Kindergarten help, especially math

[ThursdayNext]

I'm sure you all get a lot of posts from confused people wondering how to start kindergarten, and this is another one.

My daughter will be 4 turning 5 next fall, and I want to do a low key kindergarten with her. For phonics/reading, we may do Writing Road to Reading (which is how my mom taught me to read!) or Teach Your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons. Also maybe pick up a few cheap used readers if the books we have won't do.

 

For science we might do once a week studying animals, plants and trees, the solar system, etc. and trying to do field trips when I have the energy. (I will also have a 2 year old and 5 month old.)

We're already doing scripture memory, and Bible stories at bedtime, but if I found something like basic theology for small children, we might do that.

 

For math I don't know where to start, or if I could be structured enough without a curriculum, but I don't want anything too intense. I remember my mom teaching me counting money and telling time, and then moving on to some miserable math curriculum. Any math ideas?

And what else do kindergarteners need to know?

[three4me]

We've been using both Horizons math K and Singapore Essentials with our 4yo and are liking both programs. The Horizons has kind of a lot of handwriting, which sometimes annoys her. But it also includes things like tally marks, time, etc. The Singapore is gentle and she really likes doing it. I don't think it has those "extra" kinds of things, though. But really, we can recommend both.

[SorrelZG]

I like your ideas. For math you could find a PreK or K scope and sequence online to give you ideas for what to teach or You could also look at MEP Reception Year (freely available online) or Book 1 of the Kitchen Table Math series might be an option worth considering. Another idea might be math story books from your library.

[ballardlm]

Take this with a grain of salt because my oldest isn't school aged yet, BUT have you looked at Marshmallow Math? It sounds like it may be what your looking for. I have read it and basically it tells you which math concepts to introduce in what order using games and activities. I was able to find it at our library. Also, I have heard that Right Start Math is very gentle with lots of games and manipulatives but I haven't actually seen that one myself. HTH

[Miss Tick]

A lot of people use no curriculum, rather talk about things as they come up.

 

If you want to go it on your own but would like some scope and sequence guidance you could look at almost any K program's table of contents or the "What your Kindergartener Needs to Know" book by Ed Hirsch.

 

Another free (except for printing) program is CSMP.

 

Also, you could do some work to figure out what math program you want to try for early elementary and go ahead and get it and see if you can start it now at a slower rate or use it to guide your own set of introductory lessons. Or even just buy some of the recommended manipulatives and play around with those.

 

There are a lot of math programs available! Don't feel rushed to pick one. I don't think you can go badly wrong with anything at this stage. :001_smile:

[boscopup]

I used Singapore Essential Math K, with Cuisenaire Rods as our manipulative. It was gentle, easy to get done, and thorough. We have also added Life of Fred Elementary series, which is fun (and it teaches clock reading very well!). Time and money are both easy to teach without curriculum. Stick analog clocks around your home and talk about the time. Pull out money and play store, etc.

 

You have phonics and handwriting covered with WRTR. If you use 100 EZ, you'd need to add in handwriting.

 

Anything else is gravy. My current K'er has phonics, math, handwriting, and read-alouds. That's it.

[wapiti]

I would look at:

cuisenaire rods and Rosie's videos

Miquon

Singapore Essentials

Right Start

MEP Reception

[Tracy]

I think for K math, you have to start with what your student enjoys. We tried Horizons, and despite all the accolades it gets, it was a big flop, because I failed to pay attention to how much dd hated writing (even though she was good at it). She is a very verbal child and needed something very verbose and talkative. OTOH, that sort of program will never work with my next child. He doesn't want to talk about it, at all. He wants to do it himself, and he doesn't want me telling him how. So we are going to try something discovery-based for him.

[Staceyshoe]

 

Education Unboxed is what I've been using with my 4 year old. Very playful--and he's really learning too.

[ladydusk]

I like your ideas. For math you could find a PreK or K scope and sequence online to give you ideas for what to teach or You could also look at MEP Reception Year (freely available online) or Book 1 of the Kitchen Table Math series might be an option worth considering. Another idea might be math story books from your library.

 

 

:iagree:

[Jpoy85]

well id check your HS laws and see if you even need to do K right now.

 

Then id start with the basics for K- Reading, Writing, Math. You can add or skip Science/History/etc. What you choose will matter how how your child learns and their level. EX: Math- do you want spiral or mastery? do they need hands on? Are they on level for math, behind or ahead? that can determine a lot of things as far as where to start in some curriculum because some dont review as well as others.

 

For my 4, almost 5 K'r I use Rod & Staff ABC Series. Theres a perfect mix of Reading/Writing/Math.

[craftyerin]

I'm using Singapore Essential math K with my 4 and 5yos right now. It's going really well and I love having the structure of a curric to help me know that I'm being thorough and covering what I need to be. That said, it's all pretty easy stuff that woudn't be hard to cover without curric. ;)

[Sally Day]

We're also using Singapore Essentials with our newly-5 year old. Been going about 6 months and though at the beginning I questioned whether or not it was was necessary I can see results now. It is so easy to do, takes us 2 minutes to do a page a day.

[Esse Quam Videri]

I just wanted to comment on the "theology" part of your question. Our box curriculum K program recommended this book, so I used it with my older two. It doesn't line up exactly with our theological beliefs, but it was useful for explaining some more difficult concepts my kids had questions about in ways they could understand (angels, the trinity, etc.).

 

We also love the Seeds Family Worship CDs for memory verses. You can listen to songs on youtube to get an idea of what they are like.

[Tanikit]

For Math I used Horizons K with my 4 year old - she turned 5 recently and is nearly finished it - some days I did the writing for her and some days we only did half what was expected. We also played a number of math games with her.

 

For Bible we used Leading little ones to God as well as www.mailboxclub.org and later Growing with Jesus - 100 Daily Devotionals

[BatmansWife]

I really liked McRuffy Color Math for K. It was fun, hands-on, and....colorful. :001_smile:

[swiegers]

I used Math U See Primer when my son was 4. You can go as fast or as slow as you want and the teacher's guide comes with some great suggestions for extra games to play with the blocks.

[HecticMama]

I guess everyone hates Saxon, but we used their K program, and my girls had fun with it. It had plenty of "games" for them to enjoy, plenty of manipulatives.

[stm4him]

Here is what we do for preschool:

 

Math: Saxon K

Logic: Building Thinking Skills Beginning (my kids love this book)

Phonics: Saxon K Phonics

Writing: WRTR style manuscript handwriting

Reading: Bob Books Pre-Reading and Alphabet sets

Bible: 365 Bible Stories (Veritas Press sells this)

Everything else: CC's Foundations program

Other memory work: IEW's Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, Character First, First Catechism, AWANA (or Memory Work Notebook sold by Christian Liberty Press)

[duckens]

We used Saxon Math for K (and have continued through Saxon).

 

For Saxon K, there is no writing; Just playing at different skills and lots of manipulatives. There are optional worksheets at the back of the curriculum that you could copy which (if I remember correctly) deal with writing the numbers. If I had it to do over, I would start these earlier so there is not a lot of writing at the end.

 

I also plan to use Math Practice for Beginners for our second daughter. I probably will not start it until we are half-way through Saxon K.

[Jerico]

We are doing MEP math (level 1), 100 ez lessons, basic writing and letters, scripture memorization, and reading. I'm in a similar boat- 3 year old and 8 month old. Not much energy or time! I feel like this will be sufficient. Next year we'll be doing FLL, AAS, WWE, new american cursive, saxon 1, and literature pockets (I think that's all). I would have done saxon K but we didn't plan on homeschooling until late in the game and i couldn't decide anything!

[besroma]

I would look at:

cuisenaire rods and Rosie's videos

Miquon

Singapore Essentials

Right Start

MEP Reception

 

 

I agree....adding LOF.

[Violet Crown]

For K math, I would get a copy of Kitchen Table Math (vol 1) and just play math. YMMV.

[Incognito]

• I second the suggestion of kitchen table math.
  
• MEP is nice and free, Singapore is nice and not expensive.
  
• I did not choose to have a list with bullets, it just happened. :)
  

[ThursdayNext]

Thanks so much for all the help. I didn't mean to take so long in replying. It is sooo hard choosing curriculum; you never really know how it will work til you've tried it, and by then it's too late.

I'm thinking we will try Singapore Essentials, as it looks cheap and easy.

Saxon K also sounds good, but is more expensive. And saxon didn't work for me (shudder) so I hesitate to use it.

 

My daughter's fine motor skills are not so great right now, as she hates to color and do craft time. So anything with a lot of writing might be too much. She also does not seem to have a math brain. I'm really hoping she will be ready to write by fall, but if she isn't, we will start in on reading anyway, as she is more than ready for that.

By the way, is it normal for a 4 year old not to write her own name, tell time, count money? At Christmas my SIL expected her to know this. She thinks I'm a lazy parent.

[lexi]

For my kids that age I use All About Reading and Math Enhancement Programme Reception level (free online). Once MEP is complete, we go into Right Start Math A. It's fun and hands on. For science we read science books from Usborne or Let's Read and Find Out About Science. I'm also looking at Elemental Science. I might add that in as well. We add in lots of art and read alouds. K is fun!

[Mommee & Baba]

I would look at:

cuisenaire rods and Rosie's videos

Miquon

Singapore Essentials

Right Start

MEP Reception

 

:iagree:

[Ewe Mama]

If I am following your dates correctly, your child is only 4.5 years old, at most. My youngest did was not able to write her name correctly until shortly before her fifth birthday. That pesky 'y' in her name kept giving her trouble. It will happen when she is ready.

 

I was a bit confused about your original post. Are you looking for something for her in the future, or for right now? If she had a late fall birthday, she would have just turned four. Fine motor skills vary tremendously between four and five years of age, so just work at a comfortable pace. I'm still trying to get Simon to tell time and count money properly and he's 8! It's all a process.

 

As far as math, I have tried just about everything out there. One of my favorite programs is KinderMath. No bells or whistles. Just a simple daily lesson plan that moves very gently. That is my go-to program for an eager preschooler. Once the ability to write numbers has been grasped, we do a combo of McRuffy Kindergarten and Rod and Staff First Grade, Book 1. McRuffy is fun, and R&S is a bit dull, but it helps to make the math facts a bit more concrete.

 

Only two of my brood have mathy brains. We tend to go for slow and steady, with lots of games and playing with numbers. If your dd likes blocks, the Education Unboxed site has been a blessing to many.

 

Educating little ones is great fun, isn't it? Don't stress about it....just enjoy the journey and see the world through her eyes.

 

PS. Tell your SIL to jump in the lake!

[Marie131]

I am loving RightStart math w/ my Ker (and my 2nd grader too ;)). It's very hands on, heavy on games and light on worksheets. Math is our favorite subject. It is a bit pricey, but if you use it w/ multiple kids it's really not too bad - and well worth it IMHO.

[violamama]

I love LOVE the kids Bible study "Long Story Short". It's short and sweet, five little things we read & chat about each week. It's led to some neat conversations between my 4 year old and I, and I like not having to find whatever it is I want them to read/hear.

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Story-Short-Ten-Minute-Devotions/dp/1935273817

 

You asked about "anything else a kindergartener should know". I would say that for my older boy, learning to focus on what *I* was asking him to do was a challenge when he was 4. It was a bit harder than I thought (because I hadn't really thought about that part at all), but I am really glad we started working on it then. For my second one, he was watching the older brother and could not WAIT to be included. My two are wired differently that way anyway, but you may also look at HS with a 4 year old as this kind of training. As our 4 yo gets closer to 5, we now sometimes stretch his capacity a little bit with workbook type things. When we started, he was in control of how much actual writing he did at all times. (He's still not writing letters much, though he does love tracing things with dry erase.)

 

Early on we also included things like cleaning up and learning to try again when something is hard. We did a lot of file folder games: google "kindergarten file folder games" if you're curious but beware, I practically had my printer smoking with those suckers.

[besroma]

Since she does not like to write much, I would look at:

 

MEP Reception

RightStart

Miquon

 

She would probably really enjoy these.

 

And no, you are not being lazy. :D

[Tanikit]

My DD had a HUGE jump in fine motor skills between 4 and 5 years of age - I started writing with her as an early 4 year old but used only blank paper and no lines writing everything large. We have only recently moved to some lines now that she is 5 and her writing has become a lot smoother and she is capable of staying in the lines and controlling her pencil much better now which she would NEVER have been able to do a year ago - some children develop these skills earlier and some later so just go with where your child is.

 

We also used Horizons K with my 4 year old though for many pages I did the writing for her. She has recently started Horizons 1 and is able to do all the writing herself and I have started expecting her to neaten her handwriting also so that she will be able to add double digits and form them neatly below each other - something I never expected last year.

 

I think your SIL's expectations of a 4 year old are a bit excessive.

[BugsMama]

We use Saxon K and really love it. For a child who isn't strongly writing yet, it's perfect. Lots of manipulatives and guided play to teach math.

[Susie in MS]

At that age I don't really think having a curriculum is all that important. We did use Rod and Staff ABC series. They are excellent with several skills covered which includes some very simple math. Also you can print up a 0-100 or 1-99 number chart (which ever you prefer) from the web, and have your child start counting with it each day. Start with 1-20 or something small and slowly move up to counting to 100. As s/he matures you can use the same chart to practice skip counting. We also did the clocks and money thing, but at that age keep it simple unless you have a very mathy child. Use fun objects to teach the concept of addition. This can be as simple as cute buttons if you don't have counting bears locally. Or it can be as cheap as beans if money is a issue. I have never used Kitchen Table Math, but it sounds fun.

 

Other than that we (yes, even me) learned a lot with the deceptively simple and fun lessons in Five in a Row. And we used Phonics Pathways for easy-get'er-done phonics.

[Chris in VA]

I wouldn't even start K with a child who has a fall birthday and will only be turning 5.

 

We used Saxon K as a preschool curriculum and really enjoyed it.

 

Leading Little Ones to God is a nice devotional, and you can skip parts that you may not be familiar with (it suggests a song almost every day, but we didn't know any of them).

[ThursdayNext]

If I am following your dates correctly, your child is only 4.5 years old, at most. My youngest did was not able to write her name correctly until shortly before her fifth birthday. That pesky 'y' in her name kept giving her trouble. It will happen when she is ready.

 

I was a bit confused about your original post. Are you looking for something for her in the future, or for right now? If she had a late fall birthday, she would have just turned four. Fine motor skills vary tremendously between four and five years of age, so just work at a comfortable pace. I'm still trying to get Simon to tell time and count money properly and he's 8! It's all a process.

 

 

She did turn 4 in Nov., so I'm planning for next fall. Part of the planning is because with a new baby, I'll have less time in the summer to plan.

But also because of this:

Other people- "So what school is she going to?"

Me- "We're planning on homeschooling."

Them-"What curriculum are you using?"

Me-"Uhhhhh...."

 

It's not like she's required to be in K in the fall, but I think she's ready to learn to read. I do also have to remind people of her age. Since she's tall and well behaved, they think she's a year or 2 older. But there's the expectation that I need to be doing more in preschool too.

[twoxcell]

I like Singapore essentials! I used horizons K for my first and it was pretty intense for a 5 year old.

[Dawn E]

The R&S preschool books are nice and gentle. Memoria Press combines Counting with Numbers and Going on Eagerly with R&S's first grade math in their K program. We also use Rosie's videos and the Singapore textbooks as supplements. For Bible, we have just added in Sally Michael's God's Names. My ds enjoys it, and my dd (10) listens along, too.

[AimeeM]

We used Saxon Math for K (and have continued through Saxon).

 

For Saxon K, there is no writing; Just playing at different skills and lots of manipulatives. There are optional worksheets at the back of the curriculum that you could copy which (if I remember correctly) deal with writing the numbers. If I had it to do over, I would start these earlier so there is not a lot of writing at the end.

 

I also plan to use Math Practice for Beginners for our second daughter. I probably will not start it until we are half-way through Saxon K.

 

While I'm not usually a fan of Saxon in the higher grades (I've used the upper grades and discarded them), I keep seeing Saxon K recommended. Is it fun for the kiddos? (read: is it unlike the upper grades which, for us, isn't fun at all)

[Heathermomster]

I wanted to mention that HWT has a Wet-Dry-Try app for the Ipad that is useful. My DD loves it. We also use the math Essentials books.

[RootAnn]

My K year for littles is much lighter than what most others have posted, but I wanted to add a comment on "what else does a K'er need to know."

 

If your library has 'em, check out the "What your [ ] grader needs to know" books. The "1st" grader book will give you an idea what type of things you are shooting for. The K level book will give you lots of ideas. You could start working through the K book now as lots of it are just read alouds & reading nursery rhymes.

 

Good luck!

[besroma]

She did turn 4 in Nov., so I'm planning for next fall. Part of the planning is because with a new baby, I'll have less time in the summer to plan.

But also because of this:

Other people- "So what school is she going to?"

Me- "We're planning on homeschooling."

Them-"What curriculum are you using?"

Me-"Uhhhhh...."

 

It's not like she's required to be in K in the fall, but I think she's ready to learn to read. I do also have to remind people of her age. Since she's tall and well behaved, they think she's a year or 2 older. But there's the expectation that I need to be doing more in preschool too.

 

 

Look at MEP Reception. If you like it you could start now, slowly. That way, you can see if you like it without investing any funds (except printing costs), and you will have an answer to their question. Then, you could switch to RightStart or Singapore if you wanted to.

 

Also, resist the temptation to expect more of her because of pressure from others. I have the same issue with my children being mature and tall for their ages. I continually remind myself of their actual ages.

 

Like another poster said, I also really enjoy the Rod and Staff preschool workbooks. My kids really enjoyed them.

[Five More Minutes]

While I'm not usually a fan of Saxon in the higher grades (I've used the upper grades and discarded them), I keep seeing Saxon K recommended. Is it fun for the kiddos? (read: is it unlike the upper grades which, for us, isn't fun at all)

 

We used Saxon K as a preschool program, and it was very gentle and even fun for both of my girls. (I tried Saxon 1 with our oldest daughter, and it definitely was. not. fun. for her.) So as a preschool or K4 program, I think Saxon K is fine.

 

For K5, we all adored Miquon and Singapore Essentials. Highly recommend either.

[*Lulu*]

PreK/K for Bug has been a combo of Miquon, education unboxed, kitchen table math, Peggy Kaye, and as many math based games as we can squeeze in.

[AimeeM]

We used Saxon K as a preschool program, and it was very gentle and even fun for both of my girls. (I tried Saxon 1 with our oldest daughter, and it definitely was. not. fun. for her.) So as a preschool or K4 program, I think Saxon K is fine.

 

For K5, we all adored Miquon and Singapore Essentials. Highly recommend either.

What are the pre reqs (per se, lol) for Saxon K? I looked at the rather limited sample on CBD. My son can count to about 20, recognize numbers to 12 and then those in the 20's, count backwards from 10, understand simple addition and subtraction concepts, understands up/down, over/under, big/little, more/less, etc.

I only ask because you described it as a K4 program. He tests fine into Math Mammoth 1 - but it's far too writing intensive for him and I'm looking for a math program that will challenge him but that isn't writing intensive (he is still barely tracing, much less writing independently on any level).

[The Way of My People]

What are the pre reqs (per se, lol) for Saxon K? I looked at the rather limited sample on CBD. My son can count to about 20, recognize numbers to 12 and then those in the 20's, count backwards from 10, understand simple addition and subtraction concepts, understands up/down, over/under, big/little, more/less, etc.

I only ask because you described it as a K4 program. He tests fine into Math Mammoth 1 - but it's far too writing intensive for him and I'm looking for a math program that will challenge him but that isn't writing intensive (he is still barely tracing, much less writing independently on any level).

It sounds to me like your son would be advanced for portions of Saxon K, but I don't think it necessarily would be a waste of time. It has a lot of geometry, pattern recognition, etc. My sons (with similar counting skills to yours) both flew through Saxon K, but they did learn new concepts from it, and they really enjoyed all the play, manipulatives, and absence of writing.

[mskelly]

Wow! Lots of advice here! I'll chime in with a few of my favorites...

Math - RightStart (I love the way it teaches concepts and really develops an understanding of the math, not skill and drill at all!)

Reading/Spelling - All About Reading and later All About Spelling

 

I'll also add, if you are looking for a guideline of what your K'er should know, search for Core Knowledge sequence or the Common Core Standards (that's what many public schools now follow). I constantly refer to both of these, just to make sure we don't have any gaps in the curriculum...although I find homeschoolers are usually ahead of these guidelines.