This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
All About Reading is a comprehensive, multi-sensory, easy-to-use literacy program to teach kids how to read. It covers phonics, vocabulary and comprehension in as little as 20 minutes per day!
When I started homeschooling, I knew picking a great literacy program was crucial to our success. The two most important skills I wanted my child to learn in his first academic year were reading and math.
However, I have no background in children’s education, English is my second-language and as a first-time homeschooling parent; teaching my child how to read was terrifying!
I often asked myself: “Am I picking the right curriculum?”, “Am I going to mess him up for life?”
Sounds familiar?
Every parent knows how important it is for their children to learn to read, but sometimes we are filled with self-doubt.
So I searched high and low in homeschooling groups, blogs and educational sites for a curriculum that could make my first foray into homeschooling, a fool-proof affair. And of course, help my son learn phonics, decoding, and vocabulary.
I also hoped the program that I chose would be fun – to instill a lifelong love for reading.
One program recommended by many veteran homeschooling moms was the All About Reading program.
I have been using the level 1 curriculum, off and on for the past year and a half and my 5-year old is already reading at first grade level! It didn’t take long for him to bring me a book and show me he could read it by decoding the words!
That is why I can’t recommend this program enough.
The All About Reading program has made me a believer – even a first-time, homeschooling mom like myself, can indeed teach a child how to read.
How Does All About Reading Program Work?
How many levels does it offer?
There are 5 levels in the All About Reading Program, one of which is a Pre-Reading program.
For very young learners who don’t know letter sounds and how to count syllables, I recommend starting with the Pre-Reading program. Otherwise, you can start at a higher level. There are placement tests available on the website.
What is included in the program?
The deluxe package of the Pre-Reading Program includes a Zebra plush puppet that looks like so much fun for preschoolers!
All other levels of the All About Reading program come with a teacher’s manual, a student handbook (in color), and several hardcover story books. The cost is around U$160 for each level.
The basic reading interactive pack (U$22.95) includes magnetic letter tiles, letter and word cards, and dividers.
The deluxe version includes the basic interactive package and a storage box for the cards and a tote bag (U$49.95).
You will need at least the basic reading interactive kit to start for level 1. The magnet tiles can be used with all 4 higher levels.
There is also an app that replaces the need for the magnetic letter tiles. It costs U$20.
How much time does each lesson take?
Each lesson takes around 20-30 minutes. However, longer lessons can be broken down into several days.
How to organize the All About Reading Program?
The All About Reading program doesn’t require much prep-work or lesson planning. You will have to read the teaching chapters (40 pages) before using the program to understand how it works, but after that, it becomes second nature.
The program is so easy to teach that after the first 3 lessons, I would just skim over the pages right before we began the next lesson.
The program includes everything you will need to teach your child how to read, however, you will need to spend some time breaking down the student workbook and preparing the activities and games for lessons.
What I usually do is, I spend 30 mins-1 hr breaking down around 10 lessons at a time, cutting and stapling the activities for each lesson. I then file each chapter in plastic sleeves in a big binder so it’s ready to go.
If you have no teaching experience like me, the teacher’s manual is a step-by-step guide on how to teach your child how to read. It includes teaching tips and a light script on what to say to the child.
What does a typical lesson look like? How to teach All About Reading?
A typical lesson starts very basic so the student can work on phonic awareness and decoding, and moves into building vocabulary, comprehension and fluency.
For level 1 for example, a new letter is introduced, then used for decoding/blending practice. The child is asked to read new words, phrases and sentences to build vocabulary and fluency.
Some lessons include games and short stories to ensure the child has plenty of practice with the new words and gains confidence before moving on to the next lesson.
Each lesson ends in a reading session – either the parent/teacher reads for 20 minutes or the child reads a story.
The program has a sticker reward system for the child to keep track of their progress.
In the back of the teacher’s manual there are extra resources to help with any areas of difficulty.
What grade is All About Reading level 1?
There are no suggestions of grade levels or ages for each level on the website, because it can be used to teach anyone, even adults or kids with special needs.
However, I’d like to suggest the Pre-Reading program for preschool/kindergarten, Level 1 for higher Kindergarten/1st Grade and so forth. It will really depend on how much your child already knows.
If you are not sure at what level to begin, there are placement tests available on the website.
However, just because a child can test at Level 1 does not mean they are ready to read. For example, my son tested at Level 1 just shy of 3 years old, but he wasn’t ready to learn how to read until he was 4.
How to tell if your child is ready to read?
There are several cues that a child might give you that he or she is ready to start reading. These cues are in addition to grasping pre-reading concepts such as letter name and sound recognition, rhyming awareness and syllable counting.
To better gauge your child reading readiness, ask yourself: Does your child…
- ask about what a sign or word in your environment mean?
- want to independently read a passage from a favorite book he or she has memorized?
- repeats words that you have just read?
- asks questions about a story that is being read or can retell it in their own words?
If your answer is yes, then the final cue is that the child shows excitement and does not resist you when you begin formal instruction.
Some resistance might be natural if they are feeling challenged, but if it becomes frustrating to the child, take a step back, work on pre-reading skills some more through games or play and revisit the program at another time.
Is it a complete language arts program? Does it teach grammar, writing, spelling?
In short – no. The All About Reading program does not include handwriting, creative writing and classic literature and does not expand into grammar rules.
A separate spelling program is offered called All About Spelling which should be started with or after level 2 of the All About Reading program.
Does All About Reading teach sight words?
The All About Reading program teaches irregular words that need to be memorized, but these are very few compare to the Dolch and Fry Sight Words list, because the program’s creator believes that most words can and should be decoded, not memorized.
Level 1 for example, only 11 sight words or leap words as they are called in the program are taught. By comparison, 200 decodable words are taught in level 1.
This is where I made adjustments to the curriculum since my son didn’t want to begin the program for a whole year, we worked on sight words Pre-Primer to 3rd Grade.
I believe this made him a more confident and fluent reader. But I did make sure he learned to decode words using the All About Reading program and took his time reading each word he didn’t already know.
Does this it work with different needs/learning styles?
The All About Reading program accommodates several homeschooling approaches and learning styles/needs – including dyslexia.
I can’t say it will work for your child, but I can share a little about our experience. My oldest son is very bright, but highly energetic and can’t sit still for more than 10 mins.
As you might imagine, teaching such a child is challenging in the best of days and our journey with the program wasn’t without some bumps. I had to shelve the program for a whole year until he was ready to learn and had to modify some of the lessons to fit his needs.
Our lessons often took place while he was jumping, running, climbing or swinging.
He would literally jump the flash cards as he read it out loud, hang upside down or climb while reading words, phrases and sentences and we had a dance party when we finished a lesson.
This would drive any teacher insane, and truth be told, it tested my patience innumerable times, but he learned through this program. And every time I saw progression, I could tell the material was sticking in his mind.
Other Tips for Teaching Hyperactive Kids or Kids with Short Attention Span
A typical lesson in the All About Reading program takes about 20-30 minutes to complete, but some might take a week.
For the very long lessons (several pages), we experienced frustration not being able to finish in one day or with the amount of information on the page.
To solve these problems, I broke the lesson down by writing all the words in flash cards and doing a treasure hunt around the house. When he found a card, he brought to me and read it.
I also used the viewfinder card, which only shows one word at a time and covered the rest of the page with a blank sheet. This allowed my son to concentrate on the task at hand and not be overwhelmed by the amount of words on the page.
Is All About Reading worth it?
I say yes. It’s easy to teach, fun to learn and it works. My son would be starting kindergarten this year. Instead he is reading at first grade level with fluency.
Of course, you might not have the same results with your child. What you do in addition to a curriculum also matters.
Here are additional things we do daily that have helped teach him how to read:
- Read together. Studies have shown this is hugely beneficial for word recognition, speech and reading readiness. As well as a lifelong love for reading.
- Point out letters and numbers in your everyday environment. Road signs, businesses’ names, product packaging, etc.
- Introduce your child to words through board games, puzzles and electronic apps.
- If you are not opposed to screen time, choose educational videos that help with phonics and decoding words.
How does it compare versus other programs?
I can’t speak for other programs as I didn’t try them fully, however, I did research the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Reading Eggs and Hooked on Phonics.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons uses a similar method of decoding as the All About Reading program and is considerably cheaper. It has been successfully used by many homeschooling parents to teach their children to read. It is also available for free in most libraries nationwide and a great option if you are homeschooling on a budget.
However it is not a comprehensive program like All About Reading. It doesn’t have all the multi-sensory and reading materials that All About Reading has and it is not broken down in several levels. It will require more creativity from the teacher to engage and keep the child interested.
Reading Eggs and Hooked on Phonics are paid electronic programs with videos and games to teach the child to decode and expand vocabulary. These programs don’t require much teaching from a parent perspective, require parental monitoring for screen time, a dedicated device and I don’t think they compare to a full curriculum program like the All About Reading. They are better as supplements than the main source of a child’s learning.
As online apps go, I vouch for the Teach Monster to Read app. In fact I highly recommend it as a supplement to the All About Reading program. The only downside is that it’s taught in British English so your child might have an accent from playing the game.
Is All About Reading secular or religious?
The program does not claim one way or the other. The lessons and stories do not contain any religious texts, so you are able to use it for either approach.
In Summary
Maybe you are homeschooling for the first time, maybe you have a reluctant reader, a child with a different learning need or maybe you are trying to help your child catch up with her class after two challenging years of remote learning…
Whatever your needs are, take a look into the All About Reading program to learn if this curriculum would work for you.
If you decide it’s not for you after purchasing, there is a full refund policy, no questions asked.
How can it get better than that?
To see a video review of All About Reading- watch me below:
If you want to learn more about how I homeschool, here are a few posts:
MATH-U-SEE CURRICULUM REVIEW (PRIMER AND ALPHA)
TIMBERDOODLE PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM KIT
HOW TO HOMESCHOOL WITH KUMON WORKBOOKS
EDUCATIONAL TOYS AND GAMES FOR PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN KIDS
Links on this page are affiliate links, which means I might receive a small commission from your purchase from Amazon or other retailers.
This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Maria
I would agree with your assessment that this is not a complete Language Arts program. We did all levels of All About Reading and All About Spelling (Spelling often repeated what was in Reading). It lacked handwriting practice, writing out spelling words, and story writing so we added Handwriting Without Tears series of workbooks. AAR also never taught nouns, pronouns, adjectives & adverbs, homophones and punctuation, which led me to add even more. I just felt like my kids were missing a lot of basics.