Overwhelmed by options when looking for preschool or kindergarten homeschool curriculum? I’ve been there! I hope this list gives you a solid jumping off point for beginning your search for what is best for you and your family.
I was talking to some friends the other day, one that homeschools and one who does not. Like all moms right now, we were talking about the crazy state of the world and the choices parents are having to make in regards to school and their children.
I shared that I had received a lot of emails and messages from readers asking for the best curriculum options for XYZ grade, and how much I want to help but felt like I can’t very much because what is “best” differs so much for each child and/or family.
Some people prefer all in one curriculum, like Abeka, and others enjoy piecing it together, like I do. Here are our third grade and first grade curriculum picks.
You can find all my picks and reviews on homeschool curriculum here.
I also switch things up throughout the year because I find our homeschool style tends to shift with the seasons. So while I’m a Singapore math enthusiast during our structured seasons, I also set it aside in favor of unschooling methods come December and the holiday season.
However, I still want to be able to offer some insight to those that feel how I felt at first: completely clueless as to how to even begin looking for a curriculum.
My friend recommended I share some of the most popular curriculum to give people a solid jumping off spot. Since I’ve done Pre-K 4s and kindergarten homeschooling twice now (read my musings from one month into it here), I have some insight into the programs people tend to like the best.
If you’re looking for Pre-K 4 or kindergarten homeschool programs, these options would be a great place to begin your search. I recommend downloading free samples of the program for those that have it available, as that provides a lot of valuable insight into the style of teaching it provides.
5 Great Homeschool Curriculum Options for Pre-K
The Homegrown Preschooler
This is a play-based, hands-on year-long curriculum. I met the creators of the program at a homeschool conference years ago, loved their educational philosophy, and used this program with my girls (mostly Hailey, as Kaitlyn got a hybrid approach, as we were also using material used in our co-op).
It’s photo-rich, colorful, and follows along with the seasons. It contains a lot of hands-on activities and crafts, so I got the mega-bundle which comes with a lot of the supplies, but it isn’t necessary.
Five in a Row
A fun, children’s literature-based program, Five in a Row uses a different book each week, then walks you through lessons and activities based around that book for (you guessed it) five days in a row.
A friend of mine used this and found it really enjoyable and easy to include children of different ages. It touches on social studies, language, art, math, and science.
The Peaceful Press Preschool
A Charlotte-Mason based curriculum, The Peaceful Preschool is a living education curriculum, meaning if focuses on reading, creating, spending time in nature, and experiences.
It is literature and project based curriculum with 26 weeks worth of material, including a recipe for each week, which I haven’t done personally, but sounds like a really fun addition for preschool and kindergarten ages.
Oak Meadow
The Oak Meadow preschool curriculum really focuses on creativity and play. It provides a gentle structure, tons of hands on learning, loads of time for exploring and playing, kinesthetic learning opportunities, and a gentle introduction to the development of strong foundational skills.
Horizons
I wanted to include Horizons for the parent that is interested in a more classic, workbook-based approach. While Horizons still offers hands on activities for learning, it has more worksheets included, and covers social studies, language arts, math, phonics, and science.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of options, simply the ones I have experienced personally and the ones I have heard the most about within my homeschooling circles over the years. Choosing the best fit for your family depends heavily on your educational philosophy, the learning style of your children, and your teaching style, too.
And know that you will most likely tweak things as you go, and that’s the beauty of homeschooling; if something doesn’t work, adjust as needed.
I know I like having some kind of structure to guide me, but I also have homeschooling friends that have covered the early years of education beautifully with nothing more than a library card and free or cheap online resources, so if you’re new to this, know there are options for every budget.
A few more highly recommended resources for preschool and kindergarten ages include:
- The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Reading
- Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
- First Language Lessons Books from the Well Trained Mind
- Moffatt Girls Worksheet Packs
I hope you find this helpful, but my biggest encouragement for the early years is really quite simple- read aloud a lot, go outside, get messy in the kitchen, and if your child ask questions, dive deep into discovering the answer.
All learning first begins with a spark of interest and we’ve learned so much more by going down the rabbit hole of a kid’s silly question than through any worksheet.
Crystal Leahy says
Thank you! This type of resource is so appreciated right now. I know you have touched on it but Iโd love to see more about how to navigate homeschooling different levels at the same time.
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Crystal! Every home is a unique situation of course, but these are the things I have found helpful while homeschooling two kids at home ๐ : https://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/the-challenge-of-homeschooling-multiple-ages/
Heatehr says
Thank you so much for this! We have the option for 2 days in classroom and 3 days virtual. After the feedback I have heard about K online from the spring I am thinking about just homeschooling or starting virtual only with a homeschool backup. We do plan in returning to public school so I am wondering if you have any advice for a program that would easily transition to a traditional classroom down the road?
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve never been in the public system so I can’t speak from experience, but I imagine teachers are very understanding right now and I personally would ask a teacher in the grade level or next grade level what the child needs to know before entering the next year. I’ve googled this before just to see how we align for my own curiosity ๐ Hopefully the teacher could also give you any other insight that would be helpful.
I would personally concentrate mostly on reading and math and let the other subjects (science/geography) be secondary. Kindergarten (from what my teacher friends tell me) is largely a year of getting everyone brought up to the same speed, so I can’t imagine, especially in this current environment, that any curriculum wouldn’t be sufficient.
Marci says
I am not homeschooling but curious about it and enjoy reading your posts. Do you ever have trouble getting them motivated to do the lessons? My incoming kindergartener is an angel at school for his teachers but for me it’s like pulling teeth to work together. My main hesitation about moving to virtual again is that he doesn’t respond to mom as teacher. I also have a 2.5 year old and 3rd grader, so when all three are learning at home, it is chaos.
Torrie @ To Love and To Learn says
This was very timely—I had never intended on homeschooling my children ever, but with the current conditions and with us currently in the process of moving (and not having our housing plans for the next six months really nailed down yet as far as location), we figured it would be best to probably homeschool so we weren’t having to pull my daughter out of kindergarten at the public school and re-enroll her in another one (or two other ones) if we ended up moving around a couple times. Thanks for sharing!
Karianne says
Blossom and Root is another great curriculum pick! We just finished our first year homeschooling (and our style sounds pretty similar to yours). I used FIAR/Singapore/some faith based and interest based resources for kindergarten but we started Blossom and Root in May (we live in the northern Midwest, so longggggg winters – we decided on a more science and nature heavy summer and will have a more history and literature heavy winter) and we LOVE it!! Nature and wonder based, we have found most of the books through our public library, gentle yet thorough, lots of extension options. Highly recommended! The science component works with a variety of ages – I’m using Year 1 with my 4 and 6 year old, and my 2yo usually tags along. Wish I’d used it for kindergarten too!
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you for sharing! I have seen snippets of that curriculum so it’s great to hear a personal review of it and that it is so great.
Sarah says
This list is great! This year for my kindergartner I am using the Gentle and Classical Preschool level 2. I think my rising third grader and my almost four year old will enjoy reading the book selections with us. For those looking for an online free option Easy Peasy All In One homeschool is a good option. We use parts of it, mainly the math because it’s almost all learning games which like you said helps to break up the monotony of Singapore math.
Brittany Dixon says
It’s great to hear someone mention Easy Peasy, thank you! Someone recently asked me about it and I was not familiar. I totally get what you mean about the monotony of Singapore. We love the method and thoroughness of it, but use Horizons and other books to supplement/break it up ๐
Maria says
Thank you so much! I know that you and David put so much of your time and energy in researching the right curriculum for your girls, so it means a lot that you’d share that information with us.
I see that you started homeschooling K around age four. Did she attend preschool before that? Nora is turning three this month and we had planned to enroll her in preschool this fall (just a couple hours a week) and for obvious reasons, we are choosing not to send her this year. I thought I might do some preschool homeschool to add a bit more structure, but then there’s that part of me that is just like “let her be little” and we keep doing what we do now: read a lot, go outside, color, bake together, build, and role play (okay and some screen time!). What’s the general consensus of these methods in regards to “preschool” at this age. Or is simply considered daycare at age three? If it helps, we will probably be “redshirting” her in regards to the age she starts kindergarten (she’d be newly six instead of newly five). Appreciate your thoughts and thank you again!
On a separate note, I do love that these curriculums focus on slowing the pace down for children. I tried doing my Master’s Thesis on how hurried children are these days and simply could not find enough peer-reviewed research studies to support it (and thus switched to media and body image in young girls). It sounds like I should have looked for information in the homeschooling community.
(p.s. So excited for your move and hope the girls adjust well!)
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Maria! So, like everything, there is no general consensus ๐ However, I tend to lean that at three years old, preschool is still glorified daycare. Kailtyn did go three days a week at age three from 9-12 and we LOVED our preschool, but it’s still mostly play- learning songs, playing outside, painting, and maybe talking about the letters from I can remember. I kept her home for her 4 year old year because I had Hailey at home and it was more hassle to try and get them both up and out of the house for just a three hour chunk than to have them both home. Because of that, I did more for K at four years old because she really wanted her own “homeschool” work.
What you are doing with Nora now sounds pretty wonderful to me. The curriculum options can just be helpful to give some ideas for those days that begin to feel like Groundhog’s Day. But you could also use pinterest for themed units to add some fun to your days, too. We did apple themes, pumpkin themes, cookie theme (in December and it was so much fun!).
I hope this is helpful in someway! Hope to chat with you soon!
๐
ErikaMC says
Thank you so much for all of your resources recommendations. In this uncertain time it adds some comfort knowing that there are options and that those options can work. I was wondering though, as two working parents we wouldn’t be able to homeschool until we all got home around 4:00 or so. This is a trying time anyways some days as people (adults and kids) get tired, overstimulated, hungry, etc. Do you know any working parents that have a schedule that works for them? How do I fit schooling on top of evening chores (we have animals), making supper, family time, baths and other nightly routines?
Brittany Dixon says
How old are your kids? I think that makes a big difference because younger takes less structured time and older they can do more on their own. And who will be home with them during the day? Would they be able to help?
I have read (a quick google search will bring some up) articles about full time working parents making homeschool work, but since I’m only part-time (and on my own schedule), I can’t speak to it very well from a personal perspective.
Marin Haning says
Thank you for this! We have a 4 yo and a 1.5 yo and have been exploring different options for homeschooling while focusing on play. These options are new to me and I think the FIAR will be an excellent fit! I am very excited to get started and also excited to follow along with your other homeschooling resources. Thanks!
Cori says
I bought the Oak Meadow preschool curriculum for my daughter this year and actually wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re looking for a fun lets just basically imagine,play,and do art projects all day type preschool it’s great. However, if you’re looking for one that actually has some academics in it go with their Kindergarten curriculum and use that for preschool instead. Otherwise, you’ll be buying extra things to supplement.
Kamila Lee says
Thank you so very much for this!! All of this!! I have taught Preschool in the past & now am teaching my own. I love all your ideas & schedule!! I think I was over planning & your schedule is showing me that it is important I let my 4 yr old play more!! So excited to continue this journey & see him learn!!
Hailey Wilson says
As a former preschool teacher and current homeschool mama, I think you are spot on! Of course, any family can add or subtract to these plans based on their childโs needs and abilities. I always like to know what my local school system deems important for children the ages of my own to know, however, when you are homeschooling your gauge wonโt measure up exactly. I donโt think itโs important to recreate at home exactly what the public or private schools are doing if you intend to continue homeschooling. There are, of course, basic skills that can help set children up for success, but in general education is not one-size-fits-all and you have the freedom to decide what and how you teach your kiddos while exercising wisdom and discernment to guide you! Your preschool guide is great, and I will be using many of your ideas in my home! Thanks!
Tegan says
HI Brittany,
I am interested in the homegrown preschooler curriculum you mentioned. It says its for ages 3-7, but the only reviews I see are from moms of preschoolers. I have one starting kindergarten, he loves crafts and to play. I really want to improve this year as a homeschooling mom, I regretfully didn’t make preschool fun and was too “pushy.” He is not looking forward to this year homeschooling with me. So I am determined to have play as a focus for us in order to show him learning can be fun! Did you personally use it for kids 5 and above? I guess I am just stuck on all the preschool references.
Brittany Dixon says
I imagine it depends on the child. If he loves crafts and hands-on experiences, he will love it. You can always add a little more to it, like an additional picture book on the subject, if you feel the need to beef it up a bit.