Hi,

I am new to homeschooling. My kids are kindergarten and preschool age. I am having a hard time determining what I need to be teaching them at this age and if I am covering enough. We are beginning Right Start level A. Is my goal that they finish all of level A this year? I know I need to be worried more about them mastering a subject before we move on, but I also feel like I need some type of benchmark to know that we are staying on track.

Thanks,
Britt

Hi, Britt!

I think that is the hardest question when starting homeschooling - am I doing too much...too little...am I on target??? The truth is, we need to teach our children to their learning speed. Sometimes, it is faster. Sometimes, it is slower.

As a general rule, I like to complete a level each year. So, for your kindergartner, you should probably complete Level A in her kindergarten year. That may mean that some weeks you will do a lesson a day and some weeks you may only be able to complete one lesson the entire week! I have been known to teach a lesson for an entire week (sometimes longer) and other times, I have taught more than one lesson in a day.

That is the beauty of homeschooling. It is taylored education for your child.

So, as far as putting a benchmark on the education, I would just recommend that you aim to complete a level a year. If you find that your child is struggling, slow down the lessons. If you find that the topics are easy for your child, speed them up.

I would also like to say one thing about the levels and grades. Here is the general breakdown:

Level A - Kindergarten
Level B - 1st grade
Level C - 2nd grade
Level D - 3rd grade
Level E - 4th grade
Level G - 5/6/7th grade

Now, that being said, there are times and situations where a child may spend longer than one year in a level. Due to some difficulties my middle son was having at the time, we took 2 years to complete Level C. The point was to keep moving forward in his learning - show progress - even at a slower pace. Because we took our time in that Level, he was able to grasp the information and now he is doing great. If we had hurried through Level C to get it done 'because he was in 2nd grade' we would have had huge issues later. As it stands, he will be starting high school Algebra in 7th grade...not too bad! :-)

Anyway, I know this is probably not the answer you were looking for...but I think you will find in the end, it is the best way.

Let me know if you have any further questions!
Have a wonderful day!
Rachel