1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum Picks for ADHD and Autism

In today’s post I’m sharing the 1st grade homeschool curriculum picks that we used with my son. These curriculum options work well for learning challenges such as ADHD, Autism, and dyslexia. Even if your child is not in 1st grade, the following curriculum choices have applications for several developmental levels.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a nominal fee from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. See my disclosure policy for more info.

1st Grade Subjects

Public school standards require 1st grade students to learn many subjects including:

• Language Arts
• Math
• History/Social Studies
• Geography
• Science
• Handwriting
• Health
• Art

However, many educators, including myself, believe this is a bit overkill in the early elementary years. In our home, forcing all those subjects would KILL our homeschool. Allow me to explain.

Focus on the Essentials

Because of my son’s learning challenges, I must focus on the essentials during our homeschool day.

I have no time or energy to waste on anything that does not help him make traction in the most crucial areas of learning. Those core subjects are the 3 Rs (reading, writing, and arithmetic).

If your child is Autistic, has ADHD, or dyslexia, or resists learning, I recommend you focus on the core subjects. Reading, writing, and math are the essential subjects that your child will need for the rest of their life.

In the end, don’t worry about completing a certain number of hours or checking off all the boxes. Focus on learning.

1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum Math

The following list contains the 1st grade homeschool curriculum that we’ve used. I hope these reviews help you as you plan for your 1st-grade homeschool year. Let’s start with our math curriculum.

1. Christian Light Math

Christian Light Education is one of my favorite homeschool curriculum companies.

I’ve used their language arts and math for multiple kids over the years. So, when my youngest began kindergarten, it was a no-brainer to use Christian Light math.

However, Christian Light starts at the 1st-grade level and doesn’t have a Kindergarten math curriculum.

Despite this, I ordered it knowing my kindergartener may not be ready for it. Because the curriculum was inexpensive, it was worth the risk.

In the end, this spiral-based math curriculum was too advanced for my kindergartener so we had to put it aside for a while.

Fortunately, it was a great fit the next year. As with many children, my child needed more time to develop.

Pros of Christian Light Math

I like Christian Light Math for 3 reasons.

1. Christian Light Math is broken up into ten small work texts.
   • This gives my child attainable goals.
   • He then feels a sense of accomplishment when he completes a workbook.
2. It’s clear, concise, and to the point.
   • The workbooks are minimalistic in design.
   • This is helpful for kids with ADHD because they don’t have to waste brain power to tease through unnecessary visual input.
3. The price can’t be beat.
   • Christian Light Education is very affordable.
   • Each complete set of math worktexts is about $40.
   • Further, a new copy of the teacher’s guide costs about $20.

---

1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum: Reading & Language Arts

My son has learning challenges that require me to think outside the box when teaching him. As such, I’ve had to use many phonics tools to help him learn to read.

These include:

• All About Reading,
• Explode the Code,
• Primary Phonics,
• Sing, Spell, Read, and Write.

Please know that I’ve been homeschooling for 14 years. This means I have a lot of curricula in my homeschool library. You DO NOT need all of these.

2. Explode The Code

Explode the Code is one of my favorite phonics, reading, and spelling programs. I’ve used Explode the Code with my oldest two daughters and now use them with my son.

From their website:

Explode the Code is an Orton-Gillingham approach to reading which supports multi-sensory, structured, sequential and cumulative instruction.

School Specialty website

Orton-Gillingham-based curricula are amazing for kids with dyslexia and ADHD. Consequently, these have been perfect for my son.

Engaging & Fosters Independent Learning

I love Explode the Code for several reasons.

• Simple and to-the-point
  • Each page has between 7-10 simple yet effective learning activities
• ETC uses silly pictures to engage students in learning
• Learning goals include identifying word-building patterns
• Includes gentle reading comprehension and vocabulary.

The activities check for understanding using silly sentences and questions.

Multiple Levels to Teach All Ages

Explode the Code has 8 levels. While their website indicates that ETC levels are for up to 4th grade, I believe they are a great addition to an older student’s curriculum. They’re excellent and should be used regardless of grade.

The program also includes 1/2 levels between each main level if your child needs extra practice. My son completed levels 1, 1 1/2, and 2 during his first grade year.

ADHD & Oppositional Tendencies

Many kids like my son have complex backgrounds. For example, children may:

• Have a history of trauma,
• Adoption,
• ADHD,
• Autism,
• Unique sensory challenges
• Anxiety

Because of this, many students are neurologically primed to be in fight-or-flight mode. Kids with dysregulated nervous systems often struggle to take direction from adults. Sadly, they’re often labeled oppositional or defiant. My son is one such child.

For this reason, I prioritize a curriculum that fosters independent learning. Explode the Code allows kids like my son a greater sense of agency to learn independently.

3. Primary Phonics

I learned about Primary Phonics through Simply Classical’s First Start Reading. Simply Classical is Memoria Press’s curriculum for kids with learning challenges. The curriculum wasn’t a fit for my child. (I’ll have to write a complete review soon.)

Ultimately, I ordered Primary Phonics readers for my son to supplement his reading practice.

1st Grade Curriculum: Primary Phonics

Primary Phonics is simple and to the point. (Clearly, I like minimalistic design for kids with learning challenges such as ADHD).

The readers we used focused on CVC words. While my son had progressed beyond CVC words, I decided to go back and allow him to review. Interestingly, Primary Phonics is published by the same publisher as Explode the Code materials.

4. Sing, Spell, Read & Write Readers

A friend gave me these Sing, Spell, Read, and Write readers more than 12 years ago. I never touched them until my son’s first grade school year.

When my boy finished the Primary Phonics readers, I decided it was time to pivot. And I didn’t want to spend more money on curriculum when I already have so much.

I finally pulled out the Sing, Spell, Read, and Write readers and I’m so glad I did!

Colorful & Engaging Phonics Readers

My son LOVES these readers. They are colorful, and engaging and have consistent characters throughout the series.

Additionally, vocabulary lists are laid out before each story. The vocabulary lists are in easy-to-read columns. This helps my son review words and their patterns before reading the text.

The readers are part of the Sing, Spell, Read, and Write curriculum. However, we primarily used just the readers for the better part of the year.

Unfortunately, SSRW is technically out of print. However, you can find many of their phonics songs online. And I found a copy of the Raceway workbook that accompanies it. It’s been a great fit to help my son learn to read and write.

5. All About Reading & Spelling

I highly recommend All About Reading. The program is an Orton-Gillingham based curriculum and is fantastic. I’ll pull it out for my son next year as he will need the review.

Additionally, the way All About Spelling teaches phonograms and spelling is superb. Here is a complete review of All About Reading & All About Spelling. You can’t go wrong with it.

6. Highlights Hidden Pictures

You may be wondering why I’ve included Hidden Pictures in my son’s 1st grade homeschool curriculum. Here’s why.

Kids with learning challenges such as ADHD and dyslexia often struggle with visual discrimination and processing. Visual discrimination is the brain’s ability to tease through visual input in order to focus in on that which is most important.

When children struggle with reading or math, it’s often because there’s too much text on a page for their brain to process.

Brain Training Essential to Learning

I use Highlights Hidden Pictures as a daily exercise to help my son strengthen his visual discrimination skills.

Strengthening the brain’s ability to focus on visual input is essential to almost all learning. Don’t underestimate basic brain training to support your child’s long-term success.

7. Taekwondo, Speech, and Personal Development

As you can see, our academic priorities lie in the three Rs of reading, writing and math. However, the 3 Rs are not the only skills he needs to function well as an adult. (Again, I’m thinking long-term here.)

In addition to academics, we prioritize various activities that support our son’s personal development. He has weekly speech therapy and is now practicing taekwondo multiple times per week.

Benefits of Martial Arts

The benefits of martial arts are incredible for kids with learning challenges. These benefits include:

• social interaction and communication skills
• listening skills
• self-regulation and brain integration
• mind-body integration
• self-discipline
• and more

In our home, taekwondo is not an extra for my son. It is an essential. If you’ve been with me for any length of time, you may know that my child struggles with self-regulation and impulsivity. All that to say, he recently completed a 3-hour taekwondo belt test with flying colors.

Recap: 1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Learning how to plan your homeschool curriculum is not a linear journey. I’ve learned that the most important variable in choosing a curriculum is my child’s needs.

My 1st grade homeschool curriculum picks included various curricula. Those included:

• Christian Light Math
• Primary Phonics Readers & Workbook
• Explode the Code
• Sing, Spell, Read & Write
• Highlights Hidden Pictures for Brain Training
• Martial Arts (Taekwondo)
• Gestalt Language Speech Therapy

In the end, focus on the goal. Your child’s long-term ability to read, write, and calculate.

It’s unlikely to happen in one school year. This is normal and to be expected. You’ve got 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, over many years to accomplish this.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a nominal fee from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. See my disclosure policy for more info.

No products found.

No products found.

No products found.

No products found.

No products found.