This homeschooling year will be significant as I have one child entering her first year of junior high and another starting Kindergarten. This will be my third time teaching Kindergarten. I am so grateful that I have one more time to teach it after this. Teaching Kindergarten is one of my favorite things. I just love the finger paint, art projects, reading lessons, math lessons, hands on activities, and curiosity about the world these little students possess. Kindergarten is the time to build future students who are curious, creative and critical thinkers. But don’t let that pressure you one bit if this is your first year homeschooling. Teaching Kindergarten is a joyful time for both student and parent if conducted properly and tailored to your child’s needs and learning style. Don’t worry if you have yet to ascertain your child’s learning style. This first year will reveal to you so much about your child and you!
When you talk to new homeschoolers and experienced homeschoolers about Kindergarten you are likely to get two very different responses. New homeschoolers are very concerned with curriculum, scope and sequence, and covering all the bases. New homeschoolers are much like first time parents who worry that every moment will impact their child forever. A new homeschooler will concern herself more with the tools that will provide a solid education rather than giving herself time to learn the ropes.
Experienced homeschoolers often sound to the untrained ear as if they do not take Kindergarten seriously. Often an experience homeschooler will steer away from traditional curriculum for a more hands on and game approach to teaching. Experience homeschoolers will say things like “read to them”, “find free things on the internet”, “incorporate games in your day”, “school only 3 days a week for a few hours a day”, etc. Experienced homeschooler focus more on the development of the learner and not the curriculum or the tools.
As someone who has taught Kindergarten twice already I can confidently tell you that while curriculum plays an important role, it is more important to engage your student. This is the year to set the stage for the rest of elementary school. This first year in school you are building a student, refining a teacher (yourself), and giving your child the skills to succeed academically in a more abstract sense. You want a student that is curious about everything around him. This curiosity will lead to a lifestyle of learning and a love for education. Take your child’s lead but temper it with instruction and lessons. Life infused lessons are often the best teachers. For instance, if you have a child who loves butterflies then study butterflies. Go to a butterfly house, buy a butterfly garden kit, study the letter B, compound words, life cycle of the butterfly, flowers that attract butterflies and much more. Most importantly, have fun with your child and build a strong and close relationship during this time.
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