Pre-Kindergarten

Readers K

Grade K Readers

The Grade K Readers package is designed for children who are ready to learn the alphabet.

This is the best set of beginning readers that focuses on consonant-vowel-consonant words (CVC). Children read the first book after they have learned six letters. After that, as they learn a letter, they read the next book.

Early decoding, as this first reading is called, is often challenging. How satisfying, then, to be able to read a short book with success every week.

Click here learn more about Readers.

Pre-Kindergarten

Nurture a love of learning for a lifetime.

Sonlight's Pre-Kindergarten program bridges the gap between the delightful picture books of Sonlight's Preschool program, and the early chapter books (some with minimal illustrations) and early academics of Sonlight A.

Pre-K starts to expand your children's knowledge of the larger world using a few dozen books (some of which will become favorites that you'll read again and again). These entertaining stories from around the globe will introduce your children to the world beyond your neighborhood.

You'll build meaningful relationships and delightful memories with your children. You'll teach alphabet sounds and verbal skills, and work through four sequential workbooks dedicated to reading readiness, so your children will be ready for Phonics next year. You'll give your children a basic understanding of the physical world around them through fundamental science concepts and prepare your children with broad foundations in Bible, art, and history. Your children will develop key life skills, both cognitive and developmental – everything from following sequenced instructions to using scissors.

Your children will start to come to you for wisdom and guidance. They'll see that learning is fun, as they start down the path of a lifetime of learning.

In this 36-week program, you'll teach with confidence as you follow along with your complete lesson plans, materials, and teaching tips.

Estimated daily time for Exploring God's World: Student and Parent: 20 mins to 1.5 hrs.

Overview of the Literature

If Pre-K seems a perfect fit for your student, but they are also expressing an interest in learning to read, you may wish to choose our Pre-Kindergarten program with Grade K Readers.

Pre-K includes many fiction titles, nicely illustrated, but the number of words per page increases significantly. And rather than compilations of picture books, the Pre-K program includes collections of short stories. For example, two books have stories from around the world, and three have stories about rabbits (Peter Rabbit, Brer Rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily).

But overall, the emphasis shifts away from only picture book pleasure, as in Preschool, into gentle teaching. If Preschool encourages imagination, Pre-K both continues the imaginative literature and starts to expand your children's knowledge of the real world.

For example, Peter Spier's oversized book People illustrates the incredible variety around the globe. He has a half-page simply showing profiles of noses; a two-page spread on celebrations around the world; a page of hairstyles; two pages of hobbies. In Things People Do, cute illustrations and funny names ("Les Chatter" the teacher, and "Honor Toze" the dancer) introduce a range of real jobs.

Children also start to learn History. How to express the concept of time? In Then and Now, illustrations show the same scene, 100 years apart: a farm, a grocery, a living room, a bedroom. Find the differences! There are, as in all Sonlight programs, stories. This one includes several powerful missionary biographies – true stories of God at work in the world.

And the Pre-K Science books are absolutely delightful. The Year at Maple Hill Farm offers one look at the months of the year, centered around farm animals. One chapter in The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature also has an almanac, this one a rhyming look at the what the four seasons bring. Another chapter talks about three simple machines (the lever, the wedge, and the wheel). In How Do You Lift a Lion?, the author talks about levers, wheels, and pulleys. One science book describes things ever smaller, down to subatomic particles. Another describes things ever larger, up to galaxies and the universe.

Pre-K also includes two stellar books to start introducing the humanities to your children. One is an oversized art book. Look at the famous paintings and see what you can find. Is there one that you like more? Is it different for your children? The other is a book of poetry, beautifully illustrated by collage artist (and popular children's book writer) Eric Carle. It's a feast for the ears and the eyes. In addition to the 27 splendid books, you'll receive four carefully sequenced workbooks that help your children build motor skills (useful for handwriting), visual skills (useful for letter recognition and reading), auditory skills (important for following directions and listening to great books), and comprehension (understanding those great books).

Is Your Child Ready to Read?

If Pre-K seems a perfect fit for your student, but they are also expressing an interest in learning to read, you may wish to choose our Pre-Kindergarten program with Grade K Readers and Language Arts K program.

The more advanced level of readers combined with the Language Arts K will take the place of the Pre-Kindergarten Language Arts included in the Pre-Kindergarten package.

Together, the pieces of Pre-K add up to a wonderful program that helps you give your children what they need to grow. Finish Pre-K with great memories, a closer relationship with your children, significant improvements in foundational skills, and an eagerness for learning that will continue to grow in the Sonlight years ahead.

• Pre-Kindergarten Sample.pdf | 3.69 MB