This post may contain affiliate links.

After I wrote the post on how to teach your child the alphabet, I received a lot of questions on exactly what to do after your child knows the letters and sounds. In my book KinderStar, I go over many alphabet activities that can be used to teach your child the alphabet.

Once your child knows her letter and sounds, then they are ready to begin learning to read. An easy preschool reading curriculum is Reading the Alphabet. If your child is not yet ready to read the alphabet, then you should complete Learning the Alphabet first.

Depending on where your child is, Reading the Alphabet would be good practice before kindergarten if your child is still struggling with

Even if your child will be going to school in the fall, Reading the Alphabet, would help prepare her for school. Also, you could continue the work at home throughout the school year to make sure your child understands all of the concepts. This will help her be more confident in school when she does

Reading the Alphabet is a free, yes, free pre-kinder reading curriculum developed by literacy specialist and homeschooling mom, Becky, from This Reading Mama.

Reading the Alphabet consists of:

• 31 Weeks of Lessons
• Beginning Sight Words (covers 26 words)
• Book & Print Awareness
• Fine Motor Skills
• Math Practice (numbers & patterns)

Here's a sample of one lesson of Reading the Alphabet (this is not even all of the activities for just the one lesson)

Who is Reading the Alphabet for?

• Children who already know their letters and sounds
• Parents who want a slower approach to reading

Each lesson includes:

• Hands on activities
• Focuses on one letter a week
• Sight word of the week

My three year old twins will be going through her Learn to Read Curriculum beginning in August, but this summer we will be reviewing certain parts of Reading the Alphabet.

Pros:

Multiple Activities

Each lesson is designed for a 4 or 5 day week. There are a lot of activities to complete for each letter.

Engaging

My children like the pocket chart sentences as well as the sight word songs.

Hands-On Learning

The lessons include a lot of fine motor skills practice such as cutting, pasting, and even fun bottle cap games.

Cons:

None really. The only thing that is missing is the book list for each lesson for the word families (i.e. –ig, -ug). I like to reinforce the skills that we are doing with a related book. This not only gives children confidence to read alone, but also helps them recognize words in new contexts.

However, these books are easily found online so it is not a big deal.

Another benefit of Reading the Alphabet is that it only uses a few basic supplies.

Materials Needed:

• Pocket Chart
• Scissors
• Glue
• Dice

Although the entire curriculum is available in individual downloads for free, there is also a special bundle available with all of the units as well as bonus pages for only $12. The main reason I like the bundle (besides the bonuses, of course), is that everything is all in one place.

The $12 Reading the Alphabet bundle also includes:

• One page readers (can also be cut apart to make strip books)
• Lacing cards (more fine motor practice and great quiet time activity)
• Handwriting Pages
• Sight Word Songs
• Dice Games
• Sight Word Cards

The best part of Reading the Alphabet is the flexibility. Some lessons might take longer than others, and that’s okay. As a mom you can decide what your child needs more practice on. Or you might have twins or are teaching two children at once, and each child has different skills to work on.

I don’t print out every single activity, just what we need. The handwriting pages can be slipped inside a sheet protector and used with a dry erase marker so they can be reused multiple times.

Since preschool is between the ages of 3 and 4, it depends on how much you have already taught your child and what his needs are. My three year old twins already know their sight words and are ready to read, so we will be starting a different curriculum, Learn to Read (which is also available in her shop) in the fall. However I will be reviewing parts of Reading the Alphabet in the summer to give them extra practice with the sounds.

If you are looking for a quality reading curriculum for your preschool homeschool, then you should check out Reading the Alphabet.

Once your child finishes Reading the Alphabet, or if it seems too easy for your child then I suggest Learn to Read. Learn to Read is a faster paced, reading curriculum that focuses on word families and short vowels to help your child become a more fluent reader.