patterning and Sequencing
Reading
Identifying uppercase and lowercase letters
Know all the sounds the letters make
Recognize own first and last name
Identifying simple sight words like; I, am, to, at, go,
Sitting quietly and listening to story
Reading comprehension
Learning to identify beginning, middle, and end of story
Writing – I love Handwriting Without Tears books for handwriting.
Proper pencil grasp
Uppercase and lowercase letters
Writing 1 to 20
Writing First and Last name
Science – Magic School Bus Science Kits are the best for this!
Classifying living/nonliving
Weather
Temperature
Seasons
Space- sun, moon, stars, planets
Caring for plants/animals
Nature
Habitats/Environments
Social Studies
Their own phone number and address
Learning the Pledge of Allegiance
Name of their city, state, country
Various types of families
Community Workers
Meanings of Federal holidays
Traditions
Other cultures
Self Help Skills
Tying shoes
Dressing/undressing self
Proper bathroom habits
Good hygiene habits
Keeping track of their belongings
Keeping a tidy workspace
Don’t forget to include a lot of physical activity throughout the day. Kicking a ball outside, swinging at the park, stretching in the morning, or a backyard obstacle course are all great ways to get some exercise.
Also include LOTS of reading. We start the day reading a few books and then have an afternoon reading time as well!
