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Teach Homeschool Preschool

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

January 12, 2024 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

N is for nest handprint and this opens the door for a wonderful and exciting bird unit study. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

This unit will keep your preschooler busy and entertained while they learn all about the world of birds.

You can study birds, their habits and diet.

And focus on birds in your area, as well as the types of nests that they build.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

This is a wonderful zoology unit for preschoolers. You don’t even have to leave your backyard to study these creatures.

I have hands-on fun, fingerplays and tasty on-theme snacks.

Also, there are colorful storybooks as well as living science books.

Spread it out over a week.

Or do a couple of days each week to make a longer, low-stress unit for learning about the letter N.

Be sure and get out this week on a few nature walks. Try to locate different bird nests and birds in the area.

More How to Homeschool Preschool Letter of the Week Activities

  • Alphabet Letter A is for Apple Craft for Preschool | Fun Apple Study
  • Letter O is for Owl Preschool Craft | Fun Great Horned Owl Study
  • Alphabet Letter H Handprint Craft For Fun Preschool Horse Study
  • How To Make An Alphabet Teeth Cleaning Activity | 5 Preschool Letter T Crafts
  • Alphabet Letter R is for Rainbow Craft for Preschool | Fun Rain Mobile
  • Alphabet Letter M is for Monkey Handprint Preschool Fun Monkey Study
  • Alphabet Letter G is for Gorilla Fun Paper Plate Preschool Mask
  • W Is For Winter Craft Easy Snowman Oobleck Activity
  • Letter E Is For Eagle Easy Preschool Eagle Study
  • Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft
  • B is for Bird Craft | Free Preschool Bluebird Study
  • X is for X Ray Craft | Unique Crayon Resist Skeleton

Language Arts Focus Day 1

N-n-n-n is for nest, begin your day and each day of the study by repeating the sound for N. Too, share a few words that begin with it. 

Letter/Sound Recognition N is for nest handprint – Letter N Song introduces not only the sound N makes but the fact that it is a consonant. And there are a plethora of words that begin with N in a catchy repetitive way.

Book- Take your child through a fun lesson on the different animals that utilize nests by simply reading a story and looking at pictures in A Nest is Noisy.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Craft/Activity- The CUTEST bird nest sensory bin.

Song/Fingerplay- You can learn the simple motions for Here is a Nest For a Robin in this video and teach them to your child to use throughout the week.

Snack- How sweet is this little bird in a nest? A light snack that is a wonderful way to kick off your bird study –Birdie Kix Snack.

Science Focus Day 2

By preschool, most children understand that birds build and live in nests, they might not know that many animals make their home in what is still called a nest.

This is a great opportunity to talk about using books videos and other resources to share different types of nests.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Grab a set of do-a-dots if you don’t already have them, they are useful for structured activities like the Letter N Dot Painting page but kids also love them for open-ended art.

Book- Birds, Nests, and Eggs is a wonderful book that makes a great field guide as well as a reference for home use.

Craft/Activity- Make a little tray of playdough, birds, and small twigs, leaves, and bits from the yard. Build different bird nests with playdough like a cup nest, cavity, and pendant Playdough is For The Birds.

Song/Fingerplay- Found a Feather to the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine.

Snack- This snack is a simple idea that can be gathered with a variety of things you have you your pantry.

Gather up some items that birds eat like nuts, seeds, and small fruits, (maybe gummy worms for fun) to create this Bird-themed snack.

Math Focus Day 3

Count eggs cut out of construction paper then practice adding or subtracting one or two.

Make piles of different amounts and teach your child more or less, cut eggs of different sizes out and have them order them from smallest to largest.

Letter/Sound Recognition- This Cardboard Roll Letter Match Puzzle for Kids is a wonderful hands-on activity that builds fine motor skills while children learn to identify letters.

You can put just one letter in uppercase and lowercase or put several letters they are familiar with to practice.

Book- This book, Nature Anatomy, will carry you through years until it falls apart from being a well-loved favorite resource.

For birds alone, the information is plentiful from the anatomy of a bird to many common types, feathers, bird calls, different nests, eggs, bird behavior, and a wide variety of species like water birds or birds of prey.

Craft/Activity–You just need a printer and a simple egg-shaped manipulative to use these Egg Counting Mats for counting and number recognition.

Song/Fingerplay- The Bird Song for Kids is a colorful way to introduce your preschooler to a variety of birds and the different things that make them birds.

Snack- Look at this little lineup of adorable Chocolate Strawberry Birds, and create a treat that is mostly healthy with a touch of sweet treat that fits perfectly with the theme.

History/Geography Focus Day 4

Birds and nests are a great landing spot for learning about habitats that fall under geography as well as science, you don’t have to focus on nests though.

Begin there talking about how birds build their nests among humans as well as further out in more nature-related environments then expand to other animal habitats.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Jack Hartmann is a treasure for preschool songs, covering such a wide variety including specific to each letter of the alphabet like The Letter N, even demonstrating how to write it in the air.

Book- Bird Builds a Nest is a science storybook telling the story of a little bird doing what birds do, building a strong and secure nest for her future baby

Craft/Activity- Handprint bird nest- See below for instructions.

As your child glues on the additional items for their nest talk about how birds gather items and build their nest as well as what they use them for.

Song/Fingerplay- If you are not already familiar with it The Green Grass Grows All Around is lively and repeats verses over and over building from a hole in the ground to a nest, the prettiest nest that you ever did see and beyond.

Snack- Owl Strawberries (in a nest) are just darling and are a healthy snack with just a bit of sweetness added to create a fun treat that they will love.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint Books and Resources

Add these fun books and resources to make learning fun for your preschooler.

A Nest Is Noisy (Family Treasure Nature Encylopedias)

Fans will rejoice at the first sight of A Nest Is Noisy," promises School Library Journal, and they're right. From the award-winning creators of An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient, A Rock Is Lively, and A Beetle Is Shy comes this gorgeous and informative look at the fascinating world of nests, from those of tiny bee hummingbirds to those of orangutans high in the rainforest canopy. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this carefully researched book introduces children to a captivating array of nest facts and will spark the imaginations of children whether in a classroom reading circle or on a parent's lap.

15 Colors Washable Markers

This dot markers set contains 15 basic colors: red, orange red, orange, yellow, emerald green, green sky blue, blue, violet purple, caramel, sepia, light gray and black. The variety of colors is that kids can create and use their imagination to paint.

Birds, Nests & Eggs (Take Along Guides)

A fun, informative take-along guide that will help children identify 15 birds. Kid will also learn how and where birds build their homes and all about their young. Plus, the guide features activities that are fun and easy to do. There's also a seven-page scrapbook for drawings and notes.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested. Color illustrations enhance the presentation.

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

Bird Builds a Nest: A First Science Storybook

It’s time for Bird to build her nest! Follow her as she pulls a worm out of the ground, lifts some twigs that are just the right size, and pushesthe twigs into place. Uh-oh — one of the twigs falls to the ground! But after a day of hard work, Bird’s nest is ready and waiting. Can you guess what it’s waiting for? Using simple, clear language and beautiful illustrations, this engaging story is the perfect introduction to physical forces for very young readers. A final spread with some simple questions promotes discussion with parents, teachers, or caregivers and encourages readers to think about the concepts introduced.

A Nest Full of Eggs (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)

Named a Best Children's Science Book of the Year by Science Books & Films, this picture book shows how the birds develop inside their eggs during the spring; how they mature into fledglings in the summer; how they learn to fly in the fall; and how they leave for warmer climates in winter—only to return when spring comes around again.

This is a clear and appealing science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. It features rich vocabulary and beautiful spreads detailing different bird habitats and feather types. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by Dr. Charles Walcott, Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology and Behavior and former director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Language Arts Focus Day 5

Letter/Sound Recognition- Create a Letter N Smash by writing upper and lowercase N around a piece of colorful construction paper, rolling little balls of playdough, and placing them underneath each letter.

When they find a N and make its sound they can squish the ball flat.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Book- This sweet living science book follows a family of Robins from building their nest to laying eggs up to when they fly away and start the cycle all over again.

It gives a nice infographic about the bird’s development in the egg which is great to go with this N is for nest handprint.

Craft/Activity- Roll a paper bag down and scrunch it up all around to create a basic nest shape. Write lower and uppercase ends on small slips of paper cut into an egg shape.

You could also add a few other letters your child is familiar with for review. 

Pull each “egg” out of the nest and make the sound as well as ask your child to identify the name of the letter.

They can also sort lowercase and uppercase into two piles.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Song/Fingerplay- Nightingale’s Nest is a silly song that reinforces a child’s recognition of the letter N as well as repeating the sound over and over.

Snack- Let’s end the unit with these Birds Nests Cookies that demonstrate what a bird’s nest looks like and how it protects the little eggs.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Of course, it is not too cute to eat, these are just delicious and not too hard to make.

Finally, look how to make these adorable N is for nest handprint paper plate birds nest.

N is for Nest Handprint Paper Plate Birds Nest

You will need:

  • Paper plate
  • Brown craft paint
  • White or blue construction paper
  • tan/brown construction paper
  • Glue stick

First, paint your child’s hand brown. Press it down into the center of the plate with the heel of the hand in the middle. Point the fingers outward toward the edges.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Repeat around the plate overlapping some with each handprint.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Allow the paint to dry.

While waiting you can cut a few egg shapes out of your colored construction paper.

Then, write lower and upper case N’s.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

Next, cut small strips of brown/tan construction paper, and gather tiny twigs, string, etc..

Set out the completely dried paper plate nest with some of your N-labeled eggs. Add bits for the nest and let them glue them on to make a full comfy nest for the eggs.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

This is good for building fine motor skills while you talk about how nests are built.

Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft

1 CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: birds, crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool preschool, nest, preschool

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

September 5, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

 If you’re doing fall leaf crafts for preschoolers, you’ll love these felt leaf sachets. Also, you’ll love my page Fall Season Unit Study {Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More}.

This felt leaf sachet is a great beginning handicraft for your preschooler.

And this type of craft is wonderful for developing hand-eye coordination, focus, fine motor skills, problem-solving, and patience.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

It encourages creativity and teaches them a simple life skill.

This craft focuses more on learning a new skill and the process rather than the result, even though the finished product is pretty cute.

10 More Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Grab these other ideas to use leaves to craft with preschoolers.

Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

From leaf rubbings to salt painting, I also have a list of 10 more fall leaf crafts for preschoolers for you to choose from.

Choose one or more of these crafts to add to your fall fun and learning in addition to our felt leaf craft.

Photo Credit: thecraftyclassroom.com

Wondering what you can make with fall leaves? We’ve got the answer! There are a ton of Fun Fall Art Project ideas we have showcased.

Photo Credit: www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

EASY Fall Leaf Craft for Preschoolers

Celebrate the arrival of Autumn and the changing seasons with these super cute fall leaf crafts for preschoolers

Photo Credit: mamapapabubba.com

Leaf Rubbing Collages

Miss G and I did a classic kid project – leaf rubbings!  Although we’ve tried rubbings once before while still in Canada

Photo Credit: www.learningandexploringthroughplay.com

Leaf Confetti Nature Wands

We made some lovely nature confetti wands that I want to share with you today. With cardboard in abundance at the moment I really like to reuse as much of it as possible and it's great to be able to use some of it for crafting with the children. 

Photo Credit: www.kitchentableclassroom.com

Rainbow Leaf Prints- with Washable Marker

Rainbow anything is beautiful but these leaf prints combine the colors of the rainbow with the delicate details of leaves for a finished product you just want to keep looking at! 

Photo Credit: www.madewithhappy.com

Fall Leaves Salt Painting For Kids

There is something so fun about salt painting for kids. This Fall leaves painting gives you all the fun Fall feelings as well as a great leaf art that the kids can display all season long.

Photo Credit: www.craftsonsea.co.uk

Fall Leaf Suncatchers

Need a simple craft that your kids will enjoy making and you’ll want to keep on display afterwards? These easy Fall leaf suncatchers hit the mark perfectly!

Photo Credit: www.lauraradniecki.com

Leaf Monster Craft for Kids | DIY Leaf Puppets

Now that my son is three, he’s getting interested in craft projects, and he’s able to participate more too. He helped me make a DIY leaf garland last week, and this week, we wanted to try another kids craft together. This time, we set out to make DIY Leaf Monsters!

Photo Credit: thelittlemomaid.com

Fall Leaf Hedgehog Craft For Kids

This Fall craft is fun and easy! Toddlers and big kids will enjoy creating their very own unique Fall Leaf Hedgehog Craft.  This autumn activity will get you and the kids outside and enjoying the gorgeous fall weather.  Have them collect leaves in the yard or go for a walk.

Photo Credit: mamapapabubba.com

Sweet and Simple Fall Leaf Crowns - Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Sweet and Simple Fall Leaf Crowns

Be sure to grab a great reference book to learn about leaves and other aspects of fall to go along with your crafts to help turn the fun into a learning experience as well.

Nature Anatomy is great for learning about leaves and their shapes as well as trees and bark.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

More Fall Season Activities

Additionally, include all of your kids with these fun fall season activities for multiple ages.

  • Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning
  • Fun Corn Life Cycle Preschool Sensory Bin and Printable Lifecycle Foldout
  • Apples Unit How to Make a Fall Kids Garland Apple Craft
  • How to Make a Kids Fun Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft
  • Geronimo Stilton Field Trip to Niagara Falls Summary And Fun Corn Craft
  • Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art
  • Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study
  • Fall Homeschool Learning Resources For Middle School
  • Fall Y’all:Pumpkin Pie in a Bag (Easy Homeschool Co-op Idea)
Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Finally, look how to make these cute fall felt leaf sachets.

Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers- Felt Leaf Sachet

You will need:

  • Felt- fall leaf colors
  • Embroidery floss
  • Large eye needle
  • scissors
  • Cotton stuffing
  • Essential oil
Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

You may wish to also purchase a thimble to help protect their little fingers.

First, cut your felt into smaller squares, slightly larger than the size of the leaf you would like your child to sew up.

You will need 2 pieces for each leaf. I have linked some precut squares above that are great for this.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Holding both pieces together, draw a leaf shape with a permanent marker or free hand, and cut out both leaf shapes at the same time so they are perfectly matched.

You can of course make these any size and shape.

Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

I recommend starting small, like no larger than 4”, and with a very basic oblong, or oval shape.

The more complicated shapes with lots of turns may frustrate those little beginning hands, save those for once they improve their basic stitches.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Thread a long piece of embroidery floss onto the needle and knot the ends together.

And double knot over the top of the first to make it larger so it won’t pull through the felt.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

You can choose thread that matches or contrasts, I love the contrast of thread against a different color felt.

Hold both leaf pieces together and show your child how to press the needle carefully through one side and out the other, pulling the thread all the way taut but not so tight that it gathers up the felt.

Have them continue around ¾ of the way.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Stuff with a little cotton filling.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Use a pencil to fill corners and any longer skinny sections.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Continue sewing the rest of the way around, knot the end close to the felt, and then cut off any excess threads.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Once finished you can scent it by adding a few drops of essential oils to the felt and refresh it as needed.

These felt fall leaf sachets are wonderful used for dramatic play or displayed around the house.

They can even be attached to some twine to create a lovely handmade swag for the mantle or bookshelf.

Make Cute Felt Leaf Sachets For Fall Leaf Crafts for Preschoolers

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: earth science, earthscience, elementary science, fall, fall crafts, fall leaves, homeschool preschool, preschool, science

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

November 29, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, you’ll love these cute and simple snowman story stones for winter art activities for preschoolers. Grab my other ideas for a winter unit study.

I am all about learning through play as much as possible, especially when it comes to younger children.

Story stones are fantastic tools that can be used to teach your children so many early literacy skills and more.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

They are inexpensive, easy to store and easy to use.

Too, they offer an open-ended learning experience that has many benefits for young budding readers.

First, in creating the story stones your child gets a chance to express themselves artistically.

In addition, they can work on fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

Benefits of Storytelling Through Hands On

Then, in the storytelling there is so much that the story stones help build and improve.

For example, communication skills, language skills, listening, vocabulary, memorization, recall, imagination, creativity, and critical thinking.

Story stones also help children express their feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

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These open-ended winter themed story stones are sure to spark some fun and interesting tales that will entertain both you and your little one for hours.

You can use these story stones in so many ways to change up the learning.

14 Ways to Use Your Snowman Story Stones Creatively

  • Have your child blindly draw 4 or 5 stones from a bag and tell a story using the prompts on the stone.
  • Ask your child to choose 3 stones for first, next, last and tell you about it.
  • Use the stones for young children to work on positional words. For example, put the hat ON the snowman and put the snowman NEXT to the tree.
  • Draw a simple winter scene on a large piece of construction paper and encourage your child to place some stones around the scene and tell you about it.
  • Place them in their small world or sensory bin play and let creativity take over.
  • Start a story with “once upon a time”, pull a stone and give a couple sentences, the next player pulls a stone and continues the story, repeat.
  • Use in co-op in small group settings, take turns telling a piece of a larger story.
  • Tell a story using the picture prompts, present some sticky situations to your child, like the sun coming out, and ask your child to finish the story with solutions.
  • Use the stones to sort living and nonliving items.
  • Show the pictures on your stone and have your child tell you the beginning letter, sound, how many syllables, etc.

  • In the reverse call out a letter and have your child find a stone that starts with the letter.
  • Choose one stone and ask your child to describe it.
  • Practice writing the words for the pictures on the stones on paper, a chalk or led board.
  • Have your child practice stacking the stones as high as they can to work on fine motor skills and they can tell a story about the objects as they stack as well.
Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Next, look at some more winter unit study activities.

More Winter Unit Study Resources

Look at these other winter unit study resources and more winter art activities for preschoolers.

  • Winter Craft Ideas How to Make Fun Pinecone Flowers
  • How to Make an Adorable Toilet Roll Snowman for Winter Crafts
  • Easy and Fun Pinecone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten
  • Free Amazing Winter Unit Study and Winter Lapbook for Kids
  • Easy Hands on Snowflake Winter Craft for Kids Who Don’t Have Snow
  • Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
  • 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities
  • How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid’s Game (free printable cube)

Too, here are some fun ideas of what to paint on your stones.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Of course the best pictures are ones your little ones love, but here are some ideas too.

Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers Storytelling Stones Ideas

  • A frozen pond
  • Snowmen
  • Hats
  • Trees
  • The sun
  • Spring flowers.
  • Animals
  • Childs favorite items like football, doll, bike, etc..
  • Snowflakes
  • A road
  • Letters or numbers
  • Your child’s name

How to Make Snowman Story Stones

You will need:

  • Large smooth river rocks. You want them large enough so there is enough surface area for your child to work on them.
  • I use acrylic paint /paint pens and sometimes both. Acrylic paint is easy to use, durable, and inexpensive. It is a great choice for this project.
  • Paintbrushes
  • Any matte clear sealing spray or you can brush on a couple coats of modge podge.
Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

First, wash and dry your stones well to remove dust and dirt.

I got mine at a local landscape company but you can also find them on Amazon or at craft stores if not in your area.

Draw on your designs with a pencil until you are satisfied with them.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Then, use small paint brushes or paint pens to fill in your designs and allow them to dry completely and keep wet q tips on hand to tidy up your lines as needed.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

You can also use a paint pen.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Or fabric paint, these have a great small tip for little hands but do come out thick.

Once the designs are dry spray well with a coat or two of clear sealer to preserve them or alternatively you can use paint on modge podge to seal.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Let dry according to directions on the can.

Store the story stones in a pretty basket on a low shelf to invite your curious creative little ones to use them.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool preschool, homeschoolinginwinter, preschool, winter crafts, winter season

How to Choose a Homeschool Phonics Program Like a Pro (& recommendations)

May 30, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

With my first reader, I wanted to know how to choose a homeschool phonics program like a pro. Also, look at more tips on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

It’s hard to do when you’ve never taught a child to read. Teaching a child to read has many parts and choosing a homeschool phonics curriculum is only a small part.

Today, I’m diving into helping you understand what is phonics and how the reading journey progresses.

a homeschool phonics program

Beyond choosing a homeschool phonics program, you’ll want to focus on how to develop a strong love of literature in the early years.

In addition, I’ll share a few recommendations of the best homeschool phonics curriculum.

First, before you can choose any curriculum, understand what is phonics.

What Is Phonics

Simply put, phonics means using letter sounds to read words. Mastering sounds is the first BIG step.

Did you know that it’s not as important to read the words immediately as it is to become familiar with the letter sounds? But let me back up a minute to explain two different educational mindsets about phonics.

Back when I started homeschooling, whole language advocates were numerous and very vocal.

But what exactly is the whole language approach? The whole language approach means to learn whole words basically in their context and not by phonics in step-by-step lessons.

One of the best examples of to show that we need both a whole language approach and phonics was shared with me by a seasoned homeschool veteran.

She explained that eating requires both chewing and swallowing; learning to read is similar.

Now, the educational world has shifted in how to teach phonics. There is now a focus on skill driven learning like phonics.

Most young children need direct instruction to make the transition from sounds to words.

However, remember that while children are learning phonics, we are exposing them to sight words.

Sight words don’t really follow regular rules of phonics. This makes complete sense to me — we use both whole language and phonics as we need them.

As you can see, when you start teaching phonics, tap into both direct lessons and a whole language approach. It really is a natural way to begin reading.

What Grade Should You Teach Phonics

Next, I get many questions like what grade should you teach phonics.

While it’s true that you want to teach phonics as early as Kindergarten, there are many factors which affect when a child should begin.

For instance, it’s important to know that pushing a child when he is not ready can have a negative effect.

From the beginning, a child’s love for reading can be ruined if you don’t look for clues of readiness by your child.

While waiting on the development of your child to show readiness in learning to read, you want to create a literate environment.

Look at these 4 ways to foster reading awareness while watching for phonics readiness.

  • Set the example by reading. All my children as adults love to read although my childhood was not filled with many books. My parents didn’t see the value of great books in our home, but I loved reading. I carried that love into adulthood.
  • Fill your home with a mix of genre. Wordless books, picture books, and even beginning chapter books introduce the fringes of the world of reading to your budding reader.
  • Reading aloud. Out of all the things I did, reading aloud to all of my children from birth was one of the best things I did. It was hard to appreciate that at the time.
  • Continue having fun with letters and crafts. The transition from letter sounds to beginning reading is a gradual one. Don’t rush it. Allow a child to linger with letter names and hands-on fun manipulating letters.

Better Later than Early Philosophy

Additionally, remember that each child is different. I had one child that was interested in reading early and I started with phonics lessons at age 5.

In contrast, my second son waited until closer to 6 years old before he showed the slightest interest in reading. Teaching him formal phonics lessons in Kindergarten would have been counterproductive.

Waiting on my son’s maturity to catch up, I did formal lessons later in the school year.

You are the only one to decide if a later start will work. But do keep this important thing in mind.

Children are soaking up everything they can learn. It’s our job to lead our children and not push them.

Introduce phonics and move at the child’s pace. Waiting too long for some children can likewise be disastrous.

Teaching phonics can be like an ebb and flow. I do think that children take huge leaps when they’re ready then seem to linger or ruminate.

When my children didn’t seem to retain anything I taught them, I realize now they were ruminating on the lessons. It’s important to let a child stay at a level until he is ready to move.

Next, don’t quit teaching phonics the minute your child seems to get it. As a rule of thumb, a lot of phonics programs go to about the fourth grade. There is a good reason for that.

If you stop teaching phonics too soon, a child may not master decoding (breaking written words into spoken sounds).

Eventually, it’s my experience that encoding (translating a spoken word to a written word or symbols, i.e. writing) is affected as well. By the way encoding is taught through spelling.

And although writing and reading are connected, they’re not learned at the same time with beginner readers.

So, the point is to take cues from your child and keep learning fun. You are the only one to know whether you need to wait later or move ahead.

Best Phonics Homeschool Curriculum

Then, there are many wonderful homeschool phonics programs that we have available now.

Here are some of the ones I really love.

1. All About Reading.

I loved using All About Reading because of how interactive it can be made for your child.

When your child is learning to read, using all his senses are important.

Some kids are visual, and others are stronger using audio. In addition to having everything you need to make learning fun, the teacher’s manuals are helpful.

2. Explode the Code.

Second, we used Explode the Code series and loved using every books. This is an affordable and easy to use program which makes it easy for beginner readers. I love how complete the set it is.

Just follow the sequence suggested which makes this program easy. Your child can progress at his pace.

Another one I used and loved is The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

3. The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

If you want a bit more hand holding, you’ll love using The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.

4. Hooked on Phonics.

Now, this next one I haven’t used as much, but have helped others to use it.

Hooked on Phonics. is an easy-to-use program which has been around for a while. There is a reason. It works. This program is geared for ages 3 to 4. Again, many have a love or hate relationship with this program.

5. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Another program loved by many homeschoolers is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Many homeschoolers have successfully taught their children to read using it.

I started using it but found that I wanted more hand holding. Again, you decide if it will work for you.

Lastly, we loved using Horizons Phonics.

6. Horizons Phonics.

I used Horizon Phonics with my son who was later to learn reading. It is an advanced program, but if you use it from the beginning the pace is gentle. I started using it with later grades.

a homeschool phonics program

Homeschool Phonics Program

Choosing a homeschool phonics program does not have to be scary. Creating lifelong readers happens by choosing beautiful books. It begins with a solid phonics program and thankfully in the homeschool world we can choose from many excellent ones.

What do you think, feel better narrowing your choice?

  • 12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled
  • How To Get Your First Homeschooled Child Reading
  • 5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program
  • 10 Fun Things You Can Teach Using Geronimo Stilton Books
  • Homeschool Colorful Reading Journal to Motivate Kids

1 CommentFiled Under: How To - - -, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Homeschool Preschool, Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: homeschoolanguagearts, homeschoolreading, language arts, languagearts, phonics, reading

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