Textbook Picks for Your K-6 Homeschool

It did take some trial and error and a lot of research, but I am wholeheartedly giving you this list of my top picks for your K-6 homeschool.

After all of my research, these are my picks. You really can’t go wrong with these, as long as you choose the right grade level for your child. They cover everything you need in clear and engaging ways, and get bonus points for being easy to find. They are all available for grades 1-6 as well, so if you love them like I do, planning for the next grade is as easy as ordering the next grade level. I just finished placing an order of all of these myself for 3rd grade!

I divided the list into primary textbooks and supplements, and included my “in-a-nutshell” reasons for loving them, and “the nitty-gritty” details for those who want more specific information and more on our experience using the texts. 

My Primary Textbook Picks

• Reading

  Title: Wonders Literature Anthology

  Publisher: McGraw Hill

  In-A-Nutshell: Great variety of literature for strong readers

  Title: Wonders Reading Writing Workshop

  Publisher: McGraw Hill

  In-A-Nutshell: Same idea as the Anthology, but texts are slightly shorter and each weekly unit has a few exercises to build reading skills. Choose this instead of or in conjunction with the Literature Anthology if your reader needs a little more support.

  The Nitty-Gritty:

  For first grade, the Literature Anthology is broken into 4 soft-cover volumes. For all other grades it’s all in one very large, heavy, hardcover textbook. Don’t let that scare you!

  
  The Reading Anthology includes 2 related stories for each week, one long and one short. The longer text is followed by an excerpt about the author. Having the stories relate to each other creates an opportunity for some wonderful discussion. The selections are very varied. There is realistic fiction and fantasy, poetry, non-fiction and expository texts. There’s science, social studies, and civics, and a lot of exposure to different cultures. Some of the most fascinating conversations I’ve ever had with David were a direct result of the texts in Reading Wonders. Not to mention that these books are beautiful and fully illustrated in color. 
  
  The only thing the Literature Anthology is lacking is practice pages. There is a “your turn” corresponding workbook which has these types of practice pages. We will give this workbook a try this year (3rd grade) for the first time. It just arrived and I really like what I see, but I worry the amount of work might be a struggle with David who hates all things writing. The 3rd grade workbook features 10 pages of practice for each week. There’s vocabulary page and a graphic organizer that correspond with the main story from the Anthology, 2 reading comprehension activities that include a reading passage, a couple of reading strategy building pages, and and two writing tasks. This is all great, targeted practice. I’ll update you once we try it for a bit! 
  
  The program also has a corresponding Reading/Writing Workshop. I did buy one of these in first grade to compare it to the Anthology. It includes 2 additional reading selections per week, a vocabulary building activity, and some (very little) active reading guidance. The reading selections are made to complement the selections from the Literature Anthology so that the two books work seamlessly together. All in all, I didn’t find too much added value from the Reading Writing Workshop. Along with everything else we bought, the Anthology was enough for us. 

• Writing

  Title: Daily 6-Trait Writing
  Publisher: Evan-Moor
  In-A-Nutshell: Super simple yet powerful. Level up if you have a strong writer

  The Nitty-Gritty:
  I wish I knew about this one when David was in first grade! The book is divided into 25 weeks grouped into 5 units. Each week has 4 worksheets and a writing task, as well as corresponding lesson plans for the teacher. If you have a child that loves writing, this might be too simple, but it was just right for David who is extremely resistant. We actually did the 1st grade workbook in 2nd grade, but the results were exceptional. The pages seem so minimal, but they really do teach a lot in a very effective way, and I get to say so as one who taught Remedial College Reading and Writing. This one is a winner. 

  I do, however, supplement this workbook with some workbooks from the SchoolZone series. We’ve used the phonics, spelling, and vocabulary workbooks. They’re colorful, engaging, and super simple. But don’t underestimate them. They helped David’s spelling and confidence a ton. 

• Math

  Title: My Math

  Publisher: McGraw Hill

  In-A-Nutshell: Comprehensive and well done. Level up if your kid loves math

  Title: Go Math

  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  In-A-Nutshell: Very comparable to My Math. We’re trying it out this year because 1) I like this publisher, and 2) I like that each chapter is in its own individual workbook.

  The Nitty-Gritty:

  David had Go Math in Kindergarten from his school. I thought that book was well done, but too easy, so I went with my friend’s recommendation for My Math. The two texts are extremely similar. 
  
  Overall, My Math is a great book. It’s a write-in textbook, which pretty much means that it's a textbook and workbook rolled into one. It gets an A+ for organization. The material was laid out very well in 10 units that build on each other. There are flash cards for each chapter that you can cut out. The material is explained very well, it teaches real math terminology, and there are plenty of practice opportunities. 
  
  That said, the first-grade book was too easy for us and didn’t cover enough ground. There is a lot of time devoted to learning the numbers from 1 to 100, and adding and subtracting within 20. It just barely got to regrouping. David really wanted to add big numbers but the book didn't go that far. The unit on telling time only taught time to the whole and half hour. That is not to say that it’s a bad book. These are the nationally recognized requirements for first grade math. However, if you have a child who is already adding single digit numbers, order 2nd grade.  
  
  We supplemented My Math with SchoolZone Big Math for grades 1-2. 
  
  This is a great workbook! It’s colorful and inviting, covers a lot of ground very well, and has tons of practice opportunities. However, it does not have “teaching” pages. The directions are minimal. The expectation is that this is practice and the child already knows what to do. If you can teach your child the concepts without too much guidance, this book may be all you need. 

  This year (3rd Grade), I ordered Go Math. It’s divided into 12 chapters, each in its own thin workbook, which I like (it’s less intimidating than a giant textbook). The level seems just right, too. Other than that, it is very similar to My Math.

• Social Studies

  Title: Social Studies
  Publisher: HARCOURT
  In-A-Nutshell: Not so contemporary, but still very relevant and comprehensive. Get the Homework and Practice Workbook too, if your child doesn’t mind extra writing

  The Nitty-Gritty:

  We got Social Studies from Harcourt in first and second grade, and I just placed the order for the 3rd grade one. This textbook is awesome. Covers everything you need to cover in 6 Units. Has some excellent reading skill-building activities built in. And, it complements Reading Wonders beautifully. My only complaint is that they have not updated the book in years, so it’s rather old and not so contemporary. You won’t find a picture of a smartphone or tablet in this book. However, that didn’t make any significant difference. The content is still highly relevant. 
  

  There is a corresponding Homework and Practice Book for this social studies textbook. We skipped this workbook in 2nd grade because of David's extreme resistance to all things writing. We discussed the text and answered comprehension questions orally instead. However, if your child doesn't have the same kind of resistance, the workbook is a nice addition. It includes 1 practice page for each lesson in the textbook.
  

• Science

  Title: Science Fusion

  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  In-A-Nutshell: Fantastic write-in textbook.
  Get the corresponding Inquiry Flipchart for lots of very simple science experiments that really drive home the lessons from the textbook.
  

  The Nitty-Gritty:

  In 2nd grade we discovered Science Fusion which was a game changer. This book is fantastic. It’s a write-in textbook like My Math. It covers a ton of material in a very engaging way. I can’t say enough. This book is spot on. 
  
  There is a first grade version of science fusion which I can’t tell you about. For first grade we got science from DKworkbooks. It was OK. I thought it was a sufficient introduction for first grade, but definitely not more than just an introduction. Each page covers a different topic, and the back of the book gives suggestions for expansion.  David loved it and still loves science. But if I had to do it over, I would go with Fusion. However, David was already a pretty fluent reader at the start of first grade. If your child isn’t, the DK workbook might be a better pick for you. Getting another book with a lot of text might be overkill. A solid reading textbook would probably be enough.
  
  Science Fusion has a corresponding Inquiry Flipchart. In essence, the flipchart has a bonus little hands-on activity to support every lesson in the textbook. These activities are super simple. Most of them can be done in less than 15 minutes, and you probably already have everything you need to complete them, and yet they really bring the science to life and make it relevant. Definitely not a requirement, but an excellent addition to your homeschool adventure.

  If you do choose to skip the flipchart, note that every chapter has one inquiry lesson that you would not be able to complete without this companion. Not too big a deal, but I would have liked to know that before I bought the textbook. 

My Picks for Supplement Workbooks:

I use supplement workbooks mostly for reinforcing core skills. Things like math facts, spelling, and handwriting–we can’t practice these enough. 

• SchoolZone Workbooks

  I love the SchoolZone series. They feature lots of quality content with an engaging and colorful presentation, all at a great price. Some of the material from the thinner workbooks is duplicated in the “Big” workbooks, but my son didn’t notice and the extra practice was not a bad thing.

  Check out these books to add extra practice as needed in math, spelling, phonics, and reading. 

• Literature Packets from Evan-Moor

  These wonderful books definitely make our curriculum richer. They double as reading/writing supplements, but also feature tons of simple crafts for each unit, excellent for our bulletin board, and those fine-motor skills that are still developing!

• SplashLearn.com

  We discovered SplashLearn from David’s Kindergarten teacher who used it for Math. Last year they added a phonics component, but we didn’t try it since David was already a great reader. I can tell you though that SplashLearn Math is fantastic. For 2nd grade, we bought a subscription for it instead of a math textbook and it was awesome. The only thing I have to say about it if you want to use it for your primary math source instead of a supplement is that you may have to teach your child some of the concepts yourself. The site is designed for practice, not so much for teaching the material. Other than that, it is very comprehensive. Covers all the required material up to 5th grade. You can move as slowly or as quickly as you like, and you, the parent, can decide which area to focus on next. Completing lessons earns rewards, and there are games built in to help you practice. They really do make math fun. David loved it. I loved the parent’s app that lets you check how he’s doing, and the weekly reports sent to my email. Done and done. 

• Your Local Dollar Store!

  Definitely check out your local dollar store! You can find lots of great materials there for extra practice of core skills. Once, we found one particular Mickey-Mouse handwriting workbook with stickers that was a particular hit for us. You never know what you will find. 

If you end up using my recommendations, don’t forget to tell me how it works out! And if you land on something better, I’d love to know that too! I’m always looking for ways to improve our homeschool experience.

Happy Homeschooling, Friend!

Make it up. Make it awesome. Make an adventure.