A Charlotte Mason Inspired Pre-K Homeschool Curriculum

When you think about the early years of education, it’s often preschool and kindergarten that come to mind. But the transitional year of Pre-K is so important. That’s why I’ve put together this Charlotte Mason inspired Pre K homeschool curriculum to give my littles (and yours!) a year full of playful learning!

Pre-k provides an entire year for your child to prepare for the shift that comes with the more rigorous routine and higher level academics that begin to be introduced in Kindergarten.

Even though we believe in giving our children a gentle Kindergarten year, the expectations are a bit higher than they are in the preschool years. It’s the first year where educational progress must be reported to the state, so the focus begins to shift from play all day and let the child lead to a more regimented approach to learning.

With my oldest, I went all in with a full compliment of letter activities, beginner’s handwriting, math workbooks – you name it. I was still in this in between period where I wanted to embrace a more whole child focused approach to homeschooling, but I was stuck in my public school teaching mentality.

The result was complete and total burnout. For both of us. He hated school time, and I didn’t want his education to be an obligation that became a daunting daily chore. I wanted my kids to fall in love with learning. That’s when I knew it was time for a change.

We went all in with an eclectic curriculum that blends Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Classical, and Wild + Free homeschool styles into a beautiful tapestry that makes learning part of lives rather than something extra we do each day.

This turning point helped me understand that a child’s education is not defined by the boxes we check or the levels they achieve. It’s determined by the way they engage with the material and the way it provokes them to imagine, explore, or create further.

Because of this, I wanted to make sure my middle guy’s Pre-K year was one that is full of wonder as we introduce subjects my kids haven’t previously encountered, while still following Simply Charlotte Mason’s  preschool recommendations:  Focus on Foundations (habits, outside time, read-aloud, and Bible), Include Enrichment and Beauty (handicrafts, art, music, and poetry), and Gently Introduce Academics As The Child is Ready, focusing on the three Rs: reading, writing, and math.

And while I love both of the curricula we’ve used over the past few years, I wasn’t ready to repeat either. So this is what I decided on…

Our Pre-K Homeschool Curriculum Choices:

Foundations, Academics, Enrichment, & Beauty

This year, with three little learners, I knew I wanted to teach family style as much as possible. So instead of choosing a preschool program, adapting it to work for tot school, and trying to fit it together with our First Grade curricula, I decided to make my own early learning curriculum.

A Child’s Tale – Adventures in Living Literature is my solution to overwhelm when it comes to teaching multiple ages. It covers everything a preschooler (or in our case Pre-K student) needs to learn before starting Kindergarten, but the simple daily schedule allows time to connect with your preschooler without feeling rushed.

Because I wanted this curriculum to work for family style learning, in addition to preschool, it includes activities suitable for early elementary learners (we’re using it as our nature/science study) and a weekly tot school schedule that can be used independently or incorporated into your preschooler’s day.

While we are eclectic homeschoolers, we tend to favor a Charlotte Mason inspired approach to learning. A Child’s Tale includes living books, habit training, practical life skills, art, and poetry in addition to literacy, math, and nature study.

Since embracing minimalism years ago now, I’ve worked really hard to limit the amount of homeschool supplies that take up space in our home. So one of my big goals with this curriculum was to use common household or kitchen supplies that most people have on hand, or to incorporate craft supplies that will get used again and again, saving time, space, and money!

I really wanted to keep it simple but rich with experience.

One of the most important things I’ve learned in all my years teaching preschool and elementary (even before I was a homeschool mom), is that kids don’t need a day full of table time and structured activities. They need to play. And the best way for them to learn is by playing skillfully!

Charlotte Mason believed in six full years of play before starting formal education. And the Waldorf schools believe the early years should be spent immersed in an environment where they can foster creativity and imagination.

I’ve been greatly influenced by both of these approaches as well as the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy where they believe children are capable and should have some control over their learning.

A Child’s Tale reflects these values while kindling the flames of curiosity that naturally come with childhood. My hope is that this curriculum will help develop a love of both great works of literature and a desire to learn in your littles and mine!

Bible Study

The Playful Pioneers, which we’re using for our core First Grade curriculum, uses The Ology and The Jesus Storybook Bible, so we’ll be following along with those for our main Bible study.

We may also add in or substitute Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson since we went through The Jesus Storybook Bible last year.

For scripture memory, we love Tiny Theologians. This year we’ll be using their Armor of God and Fruit of The Spirit cards.

Spanish

This year we are learning Spanish with The Cultured Kid, and I cannot say enough good things about it.

My kids love it. I love it. Even my two year old comes running when he hears the video intro playing. And honestly, it’s probably the part of our day that everyone looks forward to the most (go figure!).

For me, foreign language was always hard because it was so boring. Listen, write, speak, repeat. And there was no real context. It was mostly just memorization.

The Cultured Kid uses activities, coloring sheets, and video to make learning a language play based. And it’s so awesome.

Morning Basket

I wrote a detailed post about everything we are using in our Morning Basket this year, but I want to focus here on the pieces that are specific to our pre k homeschool curriculum.

We’ll start with Bible Study, as mentioned above, using The Ology or The Jesus Storybook Bible and the Tiny Theologians cards for Scripture Memory. Then we pray over our day and everyone says something they are grateful for.

After Bible study, we do our read aloud from A Child’s Tale.

We finish our morning time with Spanish because it’s everyone’s favorite and they go off laughing and happy and ready for whatever comes next!

How We Put It All Together

We start the day with our morning basket time, which we’ve lovingly named Breakfast and Books. Because I’ve found that my boys are much more likely to listen attentively when their bellies (and mouths!) are full. This is a time when our whole family comes together to start our day with fellowship and fun!

Then we head outside for a nature walk before the day gets too warm. Plus, I like to get some activity in before I ask the boys to sit down for their table work. It helps relieve their restlessness if they’ve burned off some energy.

When we come back, I spend a half hour at the table with my oldest doing history and language arts while the other boys have their snack.

Then I have my younger two join me for Pre-K and tot school while my oldest has his snack time and break.

When they’re finished, my big guy comes back to do math and reading.

I find that breaking up the table time really helps everyone to focus while they’re there doing their work.

After lunch and quiet time, we meet for our afternoon hour. This is the time where we do handcrafts, cooking, and other fun projects that let us connect as a family while building life skills.

And that’s it! We’re keeping it simple.

I really believe in a minimalist homeschool style. I want my kids to have mastery of each subject rather than a broad surface level education. And I think that is best accomplished when you focus on essentials and let go of the busy work. Especially in the preschool years.

They only get one chance at childhood, and I want to make sure that my littles make the most of it.

What are you using for you pre k homeschool curriculum this year? Are you homeschooling multiple ages? Does a playful approach to literature and preschool sound like something you’re interested in trying? Leave a comment and let me know!

Are you interested in our Pre K Homeschool Curriculum? Pin it so you can check it out again later!