Here are some ideas for homeschooling your kindergarten child in January! These activities are based on Waldorf and Charlotte Mason education models, so there is no formal schooling yet, such as language arts or math lessons. Instead, the activities reflect the seasonal rhythm of the year to give children a sense of time, place, and connection.
January in Ohio brings gray skies, dull landscapes, and bitter cold temperatures. It feels like the longest month of the year, especially without a cozy Thanksgiving or festive Christmas to break it up. However, the themes I’ve selected for this month lend themselves to some enjoyable handwork, so I’m hoping the delight we find in these and other activities will whisk us merrily through the winter.
The watercolors I chose for this month reflect what we see in the natural world around our home. We’re baking challah several times so my daughter can grow in the skills of kneading and braiding.
Theme and Festivals
Our themes for this month are snow and stars. We don’t always get snow in January, but it’s more common than in December. We are likely to have at least a few clear nights to gaze at the stars.
Our celebration this month is New Year’s Day. We’ll go to my parents’ house, and some of us (me) will eat sauerkraut with them. My mom also makes pork chops and mashed potatoes.
In addition, we will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Here is our January schedule. We follow a four-day schedule because of our Thursday co-op. I can’t share some of the handwork and beeswax modeling we have planned because they come from other curriculums, but I’ll let you know where you can find them. I’ve also created my own handwork resource.
Get a free pdf of 60 Seasonal Handwork Ideas for Children by signing up for the Hawthorn and Hazel Homeschool email list. You’ll also receive the latest updates, including curriculum information.
Sign up here!
January Homeschool for Kindergarten
Theme: Snow, stars
Festivals: New Year’s Day
Daily homeschool schedule
During breakfast: Bible study; read a poem.
Lavender’s Blue circle time (movements with seasonal songs and verses).
Main activity
During lunch: Folk song, picture, composition, or hymn from Ambleside’s schedule. Then I read aloud. We’re currently working through the free reads on Ambleside’s Year 0 schedule.
Monday afternoon: Nature study
Main activities
Week 1
Wednesday: New Year’s Day
Friday: Ice sun catcher
Week 2
Monday: Bake challah
Tuesday: Watercolor with blue, then add salt
Wednesday: Model snowflake with beeswax; braiding
Friday: Paper snowflakes
Week 3
Monday: Bake challah
Tuesday: Watercolor with blue and purple
Wednesday: Model snowman with beeswax; braiding
Friday: Snow globes
Week 4
Monday: Bake challah
Tuesday: Watercolor with purple, then add salt
Wednesday: Model stars with beeswax; braiding
Friday: Kite paper window stars
Week 5
Monday: Bake challah
Tuesday: Watercolor with blue, purple, and yellow
Wednesday: Model constellations with beeswax; braiding
Friday: Handwork from Oak Meadow