Kindergarten

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 | Level 0 plus
• Prayers for Children by Wilkin ❶ or Little Folded Hands * | Level 0​
• ​Copybook Primer for morning time with recitation work | Level 0

Devotions

• ​Keys for Kids or Kids 4 Truth Devotionals or devotion of choice * | Level 1​

Arithmetic

Choose 1.

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

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
• ​Alternative: Arthur Scott Bailey's Nature Stories* | Level 0  [See Note 1]

• 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.​ 

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 will need for the following week.

Language Arts

• ​Word Mastery: A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades, 1-25 * | Level 0-1 
• McGuffey's Eclectic Primer* ❷ | Level 0-1  [See Note 2]
• My First Writing Book or Handwriting workbook of choice, purchase separately ^
• When appropriate begin writing 1 short story a week (4 or more sentences, as you deem fit)

Extra Reading and Writing Practice:

• ​The Happy Helpers * | Level 0-1
• The Nursery Lesson Book * for building words, games, songs, and drawing | Level 0

Literature

• All the best Easy-to-Read books from the library, 1 a week [see list below]
• The Real Mother Goose * or ​The Best Mother Goose Ever! ❶ | Level 0 
• Fairy Stories and Fables * | Level 1 ❶ or ​​Andrew Lang's Fairy Books * | Level 2
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other stories * | Level 0 
• The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh * | Level 0 ​​​

• The Betsy-Tacy Treasury by Lovelace* | Level 0-1
• When Molly Was Six by White* | Level 0-1
• Uncle Remus, His Songs & Sayings * and Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit * | Level 1

History

• All the best easy-to-read history books from the library, figure on 1 or 2 a week or ​
• Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston* | Level 1 ❶
• Make a Family Scrap Book & a Family Tree.

Biography

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

Social Studies

• Easy-to-read books from the library about neighborhoods, maps, foreign countries, immigration, and our government. Figure on 1 or 2 a week.

​Extra Resources:

• The Swiss Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins * | Level 1 [See Note 3]
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri * | Level 1 ❶
• First Lessons in Geography by James Montieth* | Level 0-1 [See Note 5]
• Watercolor or color a map of your country, color your state, star your town.​

Enrichment Studies

Choose 1 or more per week and rotate as desired.

• ​Art:  Animal Friends Reading and Craft Book ^ | Level 0
• Music: Listen to Classicsforkids.com* or Peter and the Wolf $ | Level 0-2
• Singing: Twin Sister's Sunday School Songs or Sola Sofa or Sing Solfa * | Level 0-1
• Picture Study of choice
• ​French: Illustrated French Primer by Henri Bué *, 1 or 2 words per week
• Habits: Work on 1 new habit per month (brush hair, brush teeth, set table, etc.)
• Outdoor play daily. 

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
• Charlotte Mason Advice

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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. 

"​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 ..."

Have Kindergarten questions or comments?  See Forum or Contact Us

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Notes
[1] If your child is not engaged with Burgess, we recommend the Arthur Scott Bailey Series [Level 0] as an alternative which is actually for kindergarten level; our child was sad when a story was over, so we ordered more. We include the Burgess books in our Nature Study (See Program 2: Enrichments).
[2] If your child is not progressing in reading the McGuffey's Primer after 1 month, we recommend investing in Hooked on Phonics, Kindergarten, Levels 3 and 4. 
[3] 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.
[4] Study only the beginning and as pertains to the United States.

^Consumable books less than 10%