This is only our 2nd year in the homeschool realm and while it’s been PK4 + Kindergarten for my oldest, I have found that the one learning the most is me.
I went to public school. I’m used to the idea of sit down, all day school with standardized tests and hourly structure. So, homeschool can be a little overwhelming since I’m basically creating that for our family. It’s a little overwhelming at times. I have found that I’m de-programming myself. It’s an unbecoming of what I’m used to and it’s requiring me to learn, be open-minded, and adjust when necessary.
After reading some great books (The Well Trained Mind, Teaching the Trivium), I decided to go with an approach for kindergarten that was largely play and book based. The only main subjects would be Bible, Language Arts, and Math. I began the year with attempts to add in a science experiment each week and throw in some history, but quickly found it was just too much for us.
So, I’ve simplified what we do. I made a checklist that C can complete herself and it’s keeping us all sane. Each day, C does the same thing.
-Read a chapter of the Bible and talk about it. We’ve read from many different children’s bibles, but currently we read from the CSB. We follow a Daily Discipleship Guide from our church that gives a 5 question structure and prayer guide. We practice and review a memory verse each week.
-We do a Math lesson (Masterbooks). This is a 5 day a week plan, and we only school 4 days, so we typically double up on lessons.
-We either read aloud a chapter book or listen to it on audio. (I alternate reading and an audiobook simply because it’s a nice break for me.) Books we have loved so far are The Chronicles of Narnia:1-4, The Boxcar Children, The Secret Garden, etc. We do read shorter other children’s books throughout the day as well, but this is our “school” book.
-We do a phonics lesson from The Ordinary Parents’ Guide to Teaching Reading. I side strongly with phonics being the most important part of school. We teach limited sight words and instead focus on letter-sounds. This book has a short lesson for each day and you make your own flash cards.
-C will read a Bob Book for practice. This will advance to different readers, but after months of refusing to read (after already having read plenty of books) I do not force reading. She will read when she’s ready. Until then, I read to her, focus on phonics, and make comments like “when you can read, you will be able to read to baby sister.” (It’s a goal of hers; it’s not me pressuring her.)
-If we do writing, we use the wipe-clean books you can get from Marshall’s or Usborne (if you need a rep, I’ll connect you with my girl, Sheri).
-You will see that my 3 yr old is a part of our schooling too. We have a letter each week where she practices recognition and sounds. She loves to count and is generally around when her sister is doing school, so she picks up a lot.
That’s it.
The largest mindset shift I had to make was embracing that learning is happening all the time. When we play outside (which we try to do for 1-4 hours a day), the girls are exploring, creating games, making rules, following rules, using their imagination and more. You can do a lot of reading on play-based learning, but all I’ll say here is that it’s awesome. (Check out @1000hoursoutside on IG)
There is also the idea that all throughout the day we can talk about letters and numbers and sounds. We trace shapes and cut them out of regular paper, no fancy equipment needed. We color a lot too. I also try to be intentional about the fun books we read. I incorporate a lot of Magic School Bus and Answers in Genesis science books, as well as books from different time periods. We like big words, big ideas, and books that start conversations about good/bad choices or require us to do some research.
At the age of 5, actual homeschool should take 1-1.5 hours. We aren’t interested in doing traditional school at home, but there are options for that if it’s easier for you. I have found that books that require little teacher prep (called “open and go”) are my best friend. I’m still deciding on homeschool for PK4 for B and 1st for C for 21/22, but we will most likely stick with an open and go program.
I don’t feel like I have it all together. Looking at Pinterest or Instagram homeschool suggestions makes me feel like a massive failure, but... my goal is to build a conversation and word-rich home of children that have a Biblical worldview. I look for opportunities to point out God as much as possible. When we see things that don’t align with the Bible, we discuss why they don’t and make the correction theologically. We have looked at the Reformed Theological Catechism and make sure to incorporate principles like “We believe the Bible is the Word of God and it is true” into minute by minute moments of our days.
Homeschool is a lifestyle.
It will change with each kid and each age and each learning style, but the heart of discipleship can stay the same.
Some great homeschool supporters I follow are Sally Clarkson and Voddie Baucham.
I’m also sharing a reference guide for different types of homeschool. God is with you. He makes this possible, not you. I fail at it constantly, but believe it or not, the girls are learning and we are persevering and I’m so thankful we chose this route. Hope this helps!
