First Grade Homeschool Curricula Comparative

​Homeschooling is all about options. Parents are able to pick from a plethora of material and find what works best for their child and family. If you tend to be a bit indecisive like myself, this freedom can feel paralyzing. 
 
Over the last year, I've been working with the Homeschool Review Crew to try out and review many different curricula and I wanted to break down what we've used for 1st grade and some of the pros and cons of each curriculum to help you find ideas that might work for your family!

First Grade Math

Mathseeds

Pros: Mathseeds makes learning into a game, which appeals to a wide variety of learners. It's also self-paced which is a perfect way to work through elementary math. 
 
Cons:  We found out that there can be more guessing than learning, which means parents might need to supplement with additional workbooks to be sure concepts are mastered. Mathseeds provides worksheets for free as well as workbooks for purchase, which can be used as a stand alone program or to supplement the online learning.
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Singapore Math

Pros: The curriculum is presented in a way which inspires number mastery. 
We used the second grade program and I loved that my son learned multiplication and division side by side, as they are such similar applications. This curriculum made a lot of sense for us! You can read our full review here.
 
Cons: Not all brains grasp math the same way, so this might not suite all learners. You can checkout samples here to see if the program looks right for your little learner!
 

First Grade English

The Good and The Beautiful

Pros: We jumped into this curriculum because I had heard about it from many different moms, all boasting that the content was amazing and it was FREE. The curriculum has not disappointing. I love how the material is clearly presented and the curriculum lives up to it's name: Good and Beautiful.

Cons: Well, we've yet to encounter one. This program has suited two of my children, with very different learning styles. 

Reading Eggs

Pros: Reading Eggs operates side by side with Mathseeds. Concepts are mastered through a game like setting, which is engaging and educational. We also are using the workbook (see my review here), to supplement the online learning.

Cons: Guessing... my son guessed his way through some lessons and I realized he had gaps in his reading ability. This ultimately was my fault for not checking in more and can be avoided by supplementing with the paper worksheets or workbooks!

Classical Reading

Memoria Press offers a variety of resources that can be used in first grade. They are a favorite of mine because they offer simple, clear, classical material at an affordable price. For first grade, we used book D and E from the Classical Phonics First Start Reading Program.  The earlier books are amazing for starting your child's on a journey of reading!

We also practiced spelling with their Simply Classical Spelling Program, which is a great supplement for working through spelling words. The books are simply workbooks with spelling lists and a suggested plan to help children memorize the spelling words. It's not essential if your student is learning to spell easily through their main curricula, but can be used for extra help in that area!

Easy Grammar System

If you're looking to focus in on grammar, we enjoyed the Easy Grammar System, which offers a simple one page lesson to complete each day. The lessons build upon each other and reinforce simple grammar concepts. The Pros are that the program is extremely simple. The cons were that I'm not sure how necessary this book was at this level. But, to learn more about the scope and sequence, check out our review!

First Grade History

Drive Thru History

​This faith based video program is epic. I fell in love after one episode and am convinced the staff has the best job in the world! Students will travel throughout the places where world shaping events took place with Dave Scott's and see history come to life!
 
Pros: it's a video series which means no prep, and mom can enjoy it too!  They offer a variety of different programs. We first watched Acts through Revelation, and then watched their Ancient History Program as well as their American History Program. These can be found on Amazon, some are available through Hoopla with local library access for free, or with a Schoolhouseteachers.com Membership!
 
Cons: well, not necessarily a com, but this program is geared for slightly older kids. It was a part of our first grade year, and we'll plan to dive back in again in 3rd grade so my kids can soak up more of the messages from this program!

Pathway to Liberty

​This curricula provides a faith based walk through history, focusing on major events and how they impacted the chains of liberty, leading all the way up to our present day. For 1st grade, we studied universal history which was predominately based out of the Old Testament and included studying other ancient civilizations. This year, we'll be continuing into the middle ages with Pathway to Liberty. 
 
Pros: can be taught "family style" with different level workbooks for different aged students. It also presents a Christian worldview and content that's inspiring for moms and kids alike!
 
Cons: can be pricey between the curricula, workbooks, and additional texts but check with your local library and thrift stores to save.

Story of the World

These books are not new on the homeschool scene. I've heard them recommended many times over in homeschool circles, and there's no mistaking why. Each lesson is presented as a story that's easy for children to grasp, yet factual and detailed enough to help bring history to life! For first grade, we used volume one: Ancient Times, and have continued using the next volume! 
 
Pros: we loved reading the stories! There are also additional projects and books to accompany story of the world if you'd like to dive in more deeply. It's also available very reasonably at most used book retailers across the web!
 
Cons: I honestly haven't come across any with this program. Some knock it for being Christian, but the undertones are so slight that it can be adapted for secular homeschoolers
 
Keep in mind that so much history can be learned in other subjects and through reading books and field trips!

First Grade Science

Generation Genius

Generation Genius has been pure fun for my kids! They offer science videos, worksheets, and quizzes to test your knowledge! The topics are presented in a fun engaging way, and it's perfect for unit studies or diving into a specific topic. The only Con I've found is that I wish there were more videos! We watched them all during our free trial period, but I'm looking forward to seeing more content they develop! 

Dinosaurs in the Bible

We've used our SchoolhouseTeachers.com membership frequently when studying science! One of my son's favorite programs was Dinosaurs in the Bible, a video series that was accompanied by worksheets and quizzes.

They also offer many other complete science programs that can be accessed at the click of a button including "creation, nature, and you" and "all about animals," which are great for first grade!

You can learn more about our SchoolhouseTeachers.com in our TWO reviews:

      Review 2019
      Review 2020

Keep in mind that so much science can be learned by observing the world around us, nature walks, and books!


Whewwww, I'm out of breath, we covered a lot of ground and learned a ton last year! I hope you'll enjoy some of the above recommendations and am happy to answer questions in the comment section! Also, tell me about your favorite programs so we can check them out!