How to Know If Your Homeschooler Is on Track With Reading

When you’re homeschooling, there’s no report card, no standardized test, and no school conference to tell you how your child is doing.

That freedom is amazing—but it can also be stressful. 😅

One of the most common questions homeschool parents ask is:

“How do I know if my child’s reading progress is where it should be?”

The truth is: every child grows at their own pace. But there are some clear benchmarks, especially when you’re following a structured, phonics-based approach.

In this post, you’ll learn how to spot the signs that your child is on track—and what to watch for if they’re not.

🎯 What “On Track” Means (and Doesn’t Mean)

Being “on track” doesn’t mean your child is reading chapter books at age 5.

It means:

• They are steadily building foundational skills

• They’re progressing through phonics stages in a logical way

• They understand what they read at their level

• They aren’t guessing or memorizing—they’re decoding

There’s no rush. But there is a roadmap.

🚦 Key Reading Benchmarks by Age

These aren’t hard cutoffs, but they give you a general sense of what to look for.

Ages 4–5 (Pre-K to Early Kindergarten)

✅ Can name most letter sounds
✅ Can blend 2–3 phonemes orally (like /c/ /a/ /t/)
✅ Begins reading simple CVC words (cat, sun, hop)
✅ Recognizes a few high-frequency words with support

If your child is still working on blending or phonemic awareness, don’t panic—this is the time to build those oral skills.

Ages 5–6 (Kindergarten to Early 1st Grade)

✅ Reads short decodable sentences with short vowels
✅ Knows common digraphs (sh, ch, th)
✅ Can spell basic CVC words from dictation
✅ Begins to self-correct errors while reading

Fluency will still be slow, and that’s okay. Accuracy is more important than speed at this stage.

Ages 6–7 (1st Grade)

✅ Reads short stories with both short and long vowel patterns
✅ Can decode words with blends and digraphs
✅ Recognizes 100+ high-frequency words
✅ Spells words with short vowels and simple long vowel rules

At this stage, reading should begin to feel smoother, with more expression and comprehension.

Ages 7–8 (2nd Grade and Up)

✅ Reads multisyllabic words (e.g., picnic, jumping, sunset)
✅ Uses syllable division strategies when decoding
✅ Reads with increasing fluency and expression
✅ Can summarize or retell what they’ve read

Students who are solid decoders by this stage tend to grow quickly in fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

🧠 Signs Your Child Might Be Falling Behind

Watch for these red flags:

• Struggles to blend sounds even after practice

• Guesses words based on pictures or first letters

• Memorizes familiar books but can’t read new ones

• Avoids reading or says “I can’t” often

• Still reversing or confusing letter sounds by mid-1st grade

These don’t mean your child is “behind forever”—but they are signs it’s time to slow down, review earlier skills, or seek extra support.

🧩 What to Focus On If You’re Unsure

If you’re feeling unsure, focus on the big three:

1. Can your child decode unfamiliar words using phonics?

2. Can they understand what they read—at their level?

3. Are they progressing steadily, even if slowly?

If the answer is yes to those, you’re likely right on track. 💪

📈 Tracking Progress in a Homeschool Setting

You don’t need formal assessments, but you can keep track of growth through:

• A reading log (date, book, how it went)

• Noting which phonics skills they’ve mastered

• Recording how many words they can read or spell independently every few weeks

• Taking short videos to see how their fluency changes over time 📹

Even small gains matter. Reading growth often happens in quiet ways—until it suddenly takes off.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a classroom, grade-level benchmarks, or test scores to know if your homeschooler is thriving in reading.

You need to look for:

• Consistent skill growth

• Confident decoding

• A love of stories and learning

If you see that? You’re doing just fine.
Keep going—step by step, sound by sound. 📖✨