Homeschool Sneak Peek | 1st Grade Curriculum

June 8, 2026

It’s hard to believe, but our family is about half way through our summer vacation already! Yep. I’m that crazy mom who gently starts school right after July 4th.

At the close of a schoolyear, I like to have all of my curriculum selected, purchased, and basically ready-to-go so that I am not scrambling once we start. I thought that some of my blog friends might like a sneak peek at my homeschool choices for next year.

Today I want to share the 1st grade curriculum that I plan to use with my student this coming school year.

This will be a punchy, to-the-point post. Stay tuned for my Homeschool Sneak Peek | 4th Grade Curriculum post coming out on Thursday!

Now a few words to all my careful, studious friends who want to find the perfect curriculum and who might be worried about their curriculum choices…

• I never want to discourage someone from her curriculum choices. If you love your curriculum, then stick with it!

  
  

• There is so much good curriculum available today that ultimately you just have to pick one.

  
  

• The teacher is the key to the classroom (or homeschool). My mom, an educator for over 40 years, has shared this wisdom with me many times and I’ve taken it to heart.

  
  

• A great teacher can take a poorly written curriculum (or no curriculum at all!) and effectively teach her students. At the end of the day, you—mom or dad or guardian—are the key to your student’s success, not a book or a video!

Let’s dive into my 1st grade curriculum choices...

Math

First Grade Math With Confidence by Kate Snow

Reading

My student and I will pick up where we left off last year with these books:

American Language Series Readers--this is a set of six carefully sequenced books, perfect for the developing reader (for anyone wondering, I’m not stressing about getting through all six readers this year. We will get as far as we can.). These books coordinate with the phonics/language books that I plan to use.

Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading

This no-nonsense guide to reading covers every square inch of reading, so I feel confident that my student will have all the tools he needs in his reading toolbox.

You may be wondering why I use several reading books. I believe that using a variety of reading resources strengthens my approach in working with my student. Where one curriculum may be weak, another is strong. I don't stress about "getting through" these reading books by a certain point. We just plod along until we are done.

History

Notgrass History, Our Star-Spangled Story, Part 1

For both history and science I take a read-aloud approach with all of my students. We usually read together on the couch and then discuss what we have read. This method keeps school simpler for me, and I find that younger students grasp far more than what is considered "grade-level appropriate."

I’m not sure how far we will make it this year in this book, but we will take our time. I love the colorful pictures/illustrations and the emphasis on real people throughout history.

Science

I bought BJU’s 4th Grade science textbook (an older edition, the book on the right) at a homeschool thrift store that I plan to use in a read-aloud fashion for all of my kids.

I also grabbed Science Level Four by Purposeful Design off of the “free” table at another local homeschool store (book on the left). I haven’t quite decided which book I will focus on yet, but I’m glad to know that I have two Christian-based science textbooks to choose from.

Writing/Phonics

These two workbooks from the American Language Series coordinate with the set of readers. I’m not crazy about the boxy handwriting style in these books as I prefer BJU's pre-cursive style, but I think we can make these books work.

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To all my homeschooling friends, I hope you found this post encouraging. Now is a great time to plan before the rush of school begins again. Happy summer and happy planning!

-Ashley

More Homeschool Posts

Homeschooling a 3 Year-Old, Part 1

Homeschooling a 4 Year-Old

Homeschooling a 5 Year-Old

1st Grade: Homeschool Review

Simplifying Homeschool (this post is about 2nd grade)

3rd Grade Homeschool | Reaching the Heart, Head, and Hands

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