Dear Sis,
There are numerous wonderful reading/language arts curriculum available to purchase. We already own Language A by ShillerLearning and Foundations A by Logic of English.
A friend recently asked me if I felt a big boxed curriculum set was necessary for teaching reading at home. I quickly told her, “NO!” This post is for her, but hopefully it will help other too:)
As the core of an at home reading program, I suggest one of two books shown below. Both options hang around the $20 price point. Use the “Look Inside” option on Amazon. Read and or watch YouTube reviews to get an idea which book would be the best fit for you (the teacher), and your child (the learner.)
The Reading Lesson: Teach your child to read in 20 easy lessons
Each lesson is broken into a phonetic grouping and will take more than one sitting to complete. For example, lesson one covers letter sounds c, o, s, a, and t in 20 plus reading/workbook pages.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
This one really looks like 100 lessons that can be completed and/or reviewed, if your student hasn’t fully grasped the concept, in a single sitting. Before starting, there is a section for the parent to study so they can understand exactly how to present the information to the child.
You can absolutely stop here and use the public library system and pre-reading toys you likely already have at home!
This is a list of some of our favorite pre-reading and reading supplements. Many of these suggestions are actually toys, games, or music. I think most parents would agree that learning through play is a great option for young children.
Any Alphabet Book(s)
Don’t forget to check the local library! Here are some we recommend!
We happened upon A is for Apple trace and flip board book published by Tiger Tales at a yard sale. Since then, it has become our most used alphabet book!
Our second favorite book is Montessori: letter work by Bobby & June Gorge. It is sequence by pre-writing stroke instead of alphabetically. It would probably be our absolute favorite if the texture or the sand letter was a courser and it had flaps…lol.
Early Readers
Our public library has some early readers titles form these two series. Check yours!
These Bob Books: Set 1, Beginning Readers published by Scholastic in our shopping cart for next school year because they come so highly recommended by so many parents. It appears that the original series is sold in 5 books sets, in 5 levels. There are many supplementary sets and even a workbook series available.
These First Little Readers, Level A are also published by Scholastic. I don’t plan on ordering these right away, but these sets come with 25 readers per level, in levels A-D! More advanced levels are sold in 16 book sets in level pairings: E&F, G&H, I&J.
Any Alphabet Game
My kids really enjoy Alphabet BINGO! by Peaceable Kingdom. There are countless other brands and printable versions of this learning material.
A good set of uppercase and lowercase letter flash cards can be used to play games like memory and go fish.
We also use these free printable Beginning Sound Game Boards by 123 Homeschool 4 Me along with our plastic magnetic alphabet letters to create a game of alphabet soup. To keep the printout dry, place it in plastic page covers or laminate them. We fill a mixing bowl with a bit of water, drop in all the letters for that game board, and use a slotted spoon to scoop them out. We use a piece of candy as a place keeper and William enjoys eating it when the game is complete.
We have made letter pairing sensory bins with Bananagram tiles and rice or lentils. Pinterest is a rabbit hole of wonderful ideas and free printable!!!!
Perhaps our most used, and most understated learning game/tool is an alphabet poster that hangs low on the wall and the Dollar Tree pointer that hangs above it. We use it in a variety of ways. Sometime I say a letter name or sound and William identifies it with the pointer. Sometimes we run around the house pointing to things that start with a specific sound. The options are only limited by the size of human creativity.
Any Alphabet Puzzle(s)
If you don’t have alphabet puzzles yet, here are some we really like and recommend!
This Wooden See-Inside Alphabet Peg Puzzle by Melissa & Doug is a great first puzzle that will grown with your toddler/preschooler.
These ABC Double-Sided Picture Boards by Melissa & Doug are particularly great when a learner is working to pair lower and upper case letters.
These Self-Correcting Wooden Alphabet Puzzles (52 pieces) by Melissa & Doug can be presented in small groups, so a child how is just learning to match a letter to a sound isn’t overwhelmed.
Yes, I’m partial to Melissa & Doug. Wooden puzzles last longer then cardboard ones that dissolve when your baby/toddler puts them in their mouth! I also like the sturdy storage wooden trays that don’t collapse when a kid stand or sits in them. Learning Resources and Educational Insights make high quality materials too! Also, if you frequent thrift stores, they are a great place to look for low cost learning materials!!!
Alphabet Songs
For auditory learning and FUN!
We really love this isolated portion of the Logic of English program. It can be purchased separately and used independently form the rest of the curriculum. These beginning letter sound, phonogram songs with an optional corresponding picture books are wonderful! You can try these listening samples on their official YouTube playlist.
Pre-Writing Letter Formation Activities
ABC Playdough Mats by All About Reading are one of many free downloadable resources for activities and games for teaching pre-reading and reading! We printed them on card stock and laminated them for weekly use. William enjoys using them with homemade play dough and Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty.
In the same vein of thought, Wikki Stix offers an Alphabet Card Set to use with their wax cover bendable yarn strips. These are a fun deviation form routine for use.
A dry erase letter tracing tablet. We have the Trace with Me Pre-Handwriting Tablet by Carson Dellosa Education. I like this book in particular because it sequences letters my stroke instead of alphabetical order.
Printable DIY versions are available all over the web. You can slip them into plastic page covers or laminate them to make them dry erase ready.
A Montessori sand tray is a great DIY projects. Ours is made with a lidded container and green sand from Dollar Tree. Alternately, you can use quinoa or rice.
Check Pinterest for more ideas. I’ve seen variations with flour, sprinkles, shaving cream, etc. Some parents switch it up on the regular so their learners stay interested.
Inexpensive Workbooks
Can be found anywhere!!! dollar stores, Target, Staples, Walmart, etc. My son really likes the ones that incorporate the use of stickers like those published by Gakken Workbooks and Kumon. That being said, we’ve used countless other workbooks too. Just flip through to make sure the workbook looks like a good fit for your learner’s level and preferences to avoid frustration.
That completes my list of suggestions for teaching pre-reading and reading without an expensive program. These also make great supplements for those who are using a curriculum bundle or reading program. If I missed any of your tried and true favorites, please add them in the comment section!
Happy Homeschooling!
b