How to Homeschool Your Kindergartener For Free (2024)

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Editor’s Note: This page is being updated to remove the resources that are no longer available and to add new free resources. Thank you for your patience!

When my family first began homeschooling, I thought I needed an expensive, complete curriculum. I plunked down big bucks for an everything-included, boxed curriculum for my 2nd grader and his kindergarten-level brother.

About three weeks into our school year, I realized – with dread and embarrassment – that we hated the curriculum. Just a couple of months earlier I’d convinced my husband to give homeschooling a try. I’d spent an ungodly amount of money on the venture. Now, I felt like the homeschool curriculum I’d so careful researched was sucking the life out of us.

Create Your Own Homeschool Curriculum For Maximum Freedom and Flexibility

Now, I love being organized. In fact, a pre-packaged curriculum appealed to me because it came with a schedule and lesson plans. I knew well ahead of time what needed to be covered each day. I could prepare the supplies (not included), gather the reading books (also not included), and other necessary materials (you guessed it . . . not included!)

I soon realized, however, that I don’t enjoy a schedule that’s created for me. Sure, it sounds easy. You let someone else do all of the planning work and then you just follow their plans. But, for me, it felt limiting and frustrating. I’m much happier making the homeschool plans myself.

So, I decided to create my own homeschool curriculum and make my own course of study and lesson plans. It wasn’t difficult – especially for K-3. I’ve continued to steer clear of boxed curriculum each year.

What Your Kindergartener Should Know

The first step to homeschooling your kindergartener for free is knowing what your child needs to learn at the Kindergarten level. I’ve listed below the basic concepts that usually taught in a U.S. Kindergarten.

I won’t include grade-level standards for history, science, health education, religious studies, foreign language, or fine arts. In my own home, I’m apt to teach these subjects in a more child-led, unschooling manner.

I often include all three children together when doing lessons in social studies, science, arts, etc, regardless of grade level. My focus is making sure that my children are on target in the big three – reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Kindergarten Reading and Reading Comprehension Skills

Recognition of Letters (both cases)
Letter sounds (including the difference between short and long vowel sounds)
Syllabication
Blending short phonemes to create words (such as c+ at = cat)
Grade-level appropriate dolch sight words
Sequence

Kindergarten Writing Skills

How to spell his or her name (and be able to recognize it in writing)
Be able to print all of the letters of the alphabet (both lower and upper case)

Kindergarten Math Skill

Classification of objects
Patterns
Less than, greater than and equal to with groups of objects (up to 10)
Add and subtract numbers from 1-10
Solve simple word problems
Understand simple picture graphs
Identify coins
Compare measures of length, weight and capacity (such as longer than, shorter than, less full, more full, heavier than, lighter than, etc)
Know the days of the week
Tell time to the hour
Recognize basic plane (2-dimensional) shapes

Sources: Home Learning Year By Year, What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know, Core Standards.Org, PBS.org, Reading Rockets. Org

How to Homeschool Your Kindergartener For Free

Fortunately for us homeschoolers we live in the digital age. This means greater access to educational tools, both free and paid. Below I will list the free homeschooling resources for each of the three knowledge categories I listed above. (This is the part you’ve been waiting for!)

Free Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

You can find free complete Kindergarten homeschool curriculum online. Thank goodness for technology! Check out these free Kindergarten homeschool curriculum choices.

Easy Peasy Homeschool – Kindergarten

Ambleside Online – Kindergarten

Discovery K12 – Kindergarten

Free Kindergarten Reading Resources

Starfall.com
Education.com
Dolch Sight Words (I suggest making homemade flash cards with these.)
PDF Printable of Dolch Sight Words
ABCya
Knowledge Adventure
TLSBooks.com
Jump Start
Kidzone.com
K12Reader.com
KindergartenWorksheets.net
Super Teacher Worksheets

Free Kindergarten Writing Resources

Free Kindergarten Math Resources

Free Kindergarten Homeschool Resources – Other Subjects

As you probably noticed while clicking around the websites I listed, many of the websites have a variety of subjects to offer. Although I only focused on the specific subject listed, you should certainly take advantage of the science, social studies, art and other subjects to homeschool your kindergartener for free.

Other Free Homeschool Resources

If you’re like me and enjoy the organization aspect of teaching your children, you’ll like this list of free homeschool planning printables I put together.

My homeschooling board on Pinterest is full of great homeschooling ideas, many of which are frugal or free! Go check it out and don’t forget to follow!

Follow Our Small Hours ‘s board Homeschooling on Pinterest.

Check out my lists of free homeschool resources for individual subjects. These lists aren’t grade-level specific, but are helpful nonetheless.

Free Homeschool Science Resources

Free Homeschool Social Studies Resources

Free Homeschool Math Resources

Free Homeschool Reading Resources

Free Homeschool Language Arts Resources

If you find that you have a little cash to spend on homeschooling your kindergartener, I highly recommend these resources that can be bought on Amazon for less than in bookstores. (Especially if you sign up for Prime!)

What your Kindergartener Needs to Know (Kindle Edition)

Spectrum Math — Kindergarten

Spectrum Writing — Kindergarten

Alphabet Flash Cards

When you take on the job (and joy!) of homeschooling, you don’t have to break the bank. It’s so easy to homeschool your Kindergartener for free. You have so many resources at your fingertips. Combined with your public library and a local homeschooling co-op, you’ve got everything you need to be a frugal homeschooler while giving your children a quality education.