Looking for the best kindergarten reading curriculum for your child?
Friend, I get it. Teaching young children to read is not an easy task.
I remember the early years of homeschooling. Because of my background in education, I had this overwhelming pressure to get my kids reading ASAP.
- Should I teach my children sight words?
- Or, should I focus only on phonics?
- A combination of the two?
I remember feeling so much pressure to prove those homeschool naysayers wrong. So I searched high and low for the best kindergarten homeschool curriculum out there.
Can you relate? Are you just starting the process of teaching your child to read?
On the other hand, maybe you’ve been trying to teach your kid to read for the past few months or even years.
The reading program you bought earlier this year has turned out to be a total fail, and so now you’re searching for the next curriculum.
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You just want your child to start reading, dangit! If this describes you, I’m here to encourage you. Over 14 years of homeschooling, I’ve taught my three children how to read.
And I’ve learned so much that I look forward to sharing with you today.
So let’s talk about how to find the best kindergarten reading curriculum.
What is Phonics?
Phonics is a form of reading and writing instruction that teaches children how to hear, identify, and use sounds (phonemes) to make words.
More specifically, phonics instruction helps children understand the relationship between letter symbols and sounds in the English language.
However, before using a formal curriculum to teach reading skills, it’s important for children to develop phonemic awareness.
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is one of the basic skills that develops in childhood and is related to the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds. Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in spoken language.
It’s important for you to understand that phonemic awareness is primarily an auditory and oral language skill.
Compare that to phonics. Again, phonics is how we teach children to read and write by connecting the relationship between phonemes with letters.
Defining the Best Curriculum
Now, let’s talk about variables to consider to determine whether a reading program is the best one for YOUR child.
One of the best approaches to reading instruction is the Orton-Gillingham method. Orton-Gillingham was developed specifically to meet the needs of children with dyslexia.
- Explicit and direct instruction
- Sequential approach
- Focused on phonics
- Multi-sensory
Specifically, the Orton-Gillingham approach can lead to great success in the kindergarten years as well in older children with special needs.
Best Kindergarten Reading Curriculum
Below you’ll find some of the best kindergarten reading curriculum options available.
While these homeschool reading programs are effective for kindergarten, they can be used throughout multiple grade levels.
Let’s get to it!
All About Reading
All About Reading is an incredible phonics curriculum from All About Learning Press. This homeschool reading curriculum is based on the Orton-Gillingham teaching method.
All About Reading supports homeschool parents with a teacher’s guide full of detailed lesson plans.
Further, All About Reading has a fantastic pre-reading step-by-step program for the preschool years. It’s specifically for young learners who need to develop phonemic awareness skills.
Additionally, all the All About Reading levels include multi-sensory lessons that support fine motor skills.
All About Reading for Multiple Ages
Further, it’s a fantastic program to use with older students who are struggling with reading. Additionally, the reading program is not based on grade level.
I love that it’s based on developmental level. This means that once your child takes the placement test, you can be confident that it will meet your child’s needs.
Even better, All About Reading is one of Cathy Duffy’s Top Homeschool Curriculum Picks. You can read my full review of All About Reading and All About Spelling for more.
Logic of English
Logic of English Foundations program is based on the science of reading and is a favorite phonics program in the homeschool community.
It’s also rooted in the Orton-Gillingham methodology and is touted as a best homeschool curriculum for children with dyslexia. Logic of English has two complete programs including:
- Foundations program
- This is a great program to start for young learners in kindergarten, first, or second grade.
- Essentials program
- For older students who are in the middle of the learning process. This component of the program is designed to fill gaps in reading and writing skills while expanding knowledge of the English language,
As a side note, Logic of English has a unique program offering that includes a print option, online, and a combination option.
Overall, Logic of English is a great choice in that it’s rooted in phonics. Additionally, it does a great job supporting parent-teachers with in-depth teacher guides.
Explode the Code
Last year, I wrote a review of all the homeschool curricula I used for my son’s school year in first grade.
In that article, I share a wide range of subject areas for young learners. Specifically, I share a favorite math curriculum as well as the resources I used to help my son learn to read.
One of my favorite curriculum options to support my children’s love of learning is Explode the Code workbooks.
(These workbooks are NOT a complete homeschooling kindergarten curriculum._
However, they are one of the best homeschool resources that I recommend ALL THE TIME. They’re great extra support to solidify foundational phonics skills.
What Type of Learner Benefits?
Additionally, Explode the Code workbooks are perfect for kids who need:
- independence
- additional phonics practice including letter sounds, as well as digraphs and other sound-letter combinations,
- light reading comprehension practice
- extra support in both reading and spelling
Explode the Code is a series of Orton-Gillingham-based workbooks that are so much fun. They’re incredibly effective and can be done at your child’s own pace.
These workbooks are one of my top choice recommendations. I love them so much!
While I’ve always used the workbooks for my children, Explode the Code also has an online program if you’re looking for one.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons was a gift to me as a first-time homeschool mom.
Like I said earlier, when I started my homeschooling journey, the first thing I was determined to do was to get my oldest reading.
Ultimately, I ended up using this simple paperback book to teach both of my girls at the early ages of 4 and 4 1/2. (Don’t make this mistake.)
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is not a full curriculum, and is NOT based on phonics.
In fact, it’s based on a reading methodology created to remediate reading in older students.
Benefits of 100 Easy Lessons
However, it’s a great way to get your child reading quickly. It’s basically a reading instruction manual.
- 100 short lessons
- scripted for any homeschool mom teaching reading for the first time
- inexpensive
As an added bonus, you may be able to borrow a copy at your local library. For more, check out my full review of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.
After completing Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, you’ll need to find a complete homeschool language arts curriculum.
Reading Better Together
On another note, has your kid ever completely melted down at the thought of reading?
Or, let’s be honest, have you ever screamed (internally counts) at the thought of your child’s next reading lesson?
If so, you’ve got to check out my friend, Sarah Miller’s, amazing new reading program, Reading Better Together.
Sarah and I’ve discussed her program quite a bit over the past few months and these are a few things I love about the Reading Better Together program:
- It’s set up so your child will start reading fast!
- Quick wins help your child build confidence!
- Sarah has a FB group where she hosts tutorials to help her community teach kids to read!
If you’re struggling to get your reading-resistant child to learn to read, Reading Better Together is a great option.
Other Kindergarten Reading Tools
Teaching kids to read isn’t just a one-time process.
Even if you’re able to teach your child to “decode” effectively (this is what people often think of when they think of teaching reading), this isn’t the end of the story.
Learning to become a proficient reader requires lots of practice.
For example, one area of reading includes fluency, or the ability to reading smoothly, efficiently, and with proper intonation.
When your child is starting to read, it’s a good idea to have lots of easy phonetic readers on hand for practice.
Recommended Leveled Readers
Some great leveled readers include:
- Bob Books:
- Bob Books is a series of readers that gradually build upon one another.
- The first set begins with only 4 letter sounds and yet those 4 letters and sounds make up an entire story.
- Additionally, there are multiple sets each with ten books that include basic CVC words and sight words.
- Primary Phonics:
- I added Primary Phonics to my son’s reading program last year when I realized he needed more reading practice. We’d been using Memoria Press Simply Classical program and I knew he needed more support.
- Primary Phonics has a great selection of leveled readers for kids to practice reading.
- Dr. Seuss Books:
- Dr. Seuss’s books can be great books for your child to graduate with for reading practice.
To encourage a love of reading, it’s important to let your child choose reading books that they enoy.
What are CVC words?
CVC words are words made up of consonant-vowel-consonant spelling patterns. Examples:
- cat
- sit
- bun
- ten
Want more on CVC words and the importance of rhyming?
FREE CVC Rhyming Word Printable
Rhyming & Dr. Seuss Books
Another essential in any kindergarten reading program is to continually work on your child’s phonological awareness skills.
Earlier, I discussed phonemic awareness as the ability to identify and isolate the individual sounds in words.
Phonological awareness is the umbrella term under which phonemic awareness lies.
Specifically, phonological awareness is a child’s understanding that words are made up of chunks of sound. Rhyming is one crucial phonological awareness skill that must be mastered in order for a child to develop reading proficiency.
For this reason, I recommend building up your home library with rhyming books. Spend lots of time reading good books to your child and make sure to include lots of rhyming books.
For example, some of the best rhyming books include Dr. Seuss’s beginning readers.
- Hop on Pop
- The Cat in the Hat
- Green Eggs and Ham
Read aloud to your kindergarten child often because as you’ll remember, reading is based on the ability to hear sounds.
For some ideas on how to incorporate rhyming activities into your child’s education, here are 15 different ways to teach rhyming.
Online Kindergarten Reading Program
Are you looking for an online reading game to support your child’s phonics and reading skills?
Fortunately, there are a ton of online reading programs to help your young learner.
We’ve used a few throughout the years, not as the basis for teaching reading, but to supplement skills.
The online kindergarten program that engaged my highly-distractable ADHD kiddos was Reading Eggs.
Reading Eggs is a fun online reading program that supports young kids in their reading skills. They do so through self-paced reading games.
Further, the program encourages children to read online books and short stories to earn rewards.
Additionally, if you want your child to work on foundational math skills, Reading Eggs has a partner program called MathSeeds.
Recap: Best Homeschool Reading Curriculum for Kindergarten
All in all, this is such an exciting time to homeschool your children.
Whether your child is in kindergarten and you’re homeschooling for the first time, or your child is older and needs reading support, you’re in luck.
There’s no shortage of reading curricula.
Some of the best reading programs are based on Orton-Gillingham. And while this reading method was originally developed to support struggling readers, OG will lay a strong foundation in reading for just about any student.
Despite what you’ve heard from those who’ve no experience with homeschooling, your child has so much time to learn to read.
In the end, no child learns at the same rate and at the same time. Don’t panic about formal education while your child is young. You both have plenty of time.
Remember that no kindergarten reading curriculum will be perfect. This is ok and to be expected.
Just choose the best kindergarten reading curriculum based on your and your child’s needs this season. And then expect those needs to change over time.
So, what do you think, Friend?
Did I miss one of your favorite homeschool reading programs? I’d love to hear from you.
In this together!
FREE CVC Rhyming Word Printable
I’m confused about explode the code and how to choose where to start? I know they aren’t based on grade but my youngest is in 1st and my two older girls are both struggling severely with reading (they are both in public schools)
Hi Tina, I personally recommend starting Explode the Code workbooks from the beginning regardless of age. Starting with the basics will build confidence in your older struggling readers. They’ll be able to breeze through the earlier levels quickly (possibly 2-3 workbooks in a year). This will build their foundational phonics skills and their confidence. Hope this helps! 🙂
These recommendations for kindergarten reading curriculums are fantastic! As a homeschooling mom, I’m always looking for programs that keep my child engaged.