Kindergarten Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Kindergarten social studies in the Alabama Course of Study, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Course: Living and Working Together in Family and Community
- Rules, responsibilities and community helpers
- Needs, wants, goods and services
- Maps of places near me, and words for past and present
Easy ways to practice social studies at home
- Talk about your family, your neighborhood and the people who help in it.
- Make a simple map of your home or street together.
- Share a family tradition or story and ask your child to share one back.
- Practice taking turns and sharing, and talk about why fairness matters.
What each unit covers
My Jobs, Rules & Leaders
Practices responsibilities at home and in school, respecting the rules of the classroom and playground, respecting property, sharing, helping, and who makes decisions that affect our lives.
Good Citizens
Honesty, courage, determination and responsibility in daily life and in well-known stories, what happens when rules are broken, and the people honored by holidays such as Independence Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Families
Seeing that families come in many shapes and sizes, growing up from baby to grandparent, family stories and traditions, and helping at home.
Symbols & Holidays
American symbols such as the flag, the bald eagle and the Statue of Liberty, the Pledge of Allegiance, national holidays, and the different holidays families celebrate.
Money & Work
US coins and what they are worth, why people use money, jobs and volunteers in the community, and the difference between goods and services.
Needs & Wants
Sorting needs (food, water, a home, warm clothes) from wants (toys and treats), and how families meet their needs.
My First Maps
Introduces maps as pictures that show where places are. Your child finds familiar places on a simple map of a classroom or neighborhood.
Places Near Me
Naming places in the community (library, park, school, hospital), what they are used for, and whether they are natural or built.
Days, Weeks & Months
Days of the week, months of the year, yesterday and tomorrow, and putting events in order on a calendar.
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Practices yesterday, today and tomorrow, words that describe parts of a day or order of events (first, then, last), telling events in order, and learning from stories of the past told by family and Elders.
Alabama & America
The Alabama and United States flags, the Pledge and national anthem, the governor and the president, Alabama's state bird, flower and tree, and holidays like Independence Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Thanksgiving and Veterans Day.
Near, Far & Maps
Words for where things are (left and right, up and down, in and out, above and below, near and far) and finding places on simple maps.
Clues from the Past
What a primary source is (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, maps and art), and comparing homes, schools, jobs, travel and technology long ago and today.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Alabama report card guide.
Common questions
Talk about your family, your neighborhood and the people who help in it. Make a simple map of your home or street together. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Alabama Course of Study Kindergarten social studies units include My Jobs, Rules & Leaders, Good Citizens, Families, Symbols & Holidays, Money & Work, Needs & Wants.
Free printable Kindergarten social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.