Abeka Review: Why One of the Most Popular Curriculums Didn’t Work for Us

Abeka Language Arts is one of the most widely known curriculums. I want to share my Abeka review and why we chose not to continue with it. I thought I would love it, but I did not.

Teaching our kids to read is one of the most overwhelming things about homeschooling. It was for me, at least. This was heightened by the fact that one of my children was struggling with their phonics, but I was told over and over again Abeka would be great.

And it’s true. Abeka is a robust phonics-based Language Arts curriculum. I bought the workbooks and flash cards. I chose not to buy the complete Language Arts bundle because I didn’t think we needed it all, and it honestly overwhelmed me.

Abeka is not in the “budget-friendly” category, but every product is bright, colorful, and has excellent quality. Because Abeka has such a traditional approach, I knew I didn’t want to use it for every subject. We are definitely eclectic homeschoolers.

The Pros

First, the pros. My kids learned and progressed. My struggling reader learned confidence in herself. She’s gained the patience to sound out words, and she progressed to the next reading level.

I am thrilled with her progress. Also, my kindergartener is actively and steadily learning her phonics. She has just started reading level A books, which is so fun. And her favorite thing in our homeschool is her letter sound book.

The Cons

Ok, now the cons for this Abeka review. Despite my kids’ progress. It’s repetitive and tedious, especially for my oldest. She has to complete the same worksheet every day, just with new information switched out. There is a lot of testing, like weekly. We don’t even do the tests because I already know how my kids are performing.

Also, it’s essential to know that Abeka is a grade level ahead of public school. Because my oldest came out of public school, she has to do first-grade work in Abeka, even though she is in second grade. She doesn’t have an issue with this because I explained why, but I know things like that can be upsetting for some children.

Furthermore, Abeka moves through material very quickly. Multiple new things are introduced every day, then you’re tested on them without much review or practice. It was too fast for my kids.

Moving Forward

My plan is to complete the Abeka materials I’ve purchased. However, I will be switching to Logic of English.

All in all, I don’t regret reaching for and trying out Abeka for our Language Arts. My kids learned with it. And it was so nice having an “open and go” option when we were first making the switch to homeschooling from public school. But, this won’t work for us long term, and I am happy there are so many other options out there.

Tell me, what are you using for Language Arts this year? Have you ever started a curriculum, then decided it wasn’t the best fit? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Helpful Links:

Our Favorite Early Readers

Read About Our Math Curriculum