Delightful Reading Level 2: Words I Can Build from Simply Charlotte Mason – Review
What is Delightful Reading?
Delightful Reading is the reading and phonics program presented by Simply Charlotte Mason. There are 3 levels to the program. The first level covers learning letters and letter sounds. The second level covers basic phonics and building words. The third level increases phonics skills and transitions children into reading full sentences and books.
So far, I have taught 2 of my children to read using Delightful Reading Level 2. This level will be the focus of this review. This curriculum includes 95 short lessons filled with fun and engaging multi sensory games, beautiful word cards with art on the back, and plenty of help for the homeschool mom on challenges that could be faced or making it more challenging for more advanced students. I highly recommend this curriculum and have been very happy with it!
Who is Delightful Reading Level 2 For?
This curriculum is for children who already know their letters and letter sounds. Simply Charlotte Mason has a program for learning letters and sounds- Delightful Reading Level 1. My daughters that have used Delightful Reading Level 2 started out knowing their letters and sounds, but not perfectly. I use this curriculum when my children are at the kindergarten level once they know their letters and letter sounds. For some families, that could be first grade level.
This is also for parents who want learning to read to be fun and engaging, not boring and tear-filled. There is minimal planning required. I was usually able to review the lesson for the day the morning of, and just know what I needed to get out when it was time to do a reading lesson. Sometimes I repeated a game from a previous lesson that my daughters loved and just applied it to the current lesson. So it is easy to plan and execute these lessons consistently.
What is Included?
Delightful Reading Level 2 includes a student workbook with very minimal work required, a lesson book for the homeschooling parent, word cards, letter tiles for building words, and a few colored dot stickers for some of the activities. All of the games use common household objects like a ball, chalk, toys, scotch tape, stuffed animals, a jar with a lid, and a flashlight. I never had to go out and buy something for a lesson. All of the lessons were easy to follow.
Why We Love It
I truly love and believe in this curriculum because I’ve seen it work twice. This is an effective phonics curriculum, and both of my children that have used this are reading well. I also love it because it’s enjoyable for everyone. When we are doing these lessons, I am spending some enjoyable time with my children while teaching them to read. That is huge! We also love that the lessons are short and to the point. All of the lessons end up adding up to a full and complete phonics program.
What’s Next?
After Delightful Reading Level 2, there is one more level in the program- Delightful Reading Level 3: From Words to Books. This program includes some beautiful poetry, scriptures, and short stories for children to read along with more phonics, definitions, and more multi sensory activities. The Pathway Readers from Simply Charlotte Mason can be purchased separately. My daughter who is currently in 1st grade was using this, but we are now only using the pathway readers to give her some extra reading practice. She is constantly gaining fluency and comprehension.
I highly recommend Delightful Reading Level 2 and the Pathway Readers from Simply Charlotte Mason. I’ve used this program to teach 2 children to read now, and I plan to continue with my upcoming 4 children if it works well for them. Although there are more popular curricula and programs out there, this one should not be overlooked by families looking for a reading curriculum.
