The Best Homeschool Reading Curriculum
It’s no secret that we love All About Reading and feel it is the best homeschool reading curriculum. I gave it a try over 10 years ago when I was looking for something different to help my child who was learning to read. I immediately fell in love with this curriculum and have used All About Reading ever since.
This past year I got a refresh and started all over again with Level Pre-reading and am now in the middle of Level 1 with my students {a friend’s children}. You can see our Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Choices here and read more about how I work with these students. I was reminded once again why I love this fabulous homeschool reading curriculum and want to be sure you know why!
Note – This is not a sponsored post; however, our affiliate links are used.
Why I Love All About Reading
- Parent-Friendly
- You don’t need to guess, there’s a script for you to follow so you know exactly how to teach the lessons!
- Games and activities included; you don’t need additional supplies.
- Limited prep work. Yes, you do need to tear apart cards, organize the review card box, and prep the games/activities. But it’s all manageable. I prep an entire level using this method.
- Research-based
- All About Reading thoroughly addresses the five essential components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel: Phonological/phonemic awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.
- Learn 1 new concept at a time
- With explicit and direct instruction your child will learn one new concept at a time. Direct instruction is a proven method in which students are taught exactly what they need to learn. New words are added and slowly your child’s sight word vocabulary grows! Remember – there is a difference between high-frequency words and sight words, see our post about that here!
- Lessons are incremental, meaning each lesson builds upon previously mastered material and gradually increases in difficulty. This provides a “no-gaps approach” that allows students to learn one concept at a time in a logical sequence.
- Hands-on
- The letter tiles are used in every new concept. You can use physical letter tiles or the letter tiles app. We love both but mostly use the physical letter tiles and a magnetic board. If you are short on space, the letter tiles app is perfect.
- There are many reading games included that are easy to prepare and fun for your kids. They are organized in a reading activity book and practice skills your child is learning in the lessons.
- The beautiful decodable readers are engaging and just perfect for each lesson. The illustrations are wonderful! Comprehension skills are built in to the activities included with each lesson.
- Self-paced
- You can move as fast or as slow as your child needs. It isn’t a “one lesson per day” type of curriculum. When I taught level 1 this past year, we took a break after lesson 16 so I could be sure they were solid with letter sounds and reading CVC words before moving on to lesson 18 which introduces consonant teams {digraphs}.
Help for Homeschool Parents
Many homeschool parents don’t know where to been when teaching reading. All About Reading has wonderful placement tests you can access when you click here, just look under each level for the words “placement test” and click for the PDF! This reading curriculum isn’t always leveled by grade level, so remember, as a homeschool parent you have the freedom to meet your child’s specific needs. Start at the level your child needs so that it is a good fit and go at your own pace. Monitor your child’s progress and move at a pace that is right for your child’s needs.
Struggling readers tend to benefit from solid review, especially if they have become frustrated with learning to read. Back up a little and make it fun for a while, reviewing reading skills to the mastery level. When we first started using All About Reading over ten years ago, I did this and it was very helpful. My son got a solid review which boosted his confidence and allowed us to move forward with new skills in a more peaceful manner. Prior to All About Reading, reading was a bit of a struggle for him, but AAR solved the struggle for us.
All About Reading Supplemental Activities
Many children need some extra time on certain lessons and reading skills from All About Reading Level 1. For this reason, I have created a large set of supplemental reading activities to supplement this wonderful homeschool reading program. While teaching my Kindergarten students last year I realized I needed more resources that were easy-to use and simple for this homeschool mom to implement. I got tired of searching online each time I needed something quick so I spent this past summer creating a reading activity notebook featuring all of the skills taught in All About Reading Level 1: CVC words, digraphs, blends, special endings {nk, ng, nk, ck, ff, ll, ss}, and more. It has been so helpful!
In addition to reading printables, I also created several Boom Decks you can purchase for simple online use. My students love these and they have really helped with fluency. My students love the Boom Decks and they are a great addition for them. A mix of hands-on activities with a small side of digital is just perfect for them. You’ll find links all of our printables and Boom Decks here on our Learning to Read at Home webpage.
We also have a special membership area where you can access all of our supplemental reading printables in one download. It includes a cover sheet, table of contents, visual table of contents, and all activities. Put your supplemental notebook together now! See information about getting a K @ Home Ultimate Membership here so you can access this and so much more!
We Love All About Spelling Too!
We have always started AAR first and then added in All About Spelling. I keep our reading instruction and spelling instruction separate, here’s why. If you are wondering when to begin All About Spelling, this article will help you! All About Spelling is our favorite spelling program and another one of the best homeschool curriculum choices out there!
Want more tips for teaching your child to read? Visit our website Learning to Read, which is filled with tools and freebies to help homeschoolers teach their children to read at home. All printables are aligned with All About Reading, you’ll see exactly where to fit in our supplemental printable reading activities!
Read Next:
- All About Reading Level Pre-reading Review
- Homeschool Curriculum Reviews {all grade levels}
- Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Choices
- Free Printable Alphabet Charts
- Homeschool Printables A to Z
- K @ Home Membership Options
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