The Truth About Homeschooling with Dyslexia
Our family’s hard-won lessons, tools, and breakthroughs with struggling readers
She tried to dash them away, but I saw.
Hot, salty tears slipping out of my little girl’s round, blue eyes and smudging her freckled cheeks.
"They can do it, Mama. They can. And I can’t."
Her little voice was barely above a whisper and I had to lean in close to catch the halting words.
"They can do what, Sissy?" I probed gently.
"Read, Mama." The words squeezed out along with a few more tears. "The other girls can read… and I can’t."
My hand reached to smooth back a wisp of dirty-blonde hair from my eight-year-old’s damp cheeks. I wished I could just as easily flick away the pain that was breaking my little girl’s heart… and confidence.
Mama-I-can’t had been the mantra from this little girl’s mouth for the past two years.
I can’t read. I can’t do it. I can’t remember the words.
I can’t… I can’t… I can’t.
Unlike her bold and adventurous older sister, this tender one held the fragile strings of her confidence with unsure hands.
She is skilled at so many things. So many. But right now, all she could focus on was the very daunting obstacle of deciphering words.
After so many long months of struggle, it was beginning to be all I could focus on, as well.
A New Chapter in Our Homeschool Dyslexia Journey
Do you know it’s been more than ten years since I first wrote those words?
That freckle-faced little girl is now a stunning nineteen-year-old young woman. She graduated with honors and just returned from two weeks at a musical theatre conservatory in New York City.
A few summers ago, she memorized 200 lines, and multiple songs, as the leading lady in “Beauty and the Beast—” in less than three weeks.
We have come a long, long way, Baby.
But our journey with homeschool dyslexia didn’t end there. Two her younger brothers are also dyslexic.
Honestly—it hasn’t been the homeschool experience I envisioned, but it has been one full of learning, growth, and grace.
Our First Steps: Realizing What Wasn’t Working
We started with a traditional textbook-based curriculum. It worked well for our oldest, but by the time our second child was in first grade, I knew we were in for a struggle.
I didn’t yet realize we were dealing with dyslexia, but I knew something had to change.
I began reading everything I could about Charlotte Mason and discovered Karen Andreola’s book A Charlotte Mason Companion.
Her chapter on reading and phonics nudged me to stop focusing so much on sounding out words and to shift toward sight words instead.
We switched to My Father’s World, a Charlotte Mason-style program, and that shift helped—but not enough.
The real breakthrough came when I discovered that both my daughter and son were auditory learners. Unlike their visual-learner mama and older sister, they needed to hear things to learn.
The Homeschool Reading Curriculum That Finally Worked
If I could go back and choose one thing to do differently from the beginning, it would be to start with All About Reading.
It is, without question, the best homeschool curriculum for dyslexia we’ve used. It's multi-sensory, simple to follow, and actually works.
I’ve tried many programs over the years. Some helped a little. Some didn’t help at all. But All About Reading became the foundation of our homeschool dyslexia reading curriculum.
It’s gentle, structured, and confidence-building—everything my struggling readers needed.
I’ve used it to teach my three youngest kids (dyslexic and not) to read, as well as taught it in our local homeschool community’s dyslexia reading program.
Homeschool Adjustments That Helped Us Move Forward
Because my kids couldn’t sit down and read through their lessons independently, I had to become their reading buddy, their narrator, and their scribe.
I read everything aloud. We did history and science together. I combined subjects where I could.
For language arts and math, I read every instruction, explained every concept, and helped with every written word. We leaned heavily on audiobooks and narration.
For years years, we did as much as possible through oral answers instead of written assignments. This was especially helpful with our son, who struggled deeply with letter and number reversals.
Dyslexia doesn’t just affect reading; it can touch every part of how a child processes written language.
Eventually, I realized I couldn’t do it all on my own. We found a local University Model school that offered dyslexia therapy. It was a financial and time commitment, but one of the best decisions we made. Our children loved their therapist and made real progress with her help.
Filling the Gaps Without Losing Heart
Today, both of my dyslexic boys are in middle school and high school. Over the years, there have been gaps in their education, but we’ve found tools to help fill them.
For handwriting, we’ve used Write Through the Bible and now The Good and the Beautiful handwriting.
Cursive, interestingly, has worked better for our dyslexic learners than print.
For spelling, we use All About Spelling. It’s simple, logical, and incredibly thorough. For math, Masterbooks has been an amazing fit for our tactile, auditory learners. We do daily drills to reinforce key concepts.
Building Confidence Beyond the Books
Reading struggles can damage a child’s self-esteem. That’s why we’ve made confidence-building just as important as academics. Our kids have enrolled in Friday electives at our local University Model school—music, karate, theatre.
And the girl who whispered "I can’t read"? She’s now an honor graduate and NYC-trained performer.
Final Encouragement for Parents on This Path
If you’re walking the road of homeschool dyslexia, I want you to know:
It’s okay to lower your expectations.
It’s okay if your child isn’t reading like their peers.
Be gentle with yourself and with them.
Discover their learning style. Get them tested if the signs point toward dyslexia.
And if you do nothing else, try All About Reading. It’s the best homeschool program for dyslexia I’ve found—and it made all the difference in our journey.
Stay the course. Be patient. Celebrate progress. There will be tears, yes—but there will also be breakthroughs.
You’re not alone.
With lots of grace,
Kristy
P.S. For further reading and support, check out the links below:
Homeschooling with Dyslexia (free journaling prompts & worksheet)
“3 Ways to Keep Joy Alive When You’re Homeschooling with Dyslexia”
20 Best Tips for Teaching Reading and Spelling (free download)