2026 First-Grade Curriculum Kit

A typical 1st grade homeschool curriculum should place heavy emphasis on foundational reading, phonics, language arts, and basic mathematical concepts (like addition, subtraction, and place value). To provide a well-rounded education, Timberdoodle kits step beyond the basics to incorporate hands-on STEM, critical thinking puzzles, geography, art, and history tailored for young

learners.

Basic Kits focus strictly on core subjects, perfect if you want a minimalist approach or want to add your own electives.

Complete Kits add essential enrichment, including our signature thinking skills, history, and introductory STEM components.

Elite Kits offer the ultimate, stress-free 1st grade homeschool curriculum experience, packed with extra hands-on building tools, comprehensive art projects, and deep-dive learning materials to keep high-energy first graders fully engaged.

We pick every item in this kit against one standard: is it the best thing we can find for a child this age? At this grade level, the materials that won that test don't carry religious content either way, so the Classic and Nonreligious kits contain the same items. The single difference is the handbook, where the Classic edition's suggested reading list includes Christian titles.

We flag that difference carefully. We serve charter school families who aren't permitted to buy materials containing religious content, so we label anything that carries any, even a reading list tucked inside a handbook. We'd rather over-label than let a family order something their program isn't allowed to buy.

You'll also notice there's no Bible course in the kit. That's deliberate. We believe Bible study is too important to become one more subject to check off. What your family studies should flex with your children's ages, what they're wrestling with, and what your church is walking through this year. A boxed Bible curriculum can't do that. We've written more about how we think about it here: The Bible: It's Not Just Curriculum.

We asked parents who used our 1st Grade Kit how long their student spent on "school,” and they estimated that their students spent 1-4 hours a day on their kit, working 4-5 days a week. That variation is likely to be impacted by how in-depth you take your child's studies, what your child's learning approach is, how distractible he is, and much more.

Not sure if it’s time to move up? Totally normal!

A great place to start is with our Placement Tests. We have complete tests for younger kiddos to show exactly where they are. For older students, you’ll want to focus on the math and language arts sections to get a good feel for their readiness.

Kids are usually ready to jump into the next kit, with maybe a few exceptions. If your child is heading into 3rd grade but places into 2nd-grade math, no problem! You might want to grab the 3rd-grade kit and simply swap out the math.

If a subject didn’t stick last year, now’s your chance to figure out why.

• Maybe your child just missed a few concepts (hello, summer review!).
• Maybe the curriculum didn’t click.
• Maybe math just isn’t his jam (yet).
• Or maybe he needs a little extra support, and that’s okay!

One of the best things about homeschooling? You’re not locked into a one-size-fits-all timeline. You can customize learning to fit your child and help them succeed at their own pace.

Ready to start exploring? We’re here to help every step of the way!

Nope, and that's totally normal!

Here's the deal: Accreditation is for schools, not curriculum. Your local school district might be accredited, but their textbooks aren't. Accreditation looks at things like teacher degrees and classroom hours, not the books or materials being used. And since Timberdoodle kits aren't a school (they're a collection of awesome learning tools), there's nothing to accredit.

If you see a homeschool program claiming to be "accredited," just remember: it's the school that's accredited, not the curriculum.

And don't worry: no state requires homeschool curriculum to be accredited. (Phew!)

What you really want to know is: "Will Timberdoodle meet my state's homeschool requirements?" In most cases, the answer is yes. We meet or beat what's needed! However, every state's rules are a little different, so we recommend checking yours. (We even have a quick cheat sheet to help!)

Still scratching your head? Reach out. We'd love to help you figure it out!

We've been honored with more than 40 awards from top homeschooling resources over the years. We're talking about the Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards, The Old Schoolhouse Excellence in Education Awards, and Cathy Duffy's Top Picks. Our Elementary Curriculum, High School Curriculum, Kindergarten, Middle School Curriculum, and Preschool/Readiness kits have all earned top awards. We've also been recognized for our Boxed Curriculum and even for being Most Unique. These awards are a testament to how much our customers love our kits! Winning them means receiving very high satisfaction ratings from YOU, our amazing homeschooling families. It truly shows that the time and effort we put into creating comprehensive and engaging curriculum pays off!

Most of it, yes. The games, building sets, readers, and hands-on tools are made to last, so they can go back on the shelf for the next child. What gets used up is the workbooks and some of the craft supplies.

You can see a list of the consumable items for this kit by clicking "View Details" on the 2026 First-Grade Additional Student Kit (found just below Add to Cart).

Not unless you customized your kit to include one. Every Basic, Complete and Elite Curriculum Kit comes with the Math-U-See Essential Learning Set, which includes the hands-on pieces for that level, the Student Workbook, the Test Booklet, and the Math-U-See 1-Year Essential Plan Subscription Access card (which is where you'll find the lesson videos and the full instructor manual).

Your access code for the online plan is printed on the Math-U-See 1-Year Essential Plan Subscription Access card packed in your box, often tucked inside the manipulatives box or shrink-wrapped with the Student Workbook. Your year starts when you enter the code.

Our free placement test at tests.timberdoodle.com takes about 15 minutes. Your child does two short activities, reading and math, on screen or on paper, and you answer a few questions about spelling, language arts and thinking skills. Your child never sees a score, and you can stop and come back anytime. At the end, you'll see a Complete Curriculum Kit with your child's level already set in each subject.

When you customize your kit, each subject has its own grade level setting, so reading can sit at one level and math at another.

Between two levels? Some families start a little hard and ease in, and others start a little easy and race through. We've seen both work well, so go with what suits your child.

Still not sure? Email hello@timberdoodle.com with what your child is working on now, and we'll help you choose.