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If you’re teaching or homeschooling a TK, Kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grader, this is the curriculum list I’d hand you if we were sitting across the table at a coffee shop. Everything here is secular-friendly (important for California public charters), organized by subject, and honest about what’s worth your time.
Two things to know before we dive in:
Not everything here is sold on Amazon. Some of the best curricula (All About Reading, Book Shark) is direct-sale only. I’ve linked to the vendor directly where that’s the case.
You do not need to do every page of every curriculum. This is the #1 thing I tell new homeschool parents. Pick and choose. Overwhelm is why most families quit.
The Short List (Start Here)
If you could only buy 5 things for a TK–2 year, these would be it:
All About Reading (Levels 1–3) — the gold standard for phonics.
Handwriting Without Tears — gentle, developmentally right.
Saxon Math or Singapore Dimensions— pick one.
Moving Beyond the Page — literature-based unit studies (LA + science + social studies combined).
Mystery Science or Generation Genius— free weekly hands-on science lessons. Genuinely excellent.
Language Arts
All About Reading (Levels 1–3) — phonics.
All About Spelling — kinesthetic tiles.
Spelling Workout — workbook.
Handwriting Without Tears — workbooks.
Moving Beyond the Page — literature-based kinesthetic unit studies (no phonics included).
Book Shark — combined history + language arts.
Reading Eggs — subscription app.
Explode the Code — phonics workbook, great Amazon-available backup to AAR.
Vocabulary Spelling City — app/computer grammar games.
Mia Academy — multi-subject online.
Adventure Academy — multi-subject online.
Grammaropolis — grammar games.
Ivy Kids Crates — subscription.
Math
Singapore Math — inexpensive traditional.
Saxon Math — spiral review.
Math-U-See — hands-on with video + workbooks.
Beast Academy — for advanced learners.
ST Math — visual math problem-solving.
Mad Dog Math — math facts drills.
Humble Math Facts — workbook.
Math Antics — videos.
Math Seeds — app/computer.
Spiral vs. mastery tip: Saxon is spiral (reviews everything daily)—Math Mammoth and Math-U-See lean mastery (one topic at a time). Families struggle when the approach doesn’t match the child — if your kid forgets things quickly, choose spiral; if your kid likes finishing a topic before moving on, choose mastery.
Science
Mystery Science — free weekly lessons.
Exploration Education — videos + workbooks.
Home Science Tools — hands-on supplies.
TCI — science and social studies.
Moving Beyond the Page —please don’t do every activity. Pick and choose.
Beautiful Feet — secular items only for public charters.
Novel Study / Literature Add-Ons for TK–2
Firefly Nature School — K–5 science units.
Moving Beyond the Page — 9-week and semester packages.
Blossom and Root — TK–5 language arts + science.
Pro tip: search “[book title] projects” on TPT to find project-based pairings for almost any picture book.
Next up in this series: California Charter Homeschool Curriculum: Grades 3–5 Picks and California Charter Homeschool Curriculum: Grades 6-8 PicksPicks
Questions? Reply to this post or send me a note — happy to help.
—Dana
Social Studies / History