Home Schooling a Kindergartener is Fun and Rewarding

The best time to start home schooling is at the beginning of your child's school experience. Home schooling a kindergartener can provide a solid and positive educational foundation in a caring and compassionate environment. To have a lasting impact, parents should keep in mind a few basic ideas when planning to home school a kindergartener.

Scope of Studies

Kindergarten is a time to introduce new ideas and skills. Home schooling a kindergartener should include instruction in language arts, math, science, social studies and health. While that may seem like a lot to accomplish, parents can break down these subjects into age-appropriate activities. Language arts can be as relaxing as listening to a story being read, or it can involve asking the child to orally describe a favorite toy or special memory.

For math, counting buttons or books or the cracks in the sidewalk adds fun and hands-on exposure to a vital concept. Social studies can explore holidays and traditions, and an inventive parent will include crafts and other memory-making ideas for this subject. Taking a kindergarten student on a nature walk, while observing plants and animals is an excellent introduction to science and the world around them. For health class, hand washing and teeth brushing enforce the concept of personal hygiene in a relevant way.

Goals of Kindergarten

Every parent should establish a set of goals when home schooling a kindergartener. At the end of the school year, a child should be able to count to 20, recite the alphabet, use complete sentences and have started the writing process. The student should understand their role in the family, as well as the purpose of major holidays. The kindergartener should have developed self-respect and self-awareness, and be able to address their basic needs. While this is a very basic outline of necessary skills, it may provide a parent with the beginning framework on which to judge their child's development.

Fun and Rewarding

Although there are academic considerations when home schooling a kindergartener, perhaps one of the most important areas to remember is the atmosphere. This will be the child's first formal exposure to the education process and it's vital to maintain an enthusiastic and fun environment. Smiles, laughs and giggles should accompany every subject. Studies have shown a surprising, connection between laughing and learning. Students retain more information in a relaxed setting, which ultimately develops a healthy mindset to the learning process. Home schooling a kindergartener can provide a child with a positive and profitable foundation for their education.