Our First Official Week of Kindergarten Homeschooling
It’s official! We’ve just wrapped up our first week of homeschooling. It was far from perfect, but it was filled with grace, growth, and joy.
We actually started our kindergarten year a little earlier, gently easing into routines and exploring materials. But there’s something about marking that first real week that makes everything feel more official. And honestly? It kinda felt different. A little more serious, and a bit of pressure, maybe.
What We Had in Place Before
We’d been practicing homeschooling since my son was a toddler, nothing fancy and definitely no pressure. Just a simple rhythm that slowly took shape over time. We had a rough day blueprint, not perfect by any means, but it worked for us. Our mornings, school time, afternoons, and bedtime followed a gentle routine. As for academics, we’re already nearly halfway through our kindergarten core subjects: Language Arts, Filipino, and Math.
A Gentle Fresh Start
We didn’t rush. Our mornings were slow and simple, at least by my standards. I was still watching the clock in the back of my head, but I reminded myself often: relationship over rigor.
Our days were a mix of core subjects and “riches,” picture books and art materials scattered across the floor, and tiny victories for homeschool moms like completing a long reading with full focus, or watching my child engage deeply in an activity.
What Worked This Week
Morning rhythms
Starting our day with Bible stories and prayer grounded us. One day, I unintentionally skipped our morning prayer and my child reminded me, “I like praying after reading the Bible.” I was touched when my son said he loved praying after reading bible stories. We’re using The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos, reading one chapter per day (or part of a chapter if it’s long).
Read-alouds
They continue to anchor our day. Even when everything else feels chaotic, a good story steadies the mood.
Hands-on learning
While we lean toward Charlotte Mason, our approach includes Montessori-inspired activities to help connect what we read with what we do. I came across Montessori long before I discovered Charlotte Mason, so I had already spent years learning the philosophy and preparing Montessori or Montessori-inspired materials ahead of time.
Schedule
We follow a 3-hour daily cycle, with 15–30 minutes per subject. While this stretches past the “short lessons” ideal in Charlotte Mason circles, it works for us. Some subjects, like Language Arts or Science, even stretch to 45 minutes when needed. Surprisingly, my child often asks for more activities, even in the afternoon! It’s tight, but manageable, and I re-plot lessons in my Excel file as needed to keep things balanced.
