Welcome to ​Old Fashioned Education's FREE kindergarten curriculum.
Before you begin, please read the introduction and license agreement. 

​Free Sample →

Directions:

1. Gather materials using the Booklist (below) for what to teach.
2. Print the Kindergarten 40-Week Schedule for when to teach it.
3. Order the Kindergarten Teacher Guide with day-by-day lesson plans, worksheets, tests, and answer key for how to teach it or plan your own lesson using our FREE Homeschool Planner.

Key:  *Free online   ❶  Our Pick!   ❷ Christianbook

Kindergarten Booklist

For Ages 5+
My Community & My Country

King James Bible

• King James Bible* ($1 at Dollar Tree) | All Levels

Bible Study

​Choose 1.

• Easy-to-read bible story books from the library. Figure on 1 a week or
• Bible Stories to Read and Bible Pictures to Color** by Martha Rohrer ❶ ($14) | Level 0 plus
• Prayers for Children by Wilkin ❷ ($5) or Little Folded Hands* | Level 0

Morning Time

• ​Keys for Kids or Kids 4 Truth Devotionals or other devotions of your choice * | Level 1​

Arithmetic

Choose 1.

• CIMT, MEP, Reception Year *
• Ray's New Primary Arithmetic *
• Math program of your choice, purchased separately.​

Science

• The History of Insects* | Level 0-1
• The Insect Folk* | Level 0-1
• The Burgess Animal Book for Children* | Level 1
• Burgess Bird Book for Children* | Level 1
• ​Extra Reading: Arthur Scott Bailey's Nature Stories* | Level 0

• Keep a Nature Notebook. 1 per student. Go on 1 nature walk per week. Find and describe 6 wild fruits, 6 birds, and 6 animals. Read Selous' Tommy Smith at the Zoo. Furneaux's, A Nature Study Guide may be used for teacher reference.​ 

Language Arts

• Reading: McGuffey Primer * ❷ | Level 0-1   [See Note 1]
• Writing: My First Writing Book ^ or other penmanship book of choice | Level 0
• When appropriate write 1 short story a week with journal ($5) or composition notebook ($1)

Extra Reading and Writing Practice:

• Word Mastery: A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades, pp. 1-25 * | Level 0-1
• The Happy Helpers * | Level 0-1
• The Nursery Lesson Book * for building words, games, songs, and drawing lessons | Level 0

Library Skills

• Go to the library once a week to learn how it all works. If you go on Fridays, then you can check out the books you'll need for the following week + story hour.​​

Literature

• The Real Mother Goose * | Level 0
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other stories * | Level 0
• The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh * | Level 0
• Uncle Remus, His Songs & Sayings * and Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit * | Level 1
• Fairy Stories and Fables * | Level 1 or ​​Andrew Lang's Fairy Books * | Level 2

History

• Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston* | Level 1
• Make a Family Scrap Book & Family Tree.

Biography

• The Bird-Woman of the Lewis and Clark Expedition* | Level 0

Social Studies

• The Swiss Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins * | Level 1  [See note 2]
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri * | Level 1  ❶
• First Lessons in Geography by James Montieth* | Level 0-1 
• Watercolor or color a map of your country, color your state, star your town.​

Enrichment Study

Choose 1 or more per week and rotate as desired.

• ​Musical Theater: Listen to Peter and the Wolf $ by Maestro Classics or other free online source. Put on a play with paper puppets as desired. Peter and the Wolf.
• Paper Crafts: Animal Friends Reading and Craft Book**^, 1 per week ($3)
• Singing: Enjoy singing together for 10-15 minutes. Sing Twin Sister's Sunday School Songs. Children may begin Form 1 study of solfege, if the attention span is there, with Solfa Sofa * or Sing Solfa. *
• Music Appreciation: Classicsforkids.com, listen once a week. Listen to Peter and the Wolf. Learn about 7 Instruments.
• Picture Study of choice, 1 per month
• French: Illustrated French Primer by Henri Bué*, Second Part only. 1 or 2 words per week. 
• Habits: Work on 1 new habit per month (brush hair, brush teeth, set table, etc.)​

Read Alouds

(FREE at library or build your library - 1 picture book per week) 

Term 1 (Weeks 1-12)

1. The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown*
2. A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry*
3. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman*
4. Frederick by Leo Lionni*
5. Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis*
6. Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall*
7. Pumpkin Moonshine by Tasha Tudor*
8. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf*
9. Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle*
10. Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban*
11. This First Thanksgiving Day by Laura Krauss Melmed​*
12. My Thank You Book
    by Mary M. Landis

Term 2 (Weeks 13-24)

1. The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown*
2. The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Jan Brett*
3. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry*
4. The Christmas Story, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin*
5. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen*
6. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening illustrated by Susan Jeffers*
7. Gregory’s Shadow by Don Freeman*
8. Walter the Baker by Eric Carle*
9. Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton*
10. The Frogs and Toads All Sang by Arnold Lobel*
11. Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran*
12. Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson*​

Term 3 (Weeks 25-36)

1. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish*
2. Hide and Seek Fog by Alvin Tresselt*
3. All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander*
4. A Tale for Easter by Tasha Tudor*
5. What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page*
6. A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle*
7. An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni*
8. The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman*
9. Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse*
10. Wonders of Nature by Eloise Wilkins*
11. Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure by Bill Peet*
12. Abe’s Fish by Jen Bryant *

Need additional picture books?  Little Jewel Books (Christian) and Letter-of-the-Week Booklist (Classic)

Kindergarten Overview

• Schedule
• Syllabus
• Tips

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Objective:  To give children an hour of varied subjects, then go outdoors for play. Limit each subject to 15 minutes. 

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
Morning Time & Bible Story	Morning Time & Picture Book	Morning Time & ​Literature/Poetry	Morning Time & ​Copywork
Math	Math	Math	Math
Language Arts (Read & Write)	Science	Language Arts ​(Read & Write)	Science
Social Studies	Enrichment Study ​(Beauty Rotation)	Social Studies	Nature Study
Habits & ​Outdoor Play	Habits & Outdoor Play	Habits & Outdoor Play	Enrichment Study ​(Optional)

1. ​​Reading: Spend time each week reviewing the letters of the alphabet. Learn basic phonics for beginning reading by building words. Point to and say each phonic sound, then blend to say the word (example: C-A-T = Cat). Begin with 10 minutes of phonic practice. Practice reading easy books (such as Bob Books from library).
2. Writing: Spend time each week printing the letter of the week. Show how to trace each line and tell what you are doing. Let your child practice printing in their workbooks for about 10 minutes.
3. Arithmetic: Learn to count from 1 to 20 (and then to 100) using objects. Write the numbers too. Later in the year, you can try skip counting by 2's, 5s, and 10s. Review the basic shapes and colors in rainbow order.
4. Storybooks, Habits, and Play: Spend time each day reading a storybook rotating with Bible, Picture Books, Classic Tales, and Poetry. A Morning Time can include both a story and calendar activities. Teach children about Prayer and Habits. Spend time each day in play either outdoors or other activities.​

1. Fill your home with living books, both Christian and Classic. You can begin to build your own Living Book Library with our booklist (above). 
2. Build literacy by adding a set of magnetic letters to your fridge and encourage your child to have fun building words throughout the week. Borrow Bob Books (phonic easy readers) from the library to encourage reading.
3. Turn-off screens [1], as a 30-minute show is more than enough, and, instead, enjoy story-time, outdoor play [2], puzzles, games, crafts, music, nature walks, household chores, etc. 
4. For Kindergarten, we recommend a 60-minute learning time, 4 times per week with a focus on building a foundation in the 3 R's - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.​

Teaching Guide.  The kindergarten lesson plans can be used for ages 4 or 5. Students are ready to use this level when they know the alphabet and phonic sounds. Here's our recommended sequence:

• If student is Age 4 - and does not know the alphabet and phonic sounds, use Preschool Level. 
• If student is Age 5 - and does not know the alphabet and phonic sounds, go through A Child's First Book of Letters for 1 month, then begin the Kindergarten Level. 

Have Kindergarten questions or comments?  See Forum or Contact Us

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​How much time daily in the open air should the children have? And how is it possible to secure this for them? In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mothers first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air. And this, not for the gain in bodily health alone––body and soul, heart and mind, are nourished ...

Notes
*Indicates free online or at library
**Include Prayer, Repetition (Rotate Bible, Poem, Hymn), Pledge, and Calendar.
​***Includes Reading, Writing, Arithmetic
^Normally includes drawing/singing; sometimes it is sand/water play or other activity.
[1] If your child is not progressing in reading the McGuffey's Primer after 1-2 months, we recommend investing in Hooked on Phonics, Kindergarten, Levels 3 and 4.
[2] We chose"The Swiss Twins" because our ancestors came to America from Switzerland years ago. You can choose to study a country from this series that relates to your family's heritage.

^Consumable books less than 10%