Kindergarten Online Syllabus – Mater Amabilis™

Sample Schedule

Monday to Thursday

Session 1 (45 mins):

Religion (10 mins)
Reading (10 mins)
Picture study, Music Appreciation or Poetry (10 mins)
History or Geography (10 mins)
Handwriting (5 mins)
Session 2 (25 mins):

Maths (10 mins)
Story time (15 mins)
Friday

Session 1 (45 minutes):

Reading (10 mins)
Art or craft activity (30 mins)
Handwriting (5 mins)
Session 2 (25 mins):

Maths (10 mins)
Story time (15 mins)

Our Recommendations

(1) Kindergarten (1 to 1.5 hours daily)

Religion – four times weekly, for 10 to 15 minutes

Maths – daily, for 10 minutes

History – twice weekly, for 10 to 15 minutes

Geography – twice weekly, for 10 to 15 minutes

Music appreciation – weekly, for around 10 minutes

Picture study – weekly, for around 10 minutes

Poetry – twice weekly, for 5 to 10 minutes

Story time – daily, for 10 to 15 minutes

(2) Preschool (up to 1 hour daily)

Number and literacy activities – daily, 20 to 30 minutes total

Religion – daily, up to 10 minutes

Story time – daily, up to 20 minutes

In addition to this more structured time, aim to include nature study and art and craft activities each week.

Remember, these are just guidelines. Please adapt them to suit your child and family.

36 Week Lesson Plan Chart (pdf) (doc)

Extract from Charlotte Mason’s Parents’ Union School Preparatory Class Program, July 1965

Children of five still need plenty of quiet growing-time and as much out-of-door life as possible. Daily lessons should be regular but informal and the time-table regarded only as a flexible guide to a well-assorted arrangement of free play occupations, activities and quiet story times.

The periods on the time-table must be spaced to allow time to move around, put things away and get them out, change position and so forth between periods, so that there shall be no pressure of hustle and no lack of opportunity for movement:concentrated attention should never be required of this class for more than ten minutes on reading, writing or number, or for more than fifteen minutes on stories.

With these considerations in mind the following plan is suggested: it offers a suitable variety of organized occupations for each morning; particular attention should be paid to the arrangement: reading, writing and number should not be taken consecutively

Monday – Bible, Reading, Painting, Break, Number, Handwork, Geography, Writing
Tuesday – Tales, Number, Handwork, Break, Reading, Singing Games, Writing, Nature Study
Wednesday – Poetry, Reading, Nature Study, Break, Number, Handwork, History, Writing
Thursday – Bible, Number, Handwork, Break, Reading, Singing Games, Writing, Tales
Friday – Tales, Reading, Picture Study, Break, Number, Handwork, Nature Study, Writing

A break for free play must be included as shown above.

There should also be activities in the afternoon such as physical exercise, outdoor nature observation, gardening, outdoor geography, as well as more listening to stories. The arrangement of these must depend largely on weather and climate. Children should be allowed to help in the house and in the care of animals.

Lessons
The understanding of five-year-old children varies greatly; those who are already used to being read to will be able to cover the greater part of the syllabus during a year, others will only make a beginning and may need to be told the stories at first; in either case a foundation will have been laid for the more formal lessons required of a child of six. No narration, as such, should be required at this age, though there will be many who will enjoy “telling back,” and there could be plenty of talking about stories heard. Important proper names could be pointed out and repeated aloud beforehand, so that the story may be as uninterrupted as possible. There should be no examinations or tests.

At this age children usually have a fine dramatic sense, and acting stories or setting tableaux to illustrate them is both enjoyable and valuable. Some have also considerable ability to learn by heart and this can be put to good use by learning verse of good quality; however, learning by heart should not be considered compulsory at this age.