BTDT Homeschool was created with a heartfelt mission: to empower and give back to the secular homeschool community.

Through our informative podcasts, blog posts, daily inspiration, and a wide range of free printable tools, we aim to empower and assist you on your homeschooling journey.
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We know how exciting yet overwhelming it can be to find the perfect curriculum. But here’s the thing, you don’t really need a formal curriculum at this stage! Remember, the skills we listed earlier are just a guide and many of the skills can be mastered through play. Research actually suggests that play-based learning is the way to go for young children like yours. You can create a rich learning environment right within the comfort of your home.

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But we know that some of you are still going to want to buy a curriculum and get started. And that’s ok too! But I understand that you might still want some structure and reassurance that your child is covering important areas of kindergarten. There are many varieties of curriculum. To help you narrow down what’s best for your child, we created:

7 Steps to Choosing Curriculum >>

If you do choose to use curriculum at this stage, let’s explore some of our favorite choices broken down into teaching method/style:

Nature-based:

If your family loves spending time outdoors and believes in the power of nature, these publishers will be a great fit. They emphasize connecting children with the natural world and offer engaging activities and projects:

Literature-based:

For families who cherish reading and enjoy incorporating related projects and activities, these curricula are perfect. They often cover science and social studies through captivating literature:

Moving Beyond the Page>>

Play-based:

If you want to prioritize the benefits of play while homeschooling, these curricula encourage exactly that:

Slow and Steady Get Me Ready>>

Online Curriculum:

While young students thrive with hands-on activities and interaction, some parents find online curricula helpful for additional support. We actually do not subscribe to this method for younger learners.  Kids have all the time in the world to be online, and play based learning is just so much better scientifically and more effective for this age.

Traditional Curriculum:

If you prefer a more “regular” school-like experience with textbooks and workbooks, these publishers offer a structured approach:

Classical Education:

Classical homeschooling focuses on the three stages of learning: the Grammar stage, the Logic stage, and the Rhetoric stage. This curriculum is based on this time-tested method:

Learn-to-Read:

All About Reading>>

If you’re specifically looking for resources to support your child’s reading development, consider these options. Also know that our learning how to read episode has a lot of great resources too. 

Math:

Math skills can be developed independently, even during the early years of homeschooling. Here are a few reputable math curricula:

Handwriting/Writing:

Here are some handwriting curricula that you can consider to enhance your child’s handwriting skills:

Remember, you don’t necessarily need to follow a specific handwriting curriculum. You can also incorporate handwriting practice into your daily activities by providing your child with opportunities to write, such as writing letters, making grocery lists, sidewalk chalk, or creating simple stories. Ultimately, the choice of handwriting curriculum depends on your child’s learning style, your preferences, and the goals you have for their handwriting development. Consider what approach resonates with you and your child, and remember to make the learning process fun and engaging.  There is a difference between the physical act of handwriting and foundational writing- sentence structure, detailing thoughts, etc.  

Geography & Culture:

Universal Yums is a subscription service that delivers a box of snacks from a different country to your doorstep every month. Each box contains a variety of snacks, such as chips, candy, and cookies, as well as a booklet that provides information about the country’s culture, history, and food. It also contains games, trivia, and recipes to continue learning about the culture. It’s easy to build an entire UNIT STUDY around each country – and my kids love getting to “travel” from home.

We’ve used Universal Yums for years and have learned so much!

Science:

Real Science Odyssey (K-10th): Hands-on Secular and Science-Based Curricula written by real scientists and historians for K-10th grades. The curriculum from Pandia Press fits a more traditional learning and teaching approach. The style is textbook based with labs. This format is presented to be interesting and not boring at all and keeps kids engaged.

Curiosity Box In this monthly box, your kids ages 5-10 will enjoy 3 craft kits plus a small STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) project We fell in love with these boxes! Everything you need – including instructions and supplies comes in the box. Each month has a variety of activities that my kids can do independently while I meal prepped or working one-on-one. Each box contains real, high-quality science equipment that we have used in OTHER experiments.

History (1st):

Curiosity Chronicles is a secular homeschool history curriculum written in dialogue form. Their two main characters, Ted and Mona, take students on a tour through history beginning in ancient times. Curiosity Chronicles takes a global perspective and includes the history of people all over the world. They cover cultural, artistic, and scientific history in addition to political history.

History Quest: This is Pandia’s newest curriculum which features hands on history curriculum for elementary ages. This would be great if you’re interested in more hands-on and less literature-based history.

Homeschool Lesson Planner and Ultimate Organizer

We have made it a point to not recommend specific curricula on our podcasts and one of the reasons why is that it’s an ever-evolving thing.  Curriculum companies come and go, some change resources, and there are constantly new things coming on the horizon! We’ve both been homeschooling a long time and who knows if we would have used some of the things we did in favor of a lot of the things that have come out since.  This list comes to you with either our personal recommendations or recommendations from other secular resources that we follow.  We keep an eye out and stay current on what’s new and what may be debatable or problematic with certain programs.

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