The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading is a phonics-based program designed for parents to teach reading without prior experience. It offers clear, scripted lessons covering everything from basic sounds to complex words.
Most homeschool families report completing core academic subjects in 3-4 hours per day for elementary students, compared to the 6-7 hours typical of traditional schools, due to the one-on-one instruction and absence of classroom management overhead (NHERI, 2024).
What is the Ordinary Parent's Guide to teaching reading?
The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading is a phonics-focused reading program from Well-Trained Mind Press. It's created by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington for parents who may not have teaching experience. You don’t need to be a phonics expert; the lessons are scripted, so just follow along. The program has 231 lessons that take kids from basic letter sounds to multi-syllable words, homonyms, and complex phonics patterns. Education pro John Taylor Gatto called it 'the best book on teaching reading I've ever seen.'
Teaching methodology
OPG uses a clear, step-by-step phonics approach. Kids learn letter sounds one at a time, with reviews before they start blending and reading words. There are no pictures, so children focus on decoding letter sounds instead of guessing. The 'two review, one new' method helps reinforce what they’ve learned while introducing new ideas. Memory aids like rhymes for vowels and consonants help kids remember. The lessons progress from short vowels to blends, digraphs, long vowels, silent letters, and more.
What parents love
Parents appreciate the clear scripts, meaning you don't need phonics knowledge—just read what's there, and your child learns. Everything you need is in one program, suitable for beginners to about fourth-grade reading. It's priced reasonably compared to other curricula. Because it's skill-focused, older kids who struggle can use it without feeling embarrassed. Many parents like that it’s secular, focusing only on reading without any religious content.
Considerations and challenges
The lesson format can feel repetitive, which some parents find dull after many lessons. Some say it’s 'dry' compared to more colorful, game-like programs. The original version had small, busy pages that were hard to follow, but the new edition fixes this. Parents need to decide when to pause for mastery or when to move on since the program doesn't indicate this. Kids who need more visual engagement might find the text-heavy format challenging. Switching from another program can be tricky, as OPG builds sequentially.
The bottom line
The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading does exactly what it promises: it provides a solid method for teaching your child to read, without needing to understand phonics yourself. The scripted lessons mean less guesswork and build real decoding skills. It's a thorough program that can take one to three years to finish. For families looking for a secular, affordable, and proven reading method, OPG is a great choice. Consider the revised edition for better layout and pair it with simple readers like Bob Books for extra practice.
