How to homeschool pre-k: a simple weekly schedule
You do not need a classroom, a curriculum binder or a craft closet to homeschool pre-k. A 4 year old learns best in short, warm bursts with an adult close by, followed by lots of play. This guide gives you a weekly schedule that fits around real life, a supply list made of things you already own, and a clear picture of how the free Pre-K 4 year, week by week, fits in.
How much time pre-k at home really takes
About 15 to 20 minutes of table time a day, split into two or three blocks of about 10 minutes. That may sound small. It is on purpose. Paying attention for 5 to 10 minutes is a skill the CDC lists for age 5 (CDC, milestones by 5 years), so at 4 your learner is still building it. Short blocks that end while it is still fun build it faster than one long lesson that ends in tears.
The rest of the day does a lot of the teaching: read-alouds, songs, pretend play, helping in the kitchen and time outside. The WHO suggests at least 180 minutes of physical activity a day for ages 3 to 4, spread through the day (WHO, 2019).
A sample pre-k homeschool schedule, Monday to Friday
Every week of Pre-K 4 follows the same rhythm, so your learner knows what is coming and you do not have to plan from scratch.
| Day | Focus | Table time (10 to 20 minutes) | Away from the table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Letters and sounds | The letter page and a sound hunt card | Read aloud; look for the letter on signs during a walk |
| Tuesday | Math | A counting page and a counting game with spoons or socks | Count stairs; set the table together |
| Wednesday | Explore | An explore card: senses, feelings, food, weather | Time outside; talk about what you saw |
| Thursday | Make and move | A tracing page and a movement card | Dance to the song; hop, balance, catch |
| Friday | Story and review | The song of the week and the parent notes page | Retell a favorite story; pick a favorite page from the week |
Here is what that looks like in a real week: week 2, the letter s and counting to 5, has a letter page, a sound hunt, a sock count, a five senses card, a snake tracing page and an original song.
A day can be this simple
- After breakfast: 10 minutes at the table with the day's page.
- Mid-morning: outside or active play.
- After lunch: a read-aloud. Ask "what happened first?" and wait for the answer.
- Late afternoon: a 5 to 10 minute game card, like counting socks into a basket.
- Bedtime: the song of the week, with the actions.
Some families do the table block at the kitchen counter while dinner cooks. Others do it on the floor. The place matters much less than the habit.
Supplies: what you need and the no-supplies swaps
Paper, crayons and things from around the house. Each week page lists its supplies, and every printable has a no-supplies swap for days when the printer is out of ink or you are away from home.
| Week | Household supplies | No-supplies swap |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1: my name and counting to 3 | Paper, crayons, 3 spoons, 3 socks, a mirror if you have one | Count fingers and toes; say the name and clap it |
| Week 2: letter s, counting to 5 | Paper, crayons, 5 socks, 5 spoons | Draw an s in the air, then on your learner's back with one finger |
| Week 13: the letter g and counting to 10 | Paper, crayons, 10 spoons, a cup, a bowl, a plate, a sponge | Count 10 jumps or 10 claps together |
A few safety habits from every week page: use objects too big to fit in your learner's mouth, and stay close during any counting with real objects. Small, round-tip scissors only, with an adult watching. Adults handle anything hot or sharp.
Color or low-ink printing
Every week comes as two PDFs made from the same pages: a color version and a black-and-white version. The black-and-white one uses outline pictures, so it uses little ink and doubles as a coloring page. A few tips:
- Print only the week you are on. Each PDF is short.
- Use black and white for anything your learner will color, and color for pages you want to keep and reuse.
- No printer at all? Do the no-supplies swap. Nothing in the week depends on paper.
Reading every week page is open to everyone. Downloading the PDFs needs a free adult account, and UpOnly Learning never asks for your student's name or any student information.
How the free weeks and the Full Year book work
All 36 weeks of Pre-K 4 are free, with no caps, no card and no ads. You can follow them one week at a time from the free pre-K activities and printables page for as long as you like.
The Pre-K 4 Full Year book is optional. It puts all 36 weeks in one 309-page printable book with a clickable table of contents, page numbers on every page and parent answer notes, and it works with no internet once you have it. It is $19.99, a one-time purchase, no subscription. For the summer before kindergarten there are also Prepare for Kindergarten: Literacy and Prepare for Kindergarten: Math, $9.99 each, also a one-time purchase.
How to start next Monday
- Not sure where to begin? Read what a 4 year old should know, area by area, then use the kindergarten readiness checklist to see what your learner already does.
- Open week 1 and read the 5-minute parent prep note.
- Gather the supplies on Sunday night. It takes a few minutes.
- Do Monday. Stop while it is still fun.
- On Friday, fill in the short parent notes page: what you saw, what to repeat.
When a day falls apart
Some days your learner will not sit. That is normal at 4. Skip the table, do the movement card, sing the song and read a book. You can repeat any week, and every fourth week is a review week built for catching up. Letters follow a gentle order you can read about in how to teach letter sounds at home.
Common questions
How many hours a day should you homeschool pre-k?
Not hours. About 15 to 20 minutes of table time a day, in two or three short blocks, is plenty at 4. Read-alouds, songs, play and time outside fill the rest of the day and do much of the teaching.
Do I need to buy a curriculum to homeschool pre-k?
No. The Pre-K 4 year on UpOnly Learning is free: 36 weeks with a plan, printables, activity cards and a song for each. The Full Year book is an optional printable copy of the same weeks, a one-time purchase.
Can I homeschool pre-k without a printer?
Yes. Every printable has a no-supplies swap, such as drawing a letter in the air or counting spoons, so a week works with no paper at all.
What if my 4 year old refuses the activities?
Stop and try again later or tomorrow. Offer a choice of two activities, move the activity to the floor or outside, or swap in the movement card. Short and fun works better than long and forced.
Which days should we do pre-k at home?
Monday to Friday works well because each week has five short days, but you can spread a week over any days that suit your family, or take two weeks for one week's plan.