It is a basic lesson for kindergarten homeschool or first-grade social studies to learn about neighbor social studies once they start learning about a community. Neighbor social studies are the second basic thing after a classroom community that social studies for kindergarten homeschool should be taught.
First, relate the lesson of community with the neighborhood. Tell the students that their neighborhood is the community in which they live and where they can make a difference as an individual. Here are a few steps to teach neighbor social studies to kindergarten.
Step 1: Make a list of shared items in a community
• On a large newsprint write down the names of places that are shared by all the people in a neighborhood such as; parks, libraries, banks etc.
• Ask the kids whom they would call from the community to help them in certain situations. Such as; whom would you call if you got sick? Whom would you call if something caught fire? Etc.
Step 2: Introduce Individuals from different Departments
• Request community speakers from different departments to visit and inform the kids about their duties, the tools that they use and what kind of work they perform for the community.
• Snap a picture of each speaker. After they leave to show the picture to the kids and ask them what facts they remember about them. Write the fact under the picture and display them on the first-grade social studies activity community board of the class.
Step 3: Who needs to help in a community?
• Let them brainstorm and then remind the kids that everyone is a helper in a neighborhood community.
• Now involve the students in making a list of all the jobs that need to be done in their classroom community to make it a model community.
• Ask the students to cut out their handprint using a colored paper. Write their name in it and the job that they are willing to do for the good of the community.
• Then ask them what needs to be done to improve the neighborhood community and what role they can play in it.
This effective practical learning exercise of social studies for kindergarten will teach the kids about their neighborhood community and their role in it.