When considering homeschooling it can be very overwhelming. Add in the idea that you will be teaching a kindergartner, who may have no previous reading experience. This can add anxiety to the mix. Worry no more, my friend. I just happen to know the best homeschool kindergarten reading curriculum, that has been proven to work for so many! I will also tell you why I believe this curriculum can work for older children as well.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I can earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase from one of these links. But not to worry, I only tell you about tools I use myself and believe in 100%*
Why Choose the Best Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum?
Why do I even need to ask? If you have ever felt the pain, anxiety, worry, and fear that comes along with teaching your child to read, then you know why only the proven best will work. I remember my son sitting in the corner crying because we were both so fed up! He just was not getting it. I wanted him to become a reader, and he was doing All. The. Things to reject my efforts.
I’ve written a lot here on my blog about my journey to relaxation in my homeschool. When I was teaching my first son to read, I had not quite grasped the idea of relaxing. This is about 95% of the issue.
If stress and anxiety are playing a key role in your teaching, then relaxing is your answer. Nonetheless, your child deserves the best, and that is what you want to give them.
How Can You Start to Relax When Choosing Homeschool Reading Curriculum?
When choosing the best homeschool kindergarten reading curriculum we want to remember we are dealing with very small children. Likely, there are many reasons you chose to homeschool your child. However, one of those reasons may be to get them away from the public school standards. So a key I found in relaxing was to stop worrying about the public school standards. That’s right. Stop comparing your child to what is supposed to be “normal”. Check your state’s homeschool laws to make sure you comply, but after that, stop comparing your child to those in public school. (You can also find your homeschool laws by visiting HSLDA.org)
Take the pressure off of you and your child by choosing a simple and quick homeschool kindergarten reading curriculum. Just because public school days are seven or more hours, does not mean your kindergarten curriculum should take very long. Some families only have formal learning four or so days a week, and kindergarten shouldn’t take more than two hours total.
Where Should You Start When Teaching Reading?
Do not worry if your child hasn’t mastered the alphabet by the time they enter kindergarten. There is plenty of time for these concepts, and likely they will learn them naturally with other skills. But where should you begin when using a homeschool kindergarten reading curriculum?
Phonics in your homeschool kindergarten reading curriculum
Along with the concept of letter sounds, children should be taught phonics. Work with your child and make sure they have an understanding of letter sounds, these will help them build simple words. You may find your child has memorized some words, but phonics is the ability to put letter sounds into words. Once your child learns basic letter sounds, such as a “hard C” as in CAT, they can decode simple word families. I do not encourage sight words right away, focus on letter sounds and phonics, sight words can come later.
Teach Sentence Repetition in your homeschool kindergarten reading curriculum
Starting with short and simple sentences, teach sentence repetition. Here is the method of sentence repetition that I used with both of my boys and it worked great. Pick a simple story or book that you know will not overwhelm your child. Start simple, and do not worry about how simple it may be. A complex story with a lot of sight words will only overwhelm your child and cause conflicts. Trust me I know. Try this strategy when it comes to sentence repetition.
- Day 1- Review the story and the phonics concepts. For instance, are there simple words such as CAT, MAT, and SAT? If so review the concepts for these words, such as the individual letter sounds.
- Day 2-You read the story to the child as they follow along.
- Day 3- “Echo Reading” where you read the word or sentence and they read that sentence the same way. (You emphasize the punctuation and feeling behind the words)
- Day 4- You read the word or sentence and they read the same sentence back to you
- Day 5- Independent reading, the child should be encouraged to try out their reading skills alone now! Be patient and encouraging. Do not be discouraged if your child is still struggling. Depending on your child, you can continue to work on the same story, words, or concepts for longer. Of course, this method may need to be adjusted. Perhaps your child doesn’t need one of these steps and can read independently much quicker than by day five. If so then embrace that!
What Reading Curriculum Should You Choose?
So what is this proven best curriculum that I am so fond of? When I taught my younger son to read I wanted something that had been proven to work for so many families and had a solid foundation. Something built on trust, and had a history. That is why I chose Hooked on Phonics.
Hooked on Phonics has helped over 5 million children build a strong foundation in reading. I am happy to say my younger son is one of those! Earlier I stated my older son would fight me when it came to reading. Turns out he was just not ready and I was forcing him. My younger son, who had speech delays until nearly four years old, was devouring the Hooked on Phonics program. That just goes to show you that even children who struggle can be successful readers. I did not use Hooked on Phonics with my older son, over time he did become a good reader. However, I believe Hooked on Phonics put my younger son on the fast track to being a successful reader. Why not give it a try?(This link is to receive your first month for just $1!)
Hooked on Phonics Web ShopHow Long Should You Use This Proven Reading Curriculum?
Of course, every child differs, but I found that Hooked on Phonics would have been sufficient as a reading curriculum well into first or second grade. Now that I have done a few different reading curriculums, I can honestly say using Hooked on Phonics as your reading curriculum would be perfectly fine from grades kindergarten through second grade. I will leave links below for you to check out the program for yourself. I have a more detailed post about what you will receive with your Hooked on Phonics purchase here.
(The following links may take you to a checkout cart, no worries, I have put some items together for you so you know exactly what you need for these steps.)
- Pre-Reader World Steps 1-12 Pre-K
- Learn to Read World: Steps 1-6 Kindergarten
- Learn to Read Steps 7-12 Kindergarten/1st-grade transition
- Learn to Read Steps 13-18 First Grade
- Learn to Read Steps 19-30 Second Grade
After this, they continue to send you leveled readers. Usually in the form of chapter books.
Additional Resources to Use Along With Your Kindergarten Reading Curriculum
When I was trying to teach my older son to read I felt helpless. Seeing him crying in the corner of the room made me feel like a failure. I was fed up, he was fed up, and we were going nowhere. No worries, the story has a happy ending. He just wasn’t ready yet, and I had yet to understand that.
However, during the time I was trying to encourage him to love reading, I was also on the hunt for additional resources. Turning to my local library, I hoped to find decodable readers that would help him build his confidence in reading. I was surprised at how hard these were to come by.
I did not want to overwhelm my already struggling reader. (Honestly, he wasn’t struggling, he could read. But even now, he just doesn’t enjoy reading.) Necessity is the mother of invention, so I created my solution. I wanted my son to read with confidence. I created my decodable readers with simple CVC words and very few sight words. Just what I was looking for when I taught my first son to read.
Where To Get Your Additional Resources
I do not want you to go through the same pain and frustration that my son and I went through. I have only a few of these additional resources loaded into my shop right now but keep an eye out for more. Don’t let that stop you from checking out my shop!
Here is what you get with most of my downloads
- 6-7 worksheets
- Easy/decodable reader
- Confidence that you CAN help your child to read.
Short A Family Worksheets and Decodable Reader
Short U -UG Family Worksheets and Decodable Reader
I believe with the Hooked on Phonics program, and even with my additional resources, you and your child will begin the exciting journey that starts with reading!
Need More Help?
I know these concepts can be very overwhelming. You think you understand what to do, and then when it comes do actually doing it, you feel like you have no idea where to start. I’ve got you covered! I am hosting a workshop that will go over these very concepts! I will break it down for you to help you build the confidence you need! Simply comment below with the word READ and I will give you an invite to my FB group!
Can’t wait to see you there!
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