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Home > Homeschool > Our Favorite Curriculum (by grade level!) > First Grade
(Ages 6-
First Grade Curriculum (Ages 6-
Douglas Talks (Christian Puppet Videos for Kids)
Douglas Talks. We often watch these short episodes of Douglas Talks as part of our Christian devotion time in school, and I have to admit, this is one of the best puppet shows I’ve ever watched! The puppet, Douglas, talks in a way that is so relatable, that you sometimes forget he’s not real – he’s just a puppet!
I’m really thankful for this show, though. It brings up so many great topics for kids, and talks to them about some really deep spiritual truths in a way that kids can totally understand and relate to. My kids absolutely love watching Douglas. I let them do some coloring while we listen to an episode or two each morning in school. This show has been a huge part of our homeschool mornings!
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds First Grade Workbooks
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds First Grade Workbooks. If you’ve already looked at my list of favorite curriculum for Kindergarten, you will notice that my kids actually start these first grade level books while still in Kindergarten. I like to introduce the first grade level workbooks a little early, both to give the kids a head start on learning, while also giving them much less pressure; they can work at their pace, and if it takes them a year and a half to two years to finish the book, that’s totally fine, because they started early enough to not need to feel any pressure to finish at a set time.
Reading Eggs “Starting Out” Mini Book Box Sets (for First Grade)
Reading Eggs “Starting Out” Mini Books Box Sets. These “Starting Out” books are meant to be used along side the Reading Eggs First Grade workbook. In fact, at the end of each lesson in the workbook, there is an “assigned reading” activity, where the student is supposed to read one of these mini books.
There are four of these “Starting Out” box sets that go along with the First Grade
Reading Eggs workbook, and you’ll notice that they start out with “Pack 5”, this
is because sets 1-
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
>> Starting Out Reading Mini Books -
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds Online Program
Reading Eggs & Mathseeds Online Program. I absolutely love this online learning program! As a homeschool mom with four kids, being able to log my kids on to this independent learning program has felt (to me) a lot like adding a second teacher to our classroom; an assistant teacher, of sorts.
First grade students are at the right level to be able to do three of these learning programs: Reading Eggs, Fast Phonics, and Mathseeds, so I usually let them pick which order they want to do them in, but I usually keep an eye on them to make sure they are doing a little of each, and not just picking their favorite program and neglecting their least favorite :)
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If it’s helpful at all, here’s the list of the Scholastic books we used (they certainly have lots more, but these are the ones we used), in the order we read them in:
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(Note: We skipped Buddy Readers Level C because it had ghosts in it)
Primary Phonics Storybooks. This series of early reader books are also really excellent. Very simple, black and white pictures, but excellent stories. I especially appreciate that this series actually uses phonetic words (as opposed to other early reader series that throw in a lot of “rule breaker” words before the kids have even mastered the basics of phonics). The books also do a really good job of helping kids progress through multiple skill levels in reading, as well. All in all, really excellent early reader books.
Pencil Control Workbook (Hippidoo)
Pencil Control Workbook. This is my favorite pre-
At whatever point they complete all the pages in this book, I give them the next book from the same series: Hippidoo Handwriting Practice Book.
School Zone Fun and Games First Grade
School Zone Fun and Games First Grade. My kids really love this book. I like to use it as a sort of “reward” from time to time – especially on days when they’ve been focused and got their other work done quickly. It’s just a lot of puzzles and games that help with logical thinking skills and added pen control practice. Not to mention it helps kids to keep a very positive impression of school, helping them to think of school as being “fun” – not boring!
Geography Kids Website. This is actually my website. I’ve been creating our own geography curriculum, of sorts, as we virtually travel the world and learn about many different countries and cultures.
I found first grade to be a good time to introduce geography to the kids, of course, my younger children (preschool & kindergarten age) also join us on our virtual travels and are learning a lot and thoroughly enjoying it, so it’s a good program for little ones, too, it’s just that I wouldn’t have wanted to actually start doing geography studies if my oldest student were still in a grade less than first grade.