If you are one of those people who like it short and sweet the answer is…
Sing, Spell Read and write.
If you are one of those people who need to know why please read on…
What is the Best Phonics Program?
Seems like a strange question for a homesteading blog, huh? But I happen to homeschool, so for me, homeschooling and homesteading go hand in hand. Just to give you a little back story I was homeschooled my whole life and my husband was homeschooled for a majority of his school years as well…
…Because of our backgrounds, we are pretty comfortable with the whole homeschooling thing and how to pick out the curriculum. As I was looking for the best phonics program for my little one I Decided on…
Sing Spell Read and Write …
And here are my reasons
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Learning to Song
I love that they have you learning to a song. I have found that kids (and adults) will learn so much quicker when what they are trying to learn is set to music. For some reason, it sticks in your head so much better. Some of the only things I remember from childhood are the things that I learned in music.
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Fun and Colorful
School for young kids should be FUN! They not only love the music aspect, but also the fun games that come with Sing, Spell Read and Write. For example, they have bingo and card games to help them with their learning. They also do fun activities while learning. My daughter LOVES crafts so this is huge for her. As they are learning the alphabet they will be cutting things out that start with that letter and coloring the pieces and gluing them on their book.
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Ties it all in
I love that they are not just focusing on reading, but also the spelling and the writing. I was always a poor speller and I appreciate the focus they put on all the aspects of phonics. And As a mom, I love the fact that I only need one curriculum. Whats nice Is that I only have to buy the package once and I can use it for my other kids as well. All I have to do it buy new workbooks when my next child is ready to use it.
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Gives you everything you need
You can totally teach your kids to read on your own. ( I will talk more about that below) But sometimes we can miss things and why not just invest upfront instead of taking the time to do the work that someone else already did? The creators of Sing Spell Read and Write did a great job.
They have included everything that your child will need to learn how to read and beyond. The readers are awesome and the kids feel so accomplished when they have succeeded at reading a book on their own! I started Sing Spell Read and Write with my daughter at 4 1/2 and she is now reading on her own at 5.
I almost feel like she taught herself. The curriculum is so easy to teach, your child will pretty much teach themselves. If you are overwhelmed at the thought of homeschooling your child…Don’t be! It is so simple and easy to use.
Sing Spell Read and Write Questions
Is it hard to teach?
NO! That is why I picked it. I have a hectic life and don’t have hours to spend on preparing for school. I try to pick curriculum that is put together and ready for the child. When I started all I did was look over the teacher booklet and went from there. They have everything laid out and tell you exactly what pages to do each day, what songs to listen to and what games to play. It’s great!
What do I need to get started?
You can buy everything separately or just buy the package. Personally, I went with the full package. I wanted to utilize everything they offered and I figured I will be using it for all my kids. My thought is that I can use everything again and will just need to buy new workbooks for my other kids.
If you are interested in trying the full package you can check it out on Amazon here. I mean who doesn’t love the fact that you can get it in in 2 days. Thank you, Amazon for making us last minute people look like we were prepared and ready 😉
Will it be too hard for my little one?
Every child is different! My little one was begging to start school. But I know some kids are not interested at all. Like I said you want to make it as fun as possible! And If your little one is not quite ready don’t rush it. Just try again in a couple months.
Or be creative. If you have a super active little one may be sitting at the table for long periods of time is not working for them. Blare the songs and have a dance party. You will be surprised at how much they are getting in.
Overall I don’t think it will be too hard. If you feel like it is then you can go at your own pace. If playing all the games and doing all the activities are too much then cut back and just do the basics. Just do your best to make sure they are learning the main stuff and you should be good. That leads to the next question…
What age should I start my child on sing spell read and write?
This will obviously depend on the child. I would say that you should be able to start your child at level one around 5-6 years old. You can get Sing Spell Read and Write for kids even younger than that. But I would suggest to just get little books from the dollar store or printouts online for Pre-k and start Sing Spell Read and Write at kindergarten age. (Whatever age that you decide your child is ready)
Just for sake of example…I started Level one with my daughter at 4 1/2 and she loved it. But she was very ready and eager. So I would just see how your child is and go from there. If you start and it just seems to be a struggle then just wait it out and try again.
Can You teach your Child Phonics without a Curriculum?
YES! Like I mentioned I wanted to touch on this subject a bit. Just because I am teaching my child this way does not mean you have to. I wanted to share a few tips if you have decided to teach your child phonics on your own.
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Find great Resources
Thanks to the internet we have so much help when it comes to homeschooling. Like I mentioned above kids learn great to music.
So do your best to find songs that will go along with what your child is learning. You can find songs on youtube or you can buy Cds. If you don’t want the whole Sing Spell Read and Write package but just want the cd you can do that too! But I would encourage you to do something! Trust me it will make the learning process so much more fun!
Along with music, I would also encourage you to find fun printouts online. Remember to make it fun! You don’t want the school to be boring at this age and you want to encourage fun in learning!
Apps! I don’t always love my children being on devices, but if they are I try to have them play games that will encourage learning. You can find lots of free games that help with phonics.
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Get Organized
When You buy a curriculum everything is ready to go for the year. So try your best to have things printed out and the songs you want to use ready to go. If you wait until the last minute you will be stressing out and that will be no fun for anyone!
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Don’t Overcomplicate it
When people just start out they think that things need to be time consuming and in depth. But you have to remember you are working with little minds and very active little bodies. They are very smart but don’t like to sit for real long. Do your best to keep it simple and to the point.
Application
As you have figured out by now I love sing spell read and write. I believe they have a great system and I would rather pay for an awesome working system then take the time to patch my own together. But that is totally my personal preference.
I am at a place in life where I don’t have much extra time and I am not super creative when it comes to putting fun things together for my little ones. But If you are that person and you have the time…then, by all means, make your own phonics curriculum! As I mentioned just take the time to find great resources in the form of music, printouts, and apps and get organized! You can also buy things separately and not the entire package if that works for you too.
Don’t be overwhelmed! You got this! I know it can seem very daunting having to teach your child…But you will figure it out and your child will be better off! I promise. I highly believe in homeschooling and our children being home with us…But that is another topic for another day!
Happy Homeschooling!
~Courtney