By reading this article about kindergarten curriculum, you can learn about what understandings and skills children are expected to learn through their kindergarten curriculum. It includes information about various sources for kindergarten curriculum standards, as well.

People usually are interested in kindergarten curriculum for one of three reasons:

  • Their child is about to enter kindergarten, and they want to know what to expect.
  • Their child will be entering kindergarten in the following year, and they want to make sure he or she is prepared.
  • They are homeschooling and are looking for a guide for their course of study.

This article will address all three perspectives.

Kindergarten Curriculum Expectations

The kindergarten curriculum is a bit different in different schools. If you have a child who is preparing to enter kindergarten in public or private school in the next few years, the best way to know what the expectations are is to get in touch with the school and ask about their curriculum and expectations for entering students. Besides that, here are some of the skills and understandings that are likely to be addressed:

By the end of kindergarten, children will know things like:

  • their name, address, and phone number
  • the location of their home and school
  • the names of some common animals
  • the names of some basic colors
  • the names of some basic parts of the body
  • the names of the letters of the alphabet
  • some nursery rhymes and stories
  • the names of some jobs that people do
  • some numbers
  • the days of the week
  • the names of some important holidays
  • how to recognize or supply rhyme words

By the end of kindergarten, children will be able to:

  • write his or her name
  • recognize/read some simple words
  • follow classroom behavior guidelines like raising one's hand and taking turns
  • put events in order
  • identify letters with sounds
  • do simple addition and possibly subtraction
  • use art materials such as crayons, scissors, paint, and glue or paste
  • listen attentively to stories
  • make observations about the world around him or her

These kinds of information and activityies can easily be introduced into your child's everyday activities, as you help him or her prepare for kindergarten, or - if playing school suits your child - you could incorporate them into simple “lessons” which can be as playful or as structured as appropriate for your child and his or her level.

Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

If you are looking for kindergarten curriculum for your homeschool, then you have explicit responsibilities about what to teach if your child is of the age at which education is compulsory in your state, then you need to be in touch with your state's department of education and follow any kindergarten guidelines and requirements that they may have.

To start off, there's a list here on the InfoPlease site under the title State Compulsory School Attendance Laws: infoplease.com. Second, the web address of your state's department of education can be found here: nces.ed.gov.

Your state may be more or less directive about the curriculum or course of study and what you have to submit to the state may also vary. Your state may have descriptions of mandatory or possible curricula, or you may be more free to choose. If the latter, you may wish to obtain and rely on the national curriculum standards provided for most major subject areas as follows:

  • Math: National Council of Teachers of Math  - Kindergarten Curriculum Standards - standards.nctm.org
  • Language Arts: National Council of Teachers of English - ncte.org
  • Science: The National Academies Press National Science Education Standards - nap.edu
  • Social Studies: National Council for the SocialStudies - communities.ncss.org
    and here to purchase the full version: socialstudies.org
  • History: National Center for History in the Schools: nchs.ucla.edu

You may also wish to consult the articles called “Homeschool Math,” “Homeschool English,” “Homeschool Science,” “Homeschool Social Studies,” and “Homeschool History,” as well as the more general “Getting Started with Homeschool Curriculum.”

Sources

World Book Typical Course of Study: Kindergarten - worldbook.com

Scholastic: What to Expect in Kindergarten - www2.scholastic.com

Texas State Prekindergarten Curriculum Guidelines - tea.state.tx.us