Pre-K and Kindergarten set

Two years of growth, for parents who really want to see their four- and five-year-old

Your child is moving through two of the most remarkable years of early childhood: the Pre-K year and the Kindergarten year, ages four and five. This set brings both development guides together, so you can follow that whole journey from one observing role, at home or on the road. No tests, no checklist for your child to “score” on, just a guide that helps you see what is happening now and where you can go next, together, across both years.

That is what this set is for.

What it is, and what it isn’t

This set holds two complete observation guides: one for the four-year-old (Pre-K year) and one for the five-year-old (Kindergarten year). Each guide shows what your child may begin to discover across social-emotional development, math, language and early reading, motor skills, and understanding the world. No minimum your child must meet. No standard to measure them against. Instead, a quiet, expert lens for two years in a row, so you always have the right guide for where your child is now.

What you won’t find: worksheets or homework for your child. The guides are written for you, not for your child. What you will find: for each developmental area an observation guide with key indicators, plus playful tips to support that development along the way. Counting the steps up to a monument, sounding out a word on a menu, sharing a snack fairly, settling a squabble with words. Nothing required; you pick what fits the moment, or skip it. Play and everyday moments are the material; you bring the lens to see what is happening.

The guides are grounded in a clear view: young children learn everywhere. On the beach, at a market, on a winding path, in the sand. This doesn’t require an expensive method, just a parent who sees what is happening and knows what it means. Both guides are based on widely recognized developmental milestones and child development research, translated into recognizable moments in daily life, so you can follow your child from an observing role, not a testing one. The goal is not to meet any single curriculum; it is to notice and nurture what your child is naturally ready to learn, two years running.

For whom

For parents who take their child seriously as an individual and want to follow the whole journey, not just a single year. Worldschooling families who want to know along the way whether they’re covering the core areas. Homeschoolers who follow their own rhythm but want a clear sense of which developmental steps suit each age. Parents deciding when (or whether) to begin formal schooling. And parents who simply want to understand their growing child better, at their own pace, from four through five.

A close that also yields something

Each guide ends with its own celebration. The Pre-K guide closes with a Kindergarten Readiness Portfolio and an Explorer Diploma; the Kindergarten guide closes with a First Grade Readiness Portfolio and an Explorer Diploma. Each portfolio sets out clearly which developmental milestones your child has reached that year and where they are still growing.

For traveling families who eventually return to a school setting, each portfolio is a useful handover document: you show the teacher in a single page where your child stands. For families continuing at home or on the road, the portfolios serve as benchmarks, a record of the steps you’ve taken together and what to build on next, at your own pace. And your child earns two diplomas to keep: two years of growth, marked and remembered.

Print or Complete, choose what fits

Print ($53.95), four PDFs: a color version and a black-and-white version of both the Pre-K and the Kindergarten guide, all for printing. For parents who prefer paper and writing by hand.

Complete ($62.95), six PDFs: color, black and white, and a digitally fillable version of both guides. For parents who prefer to work digitally, on a laptop or tablet, easy to carry, nothing to lose, but who want the freedom to print a section now and then. You can complete each guide digitally and print only what you want to hold in your hands: a readiness portfolio to keep or share with a teacher, an Explorer Diploma to frame, or a chapter you’d rather have on paper. The Complete set gives you both options for both years, useful if you’re not sure what suits you, or if you want the best of both.

Both years together, for less than buying each guide on its own.

Who I am, and why this guide

I’m Els, a teacher and a traveling mom. I know early childhood development from years of teaching, and at the same time I know what it’s like to see your child growing up outside of a classroom. I made these guides because I couldn’t find what I was looking for: something substantial you can rely on, that stays close to everyday life, without the tone of a school report card.

Practical

- Two complete guides in one set, for the Pre-K year and the Kindergarten year
- Available to download immediately after payment
- Written for four- and five-year-olds
- Grounded in widely recognized developmental milestones and child development research
- One-time purchase, yours to keep

Still on the fence? Check out the previews from Pre-K and Kindergarten first.