First Grade Homeschool Curriculum

First graders have a natural thirst for knowledge. They are bright-eyed and excited to learn about the world around them, and homeschooling can provide a nurturing environment to foster that love of learning.

Homeschooling 1st grade offers a great alternative to mainstream education. Creating a flexible and customizable learning experience, homeschooling allows you to tailor your child’s education to your individual needs.

What Subjects Are Taught in 1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum?

First grade is full of exciting learning possibilities. One of the greatest milestones is when our 1st grader starts to become a more confident reader. By this point, they have likely learned the basic building blocks of language, such as the alphabet, sounds of letters, and simple words.

Continuing with the process of learning to read becomes the foundation for learning in all subjects in later grades.

First graders are unique and on their own path of learning to discover things. From kindergarten into the 1st grade, they learn to recognize familiar words and simple sentences. This is often done through a combination of whole-language and phonics instruction.

Whole-language instruction focuses on children’s natural language abilities and encourages them to explore and understand text, while phonics instruction teaches children the relationships between letters and sounds.

Introducing your 1st grader to many different types of reading and text materials on a multitude of subjects can help them develop a love of reading and learning through books.

My Reading Academy™ is our innovative reading program that has an extensive digital library full of engaging and interactive books and reading resources, including activities and videos to assist children in mastering the fundamental skills of reading.

A first grade reading curriculum that’s fully adaptive is a powerful learning tool. My Reading Academy caters to the unique needs of your child, providing a personalized learning experience. The program is designed to build a strong foundation for reading and comprehension, as well as fluency.

This adaptive technology provides an engaging curriculum that allows children to progress at their own pace, with appropriate challenges to ensure maximum learning outcomes.

1st Grade Homeschool Reading and Language Arts Curriculum

Along with a strong foundation for reading skills, homeschool language arts curriculum should cover grammar and writing.

Some of the skills covered in our 1st grade Grammar & Writing program are:

• Parts of Speech
• Verb Tenses
• Irregular Verbs
• Sentence Structure
• Punctuation
• Forms of Words

1st Grade Homeschool Math Curriculum

My Math Academy® makes learning fun! Our game-based approach helps children master these 1st grade math concepts without even realizing how much they are learning. With real-time feedback, My Math Academy adapts to each learner, creating a customized Learning Pathway by continually assessing what your child knows and doesn’t know in each of these areas.
Some of the concepts taught in 1st grade homeschool math can include:

• Number Recognition and Counting
• Addition and Subtraction
• Measurement
• Basic Geometry
• Patterns
• Beginning Data and Graphing

1st Grade Homeschool Science Curriculum

Animals & Habitats II: This course works to deepen the foundation of your child’s understanding of the Earth, its habitats, and the unique animals that call it home. This course has interactive lessons where your child will learn to identify different types of animals, the habitats they live in, and gain an understanding of their life cycles. The groups of animals your child will learn about include:

• Insects
• Fish
• Reptiles
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Mammals

The curriculum also covers how animals depend on each other and their environments, as well as threats facing many animal species. By the end of this course, children will have worked on skills to identify various animal species, understand how animals depend on each other and their habitats, and comprehend the significance of preserving biodiversity.

Science Experiments and Demonstrations covers lessons designed to teach students fundamental scientific concepts. Using hands-on learning, demonstrations, and experiments, students will participate in activities such as creating demonstrations, testing hypotheses, observing, recording data, and drawing conclusions. The course covers concepts such as:

• Electricity
• States of matter
• Air pressure
• Gravity
• Heat
• Sound
• Simple machines
• Buoyancy

Your child will go through the process of active exploration and investigation. By the end of the course, they will have a deeper understanding of a range of fundamental scientific concepts, including states of matter, electric current, temperature, fluid pressure, molecules, sound waves, leverage, and more.

Systems of the Human Body is an interactive way for students to learn about the different systems of the human body. It includes lessons covering topics such as functions of body systems, functions of body parts, functions of muscles and bones, and health and nutrition.

This course engages students through our exciting animated series Escape from Fred and Professor Hester, making learning about the body’s circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems more fun and interactive.

Your child will learn the functions of each system, and how they work together to keep the body healthy and, they’ll have the opportunity to conduct hands-on activities to understand the effects of exercise, nutrition, and sleep on the body.

By the end of the course, your child will have a better understanding of the human body and its functions.

1st Grade Homeschool Social Studies Curriculum

Community Citizenship I is designed to give your child a sense of different roles people play in a community, places in their community, and their own role in the community. They will also have an opportunity to learn about how communities are alike and different by exploring culture, language, food, and money.

Cultures & Places to Explore takes children on a virtual journey around the globe, introducing them to different cultures, customs, and traditions. The course is taught by the animated characters ABC Mouse, Do-Re-Mi, and 1•2•3, as they explore the world, make new friends, discover new places, and learn about history, culture, and science. Unlock the doors to the world with this exciting course for your child! From iconic landmarks to breathtaking natural wonders, your child will discover an array of intriguing places around the globe. Not only will this course ignite their curiosity, but it will also help inspire a more profound desire to explore and understand the world around them.
Imagine your child learning about different cultures and regions, appreciating the people and places that make our planet unique.

Maps & Landmarks helps children develop key critical thinking skills and inspire their creativity as they visit some of the most spectacular natural and man-made landmarks on Earth. Expand your child’s world through mapmaking, map painting, puzzles, world travel, exploration of America, iconic landmarks, and much more.

By the end of this course, your child will learn about the basics of mapmaking and how to read maps, as well as fundamental geographical concepts such as continents, oceans, and the 50 United States of America.

1st Grade Spanish Homeschool Curriculum

First Spanish Words is an introductory course that helps you teach your child Spanish vocabulary based on themes such as places, animals, food, things around the house, and fun activities. Your child will learn about unique aspects of the Spanish language, such as who speaks it, accent marks, cognates, grammatical gender, and useful phrases, through a mix of learning videos featuring the lovable alien Gooloo Gooloo and interactive activities.

How Many Hours a Day Should I Homeschool My 1st Grader?

The amount of time devoted to homeschooling a 1st grader can vary depending on several things. You will want to consider your goals for your child as well as your child’s needs and learning style.

Generally, a full-time homeschooling schedule for a 1st grader would include around four to five hours of instruction per day, spread out over the course of the day. This can include a mix of subjects such as language arts, math, science, social studies, and art.

As we all know, young children have shorter attention spans, so it’s important to keep lessons short, engaging, and interactive. A balance of structured lessons and free play, as well as time for physical activity and outdoor exploration, is also crucial. Try including breaks and opportunities for movement or play during the school day. This can help keep your child engaged and focused.

Homeschool+ helps provide the important elements a 1st grader needs in their education. Providing you with comprehensive lesson layouts for all core subjects, it is both flexible and adaptive for your 1st grader. Homeschool+ uses engaging videos and hands-on offline and online content that will help keep your child interested and excited to learn.

With a curriculum that is tailored to your child’s individual needs and abilities, our program provides the perfect balance of structure and freedom for a successful homeschool experience. We hope you can join the many other parents that trust us to provide the building blocks for building a lifelong love of learning!