I used CLE Learning to Read for teaching reading and LOVED it. I tried Abeka before that and it didn’t work for us. However in the older grades we loved Abeka. Because it is becoming too time consuming for us along with everything else we are doing we will not be doing an official reading program next year, we will be doing a lot of reading in other areas and I don’t think it is necessary for us anymore to use a program as the bigs are reading quite well. Now it’s more of a practice makes perfect approach 
I used CLE Learning to Read with my children and they were excellent readers in a short space of time plus CLE is very inexpensive. (CLE= Christian Light Education) By the time my girls were done people were shocked at how quickly they were reading, I am now using it with my 4yo because she was ready, we are more than halfway through and she is reading stories that make sense not just 3 letter words. I am definitely a fan and don’t plan on switching from using this with my first timers any time soon.
1 Like
What is the name of the comprehension cards you are using?
They are made by learning resources.
We tried a few different reading curriculums but none fit for our family. We just sat and read a few times a day and now my 1st grader reads at a 5-6 the grade level. We also give her books that are above her grade level to work through. She loves the challenge and looks up words she is not sure about on the computer.
We’ve tried 3 of the above this year. Explode the code, All about reading and Abeka. I have ended up on Abeka and find it is what’s working best for our family. Reading is my son’s least favorite subject, but we are making tremendous progress with Abeka. It will be our first grade curriculum for sure!
1 Like
My son is 6 1/2 and started it this past fall. He is progressing slowly through it and we are halfway done now. Reading it not an easy subject for him.
Check out Progressive Phonics. It is a free online printable curriculum. I am using it with my young 5 year old boy who is just now learning to write his name. He is picking it up very quickly and enjoying it.
What is the name of the program you used?
We use Logic of English Foundations without the writing portion. It has worked well for us. Sometimes we use the AAR letter tiles with it since we already had them.
I also own Teach Your Child to Read Using Children’s books. I found it helpful for me to read and learned a lot of tips for teaching. I personally needed more handholding than what that book had for teaching phonics though.
1 Like
Thank you for your thoughts on LOE and the “Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books” book. I was debating the two. I just received the book today in the mail, and I just found out that I won Level A of LOE Foundations. I guess I’ll dive into both over the next month or so.
LOE Foundations helped my DD with raising awareness with speech articulation and different sounds in vowels especially. We went through AAR level 1 before LOE Foundations and LOE Foundations was a much better fit for us and caused less frustration over all than AAR. I was also remediating problems with reading that arrived from a combination of vision problems and guessing after a year in public school with the vision problems. She has made leaps and bounds in progress and we are near the end of level B in LOE Foundations and her confidence has increased so much. Her favorite books to read right now are not part of our curriculum and so I actually use things I learned from the book How to Teach a Child to Read With Children’s Books to teach her words that she hasn’t learned the phonics yet to sound out on her own. I also use things I learned in that book while reading books to the kids many times. Even though I haven’t used it exclusively, I found it to be a good investment for us.
I am looking for a new reading program. Can you tell me why you like BJU better than AAR? We currently use AAR level 2 but my daughter wants to switch away from it.
I’m using the Reading Eggs program online with my 4 year old. I appreciate the review of previously learned sounds/words while gently introducing new sounds/words. I put the information he learns on sentence strips in my pocket chart so we can review throughout the day. It’s been a little tough for him to transfer the information he learns on Reading Eggs to actual books, but he keeps improving
Not sure if you meant to reply to me. I did not really like BJU reading. It was confusing for my daughter after using AAR. The way the teach phonics is different and my daughter didn’t get it. I didn’t really get it either honestly. AAR teaches it in a much simpler easier way to understand. I love BJU english and will use it in third grade. I am going to us AAR 3 and supplement with more readers. I really haven’t found a program I like for reading better than AAR. I am thinking about using the A beka readers. You might want to check out their language arts program.
2 Likes
Use Erika‘s curriculum it’s fantastic
Sadly, this is not available anymore.
I have a different approach to homeschooling and studies in general. I usually pick topics according to my kids’ level of understanding, and luckily they quickly grasp high-level concepts. My younger son is nine years old. His curriculum involves a lot of playing, fun activities, and online flashcards. Apart from that, I encourage him to study novels, to develop a reading habit. After finishing it, I expect him to write a summary of 300 words and 1000-1500 words to help nurture both concise and long-essay writing.
The elder son is 14 years old. His curriculum is more intense involving essential texts and practicals. I usually make him pick popular highschool textbooks and expect him to read it. The reading is usually followed by internet resources (videos) and some primary text reading. To understand the mechanics of locomotives and the hardware of systems, we sit together and dismantle bikes and computers. I’ve found this to be very effective. And post-dinner, we do a roundup and discussion on the novels we have studied. Each of us discusses the plot and characters and then watch well made classic movies before we hit the bed.
1 Like
It’s very important to me too to let the child fun activities and it’s more important to put the child on the right path of the reading journey and make reading one of the child’s favorite activities. Phonics books for kids help us much in that journey and my daughter gets a nice experience, and at the same time they improve her reading skills.