When it comes to unschooling there can be many questions about the right way to do it. There really is no one right way. You have to make it work for you and your children. I decided to go with unschooling my girls in kindergarten and we had a great time with it. The best thing was they didn’t really have any idea they were “doing school” (because they weren’t) or that they were learning. Remember, many states don’t even require kindergarten. So don’t stress about it. Your child doesn’t need to hit all the school benchmarks.

HAVE FUN

I think that it is important to have fun with it. We created a theme as we went through the year, using letters of the alphabet. It just fell naturally into that – it wasn’t planned. But we also mixed things up. Children learn so much organically, that they really don’t need to be having formal lessons at this stage. 

Here is a sample of what we did.

“S” Week

• Daily adding to a list words that start with S, seeing how many we can get. This is a game.
• Because meal planning and shopping together are a part of every week we do this but have fun coming up with foods that start with S. We write that meal plan and shopping list and then go and get everything we need for the week. Our meals were: spaghetti, soup and salad, steak and squash, spaetzle and sausages, salmon and steak fries, and spanakopita (spinach triangles). We also ate strawberries and drank strawberry milkshakes.
• Animals – We researched (asked Google) about squirrels, skinks and skunks, salamanders and snakes. We looked at pictures, talked about their habitats and listened to what they sound like. 
• Shapes – We went on walks (around the neighborhood and shops) to find squares, stars, spheres and semicircles. 
• Art and craft – We made a starry night picture (painting the background and sticking on star stickers), snowmen out of marshmallows and sock puppets.
• Math – using Skittles we counted out 6 and 7, 16 and 17. We also made a game of calling out when we saw those numbers when we were at the shops or driving, wherever we were. We also made patterns and shapes with the skittles. 

Of course there was lots of singing, playing, reading together and going on adventures. This was the benchmark of our kindergarten. 

STRATEGIES FOR UNSCHOOLING KINDERGARTEN

Set up a learning environment that encourages exploration and discovery. Provide a wide range of materials, books, art supplies, and manipulatives that reflect your child’s interests and invite hands-on learning experiences.

Observe and listen to your child to identify their interests and passions. Encourage them to pursue those interests and provide resources, materials, and experiences that align with their interests, whether it’s dinosaurs, art, nature, or building blocks.

Give your child the freedom to choose how they want to learn. Allow them to spend time immersed in activities that interest them and provide gentle guidance and support when needed. Foster their curiosity by asking open-ended questions and encouraging them to think critically.

Engage your child in meaningful experiences that connects their learning to the real world. This can include trips to museums, parks, libraries, and community events. Encourage them to interact with their environment, ask questions, and make connections to what they are learning.

Surround your child with books, read aloud to them regularly, and provide activities based on the books. (This is something that I loved to do with the girls. We would read aloud and then do activities. Sometimes we did a chapter book and then had a theme night where we watched the movie of the book and ate foods that went with it.)

Encourage unstructured playtime where your child can freely explore, imagine, and interact with their environment. Play-based learning allows for creativity, problem-solving, and social interactions. This really can’t be stressed enough – make sure there is plenty of time for unstructured play! 

Remember, unschooling kindergarten allows for flexibility and personalized learning experiences. Trust in your child’s natural curiosity and their innate desire to learn, and embrace the joy of learning together. Don’t get bogged down with what “they HAVE to learn” because there really is nothing they “have to”. The only thing you “have to” do is have fun and lots of play!

Check out other posts on unschooling:
How to unschool science
How to unschool math
Unschooling social studies
How to unschool language arts