Printed or PDF curriculum · Updated September 4, 2026

Kindy vs Playing Preschool

Playing Preschool, by Busy Toddler founder and former teacher Susie Allison, is a secular, play-based PDF curriculum for ages 2.5 to 5: 19 units over 38 weeks, one year for $39.90, a full daily plan of about 45 to 60 minutes led by the parent. Kindy is a $9.99 a month parent-led preschool curriculum that places the child by a free readiness check and gives the parent one 10 to 15 minute activity a day, adjusting from how each one went. Both are screen-free and parent-led. Choose Playing Preschool for a complete, warm, pre-planned year you own. Choose Kindy if 15 minutes is your real budget and you want the plan to start from your child.

Choose Kindy if

You have 10 to 15 minutes a day, not 45 to 60
You want the plan to start from what your child can do and adjust as they grow
You want to know where your child stands, not just which unit you are on
You want social, self-help and listening skills built in as daily practice

Choose Playing Preschool if

You want a full preschool morning, read-aloud, activity and all, planned for you
You want a one-time purchase you own forever
You enjoy the Busy Toddler style and community
Your child is under 3 and you want a program that starts at 2.5

At a glance

Kindy and Playing Preschool at a glance. Facts checked September 4, 2026; sources at the end of the page.
	Kindy	Playing Preschool
Price	$9.99 per month, $4.99 per month for each additional child, cancel anytime in the app	$39.90 per year of curriculum as a PDF, one-time; $69.80 for both years
Free option or trial	Free readiness assessment with full results kept in the account; no card needed; subscribe only if you want the daily curriculum	none
Ages	3-5 (the two to three years before kindergarten); placement is by ability, not age	2.5 to 5 years old
Who is on the screen	The parent only	Nobody
Format	web app for the parent (installable on a phone); activities are done hands-on, off screen	PDF
Time per day	One 10 to 15 minute activity a day; the app offers more on energetic days	About 45 minutes to 1 hour per day, 5 days a week ("A full day of learning takes just 45 minutes to an hour"; product pages state "Daily Time: Approximately 45-60 minutes per lesson")
How it adapts to the child	Every activity ends with one tap on how it went (Nailed it, Almost, Not yet). Three Nailed it ratings mark a skill mastered and it leaves the rotation; mastered letters and skills circle back for quick reviews so they stick. The next day's activity is chosen from the child's current level across all areas.	Not adaptive in a technical sense; fixed sequence of 19 units over 38 weeks (190 days) meant to be followed in order, though the company describes it as "open-ended" and "non-calendar based" so families can start, stop, and take breaks at their own pace, and lessons include optional extensions/add-ons to adjust challenge level to the child
How the child is placed	By a readiness assessment	No placement, fixed sequence
Skills covered	literacy (letters, sounds, print awareness), early math (counting, number sense, shapes), language (vocabulary, storytelling, listening), thinking (problem solving, memory), social-emotional (sharing, manners, separation, feelings), fine motor (pencil grip, scissors, self-help), focus and self-control	early literacy, mathematics, science, sensory exploration, fine arts, motor development
Secular or faith-based	secular	secular
What the parent does	The parent reads today's activity on their phone and does it with the child using things at home; the app tells them what to do and what to say. The child never uses the app.	Parent/caregiver acts as the instructor and leads each day's lesson (reads the book aloud, leads the discussion, sets up and runs the hands-on activity); the company markets it as requiring no teaching experience ("You are your child's best teacher")

What each one actually is

Playing Preschool is written by Susie Allison, a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher with a master's in education who built the Busy Toddler brand. Year 1 and Year 2 each cost $39.90 as a PDF, or $69.80 together, often on sale, non-refundable. Each year is 19 units over 38 weeks, 190 days, with a daily rhythm of an opening, a read-aloud, things to talk about, a learning activity and an easy activity, covering early literacy, math, science, sensory play, art and motor skills. The company says a full day takes about 45 minutes to an hour, uses mostly household supplies, and can be started and stopped around real life.

Kindy is $9.99 a month and asks for 10 to 15 minutes. A free readiness check places the child by ability across literacy, early math, language, thinking, social-emotional and fine motor skills. Each day the parent gets one hands-on activity with what to do and say, taps how it went, and tomorrow adjusts. Mastered skills circle back for quick reviews.

Two honest philosophies of the preschool morning

Playing Preschool believes in a full, gentle morning: a book, a song, a project, a chat. Families who love it love the rhythm, and it is a rhythm the parent runs from a fixed sequence. Kindy believes in one small thing done well every day, chosen for the child, because most parents told us fifteen minutes is what they actually have and that they want to know it counts.

The other difference is placement. Playing Preschool has no placement or levelling; the company describes the range as 2.5 to 5 and the sequence is Year 1 then Year 2. Kindy places by a readiness check and re-evaluates from every rating, so two children of the same age can be on very different plans.

Where Playing Preschool is the better choice

A complete, warm year for a one-time price. Everything is planned, the supplies are ordinary, the author is a real teacher, and you own the PDF forever. If your family wants a full preschool morning at home and has the time, it is one of the best-loved programs there is.

Younger start and no subscription. Playing Preschool begins at 2.5 and never renews. Kindy is built for the two or three years before kindergarten and bills monthly.

Where Kindy is the better choice

Fits the time you have. Ten to fifteen minutes, one activity, no prep, and the app decides what today should be from your child's readiness picture rather than from the next page.

It knows your child. Placement by assessment, progress from your own ratings, mastered skills circling back for review, and social, self-help and listening strands built in. Playing Preschool tracks nothing; the parent keeps it all in their head.

Questions parents ask

How much does Playing Preschool cost?

Year 1 and Year 2 are $39.90 each as a PDF, or $69.80 together, and are regularly on sale. Purchases are non-refundable. Checked September 4, 2026.

How long does Playing Preschool take each day?

The company says about 45 minutes to an hour for a full day, five days a week, and that families can start and stop around real life.

Is Playing Preschool screen-free and secular?

Yes to both. It is a PDF the parent teaches from, with nothing for the child on a screen, and the company describes it as secular. Kindy is also secular and screen-free for the child.

Does Kindy have read-alouds and crafts?

Kindy's activities include books, crafts, games and conversation, one a day, chosen for your child. It does not prescribe a full morning routine.

Can I use both?

Yes. Some families run Playing Preschool on slow mornings and use Kindy to know what to focus on and to track progress. Kindy lets you log outside activities so they count.

Sources

Facts about Playing Preschool:

Playing Preschool: Homeschool Preschool Program (Year 1 shop page) (accessed 2026-09-04, used for price, ages, format, page count, units/weeks, secular/play-based, author, supply list, flexibility)
Playing Preschool Year 2 (shop page) (accessed 2026-09-04, used for Year 2 price, page count, units, daily time, subjects, prerequisites)
Playing Preschool Years 1 & 2 bundle (shop page) (accessed 2026-09-04, used for bundle price, contents, format)
Playing Preschool FAQ (accessed 2026-09-04, used for ages, format, secular claim, author credentials, subjects, adaptivity language)
Homeschool Preschool: The Playing Preschool Program (accessed 2026-09-04, used for daily lesson components (prose description), daily duration, parent role, supply list framing)
Playing Preschool Samples (accessed 2026-09-04, used for named daily lesson components (Opening, Introduction, Read Aloud, Things to Talk About, Learning Activity, Easy Activity))
The Reason I Wrote Playing Preschool (accessed 2026-09-04, used for author's teaching background, rationale, implicit screen-free positioning)
Playing Preschool Supply List (accessed 2026-09-04, used for supply list expectations)
My Very Honest Busy Toddler Playing Preschool Review - Such a Little While (accessed 2026-09-04, used for corroborating price, structure (190 days/19 units), daily time, supply-list experience, parent role (undated))
Busy Toddler's Playing Preschool Review - Blue and Hazel (accessed 2026-09-04, used for corroborating structure (180/190 days, 19 units of 2 weeks each), daily components, daily time, supply list (dated Jan 11 2022))

Facts about Kindy:

Kindy landing page (accessed 2026-09-04)

Note: Could not find a clearly-dated third-party review published specifically in 2025 or 2026; the most relevant independent reviews found (suchalittlewhile.com, honorsgradu.com, blueandhazel.com, dayswithgrey.com, mimosasandmotherhood.com) are undated or dated 2020-2023, so facts here lean on the official shop/FAQ pages, with third-party reviews used only to corroborate (structure, price, supply-list experience). Exact wording of the '5 daily components' varies slightly by source: the official samples page (playingpreschool.com/samples) lists 6 named parts (Opening, Introduction, Read Aloud, Things to Talk About, Learning Activity, Easy Activity), while the busytoddler.com program page describes the same day in prose as: morning routine/calendar/song/poem, a read-aloud, a guided discussion, a hands-on learning activity, and an independent easy activity. No explicit 'screen-free' marketing claim was found; 'none' for on-screen is inferred from the product being a PDF/print curriculum with no app or video component for the child, and from the author's own page contrasting her program with 'computer programs' she avoided. Sale prices (e.g. $29.90, $54.80) were observed at time of check and are promotional off the stated regular prices; regular one-time prices used above are $39.90 (Year 1), $39.90 (Year 2), and $69.80 (bundle).