How to homeschool kindergarten
Kindergarten at home is short, playful and mostly about reading readiness and early math. About 1 h 45 m of lessons a day is plenty; here is what to teach and how to plan it.
Updated October 20, 2026 · By the Homepen team
First, check when your state's rules start
Homeschool laws apply from the compulsory school age, and many 5-year-olds are below it. From our checked data:
- Age 5 in 12 places: Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia.
- Age 6 in 28 states.
- Age 7 or later in 11: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Washington, Wyoming.
Open your state to see its age, what to file and when. If kindergarten falls before the compulsory age, your state page says what applies before then.
What kindergarteners learn
Kindergarten is the year letters turn into sounds and counting turns into numbers. The Common Core kindergarten standards, a widely used benchmark, include goals such as:
- “Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.”
- “Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).”
- “Read common high-frequency words by sight”, like the, of, to, you.
- “Count to 100 by ones and by tens.”
- “Fluently add and subtract within 5.”
Your state may publish its own standards; they cover the same ground. Everything else in kindergarten (stories, nature, art, play) builds language and attention, and it counts.
How long a kindergarten day takes
Our kindergarten Starter Year takes about 1 h 45 m a day on a 5-day week:
| Subject | How often | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Read-aloud Picture books and first chapter books, read together. | Daily | 20 min |
| Phonics Letter sounds, blending short words, first easy readers. | Daily | 15 min |
| Math Counting to 100, adding and taking away with objects, shapes and patterns. | Daily | 15 min |
| Handwriting Form each letter well, a few lines a day. | Daily | 10 min |
| Nature study Seasons, animals and plants: go outside and notice. | two a week | 15 min |
| Art Draw, paint and build with whatever you have. | one a week | 30 min |
| PE Outside play, a walk, a game of tag. | Daily | 30 min |
Homepen's own starter plan, not a state rule. Short lessons work better than long ones at this age: stop while it's still fun.
A sample kindergarten day
| 9:00 | Read-aloud on the couch (20 min) |
| 9:20 | Phonics: one sound, a few words, a short reader (15–20 min) |
| 9:40 | Movement break |
| 9:50 | Math with objects: count, add, take away, shapes (15–20 min) |
| 10:10 | Handwriting: one letter, a few lines (10 min) |
| Later | Outside, nature walk, art, building, library: life learning |
That's the whole school part. If a day goes badly, read a book together and call it done; tomorrow's lesson waits.
Choosing a curriculum (or not)
You don't need a boxed kindergarten curriculum. What helps most:
- A phonics program, done in order, a little every day. This is the one subject worth buying.
- Math with real objects: coins, blocks, cups and spoons. A simple workbook is optional.
- Lots of read-alouds from the library.
Start with our plan and swap any subject for your own book or program; set its number of lessons and the days you do it.
Keep simple records from day one
Even when kindergarten is before the compulsory age, a light record pays off: a few work samples, a reading list and the days you did school. If your state counts days or hours, they are your attendance record. See homeschool record keeping, or print an attendance sheet.
Start kindergarten with a plan that waits for you. Short daily lessons, ticked in a tap, and the days your state counts.
Free on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Questions parents ask
At what age does a child start kindergarten at home?
Most families start the year their child turns 5 or 6. The legal age that matters is your state's compulsory school age: 5 in 12 places, 6 in 28 states and 7 or later in 11 (our checked data).
How many hours a day is homeschool kindergarten?
About 1 h 45 m of lessons a day in our Starter Year; more is not better at this age. Read-alouds, play and outings count as learning too.
Do I need a kindergarten curriculum?
No. A phonics program, real objects for math and plenty of library books cover kindergarten well.
Do I have to register kindergarten with my state?
It depends on your state and your child's age. Your state page lists what to file, when, and from what age.
Sources: Common Core State Standards, kindergarten (math and reading foundations) (checked Oct 20, 2026) · Common Core, kindergarten operations and algebraic thinking (checked Oct 20, 2026) · Common Core, kindergarten reading foundational skills (checked Oct 20, 2026). State facts come from our checked data for each state's main way to homeschool; general information, not legal advice.
Related: the kindergarten plan · how to make a homeschool schedule · how to start homeschooling