Well, friends. We’ve landed in an interesting spot. LG turned 5 years old at the end of December. We’ve been enjoying homeschool Preschool since she was about 2.5 years old. So after 2.5 years, we’ve found ourselves in a place where we’re kind of over Preschool but not quite ready for Kindergarten. Confused yet?? We sure were. Then came our Transitional Kindergarten routine.
The term “Transitional Kindergarten” means pretty much what it says – transitioning into Kindergarten. Our school days look a little bit like PreK and a little bit like Kindergarten. And do you know what?! We are LOVING it! I was so worried about a hard switch from one “grade” to the next, and this has been a very gentle way for us to make that transition.
So what exactly are we doing during our school time now? I’m glad you’re here to find out! Below I’m sharing our Homeschool TK Routine. Notice we have a “routine” and not a “schedule”. We don’t do too great with schedules as a homeschool family because we LOVE the flexibility that comes along with homeschooling. Routine give us gentle structure and guidance. So let’s check it out!
Bible Study
The first task in our routine is our daily Bible study. This looks a little different every day. We try to study one story in the Bible each week using my Old and New Testament Bible studies. We also love to use daily devotionals, memory very practice, and Bible sticker books! Regardless of how we study Scripture each day, my main priority is that it happens.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our Bible studies.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our favorite books and activities.
Themed Math and Literacy Centers
Now the idea of “centers” might be odd to find in a homeschool routine. But what can I say? I’m still a classroom teacher at heart and know the value of some great, independent centers time!
Our themed centers vary throughout the month. At the beginning of the month, we may review common Math and Literacy skills using our Early Preschool Centers. These are usually activities that LG can complete on her own now. This gives me time to prep the rest of our materials, empty the dishwasher, or even enjoy a hot cup of coffee. Score!
For the rest of the month, we’re using our PreK/Kindergarten centers that I created with my dear friend Michelle @smittenwithfirst. These packs include a wide range of Preschool, PreK and Kindergarten skills! Once LG and I spend the first week working on the Kindergarten activities together, she’s usually ready to review them on her own the rest of the month!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our Early Preschool Centers.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our PreK/Kindergarten Centers.
Calendar Practice
Next up is our calendar time! This has become one of our favorite activities to do together! I have noticed such a HUGE change in LG’s handwriting since she’s been practicing tracing her calendar dates every day. And we love getting to talk together about what’s happening that week, looking forward to special holidays, or just checking the weather together. It’s the little things, guys.
I also love that this set fits just right in our homeschool binder. Over the years, I’ve tried so many different ways to organize our regularly used resources and this binder has been absolute magic!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our calendar.
Handwriting Practice
This year I’ve tried to focus a little more with LG on handwriting practice. In the past, we’ve focused almost exclusively on building letters with manipulatives like play dough, mini erasers, beans, etc. This has been so helpful for her in terms of letter recognition. But I felt like as we transition our way into Kindergarten, it was time to focus on some more letter formation and handwriting practice. Combined with dry erase markers, LG loves using these monthly themed pages! I just asked her to choose one page each day to practice and then we move right along!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our Tracing Pages.
Kindergarten Math and Literacy Binder
I have been SO EXCITED to get working in our newest resource! If you’ve followed our journey for a while now, you know that we have absolutely loved using our Preschool Math and Literacy Binder. But once LG began to outgrow some of the activities, I knew we had to another binder to move onto once she was ready. And this one, y’all. This one is SO MUCH FUN!
Our Kindergarten Math and Literacy Binders include 34 pages to pop into sheet protectors and use over and over again! Most of the activities are open-ended so that each time you practice, it feels new! (Since LG is still new to Kindergarten skills, we usually only complete 1-2 pages each day. There’s no rush to move on to the Kinder skills, but I wanted them to be available as she’s ready!)
In addition to these practice pages, we’ve been using the accompanying QR code pages in my Free Resource Library. These pages include 3 videos for every single skill covered in the Kindergarten Math and Literacy binder! This way you always have some extra help in reminding your little one (or even yourself) how to complete the activities!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our Kindergarten Math and Literacy Binder.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the password to my Free Resource Library for your QR codes!
Preschool Math and Literacy Worksheets
This year, we’re still using our Preschool Math and Literacy worksheets in our school binder. Like I said earlier in the post – this is just a bridge year between Preschool and Kindergarten. We are NOT going all out in the Kindergarten department until it’s truly time. So this year, we’re still working through our Preschool worksheets to make sure we’re reviewing and mastering those super important early skills!
Like our Kindergarten binder, we typically complete 1-2 Preschool worksheets each day. Most of the pages only have 5-10 tasks on them so they are relatively quick and simple activities that we can do together or she can complete on her own while I tidy up our school area.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our Preschool Math and Literacy Worksheets.
Science and/or Social Studies
Last but not least on our routine chart – Science and/or Social Studies! I never try to cram the 2 in the same day, so the activities vary from day to day (or sometimes from week to week). Since there are no official Preschool Science/Social Studies guidelines for my state, we started off with what interested LG the most – life cycles! We’re always learning something new and fun each month!
In addition to our life cycle studies, we rotate in some great Science and Geography workbooks that I found at my favorite homeschool school. I grabbed the Kindergarten workbooks so I could get a good idea of what to prepare LG for. So far, she absolutely loves the activities!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our Life Cycle Studies.
OR CLICK HERE to learn more about our favorite Science workbook.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our favorite Geography workbook.
*Please note – The Amazon links above are affiliate links.*
There you have it, y’all! This is our current Transitional Kindergarten Homeschool Routine! I say “current” because let’s face it – routines are always subject to change, especially when you’re dealing with little ones. But we’ve been using this routine for a bit now and it’s really helped us focus our homeschool time! IF we complete all of the tasks on the routine, it takes us 1-1.5 hours. (Don’t forget to include breaks in there, guys!) LG is a lover of learning for sure, so we’re very happy with this amount of school time!
Notice some things missing? I’ve recently stopped including activities like crafts, picture books, sensory bins, etc. in our school time. I want these activities to be available and enjoyable at any time of the day. So I decided to keep them out of “school time” so they don’t lose their excitement!
I hope this routine and explanation is so helpful for you all! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to e-mail me or DM on Instagram @thestayathometeacher!
PS CLICK HERE to grab this super handy EDITABLE routine chart from my friend, Alleah!
Let’s Hang Out!
I hope this information about our Transitional Kindergarten routine is so helpful for you and your family! Got questions? I’d love to chat and get you know better! Come hang out with us in some of our favorite places!
looks like a great way to transition between the grades and keep the learning interesting and engaging