Kindergarteners are active and inquisitive, yet the thought of home schooling a Kindergartener can send any parent into a panic. They worry that they will not "do it right" or will choose the wrong curriculum. I've had many people come to me asking me what they should do for Kindergarten.
My answers are really quite simple. You taught this child to eat, drink, talk, use the bathroom (for the most part), and a host of other tasks that you do not even think about. Did you send your child to talking school or buy a curriculum to teach him how to talk? So here are a few "tools" I would use to teach my child:
1. Read to them for 30 minutes a day. It sounds simple, but it's very powerful. Children learn a tremendous amount of vocabulary and facts just by being read to. You can use picture books or chapter books or a combination of both.
2. Answer their questions. Most 5 and 6 year olds have plenty of questions. Just take a few moments at the time they ask the question to explain the answer to the best of your ability. If you do not know the answer, just tell them and then find the answer together.
3. Take them to interesting places. I'm not saying you should go to a science museum once a week. Just look for opportunities in the natural course of your life to take your child to places that might interest them. A construction site, bakery, farm, bowling alley, grocery store can provide some great learning opportunities.
4. Play games with them. You can carve out a game time each day or a few times a week. Children learn a tremendous amount of math, relational skills and even reading skills just by playing games. You can borrow games from the library or trade with another family if you do not want to go out and buy a bunch of games.
If your child enjoys books, you can use those, but there are not too many kindergarteners that do. Pay attention to how they learn and capitalize on that. Do they learn from listening or watching or doing? You have gotten them this far and you have much more you can teach them and learn from them.