Explode the Code is a phonics curriculum I have loved and used for years with all of my children. It uses a systematic approach to teach phonics to children from preschool through 4th grade. As children learn, they progress through the workbooks and build essential reading skills, including phonological and phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and more.  

In this blog post I am sharing all about the curriculum, including how I discovered it and why I love it so much!

In this blog post: 

• How I discovered Explode the Code
• Explode the Code curriculum review
• Early reading resources from Treehouse Schoolhouse

How I discovered the Explode the Code

My love for Explode the Code goes way back to when I was a private teacher before I was a mother. I started teaching my student, Charlie, when he was 6 years old. When I started teaching him, he hadn’t started reading yet and was resistant to the idea and to most seated work. He was especially resistant to anything that required him to hold a pencil for more than a minute. How was I going to take on the task of teaching this child to read and spell?

I found Explode the Code and couldn’t believe how quickly he took to it. He loved the bite-sized lessons, minimal writing required, simple black-and-white illustrations, and the witty humor found within the pages. I loved how simple it was to instruct, with little-to-no preparation ahead of time. We both loved how quickly he caught on to letter sounds, blends, and how that translated into reading and spelling.

We started at Book 1 and went all the way to Book 8. We didn’t use any other form of reading instruction, other than having him practice reading aloud to me and it was enough. We did use a supplemental spelling curriculum, however, I believe most of his skills in spelling came from consistent practice in Explode the Code. For some, I know Explode the Code is used as more of a supplement rather than their main phonics instruction. I love that it can be either, depending on the situation and the child. I also love the half levels that are offered if a child needs more practice with a particular phonics skill before moving on. 

When I started homeschooling my children, Explode the Code was one of the first resources I purchased. We started with the Primer books around age 5-6 and quickly progressed through the series, ending with the last book around age 8. We found it to be enough for our phonics instruction, along with the children reading beginner readers aloud like Dash into Learning’s series, My Father’s World Bible Reader, and Pathways Readers. 

Explode the Code curriculum review

Explode the Code offers 17 phonics workbooks, ranging from Primer levels (preschool) through Book 8 (somewhere between grades 2-4). This also includes the “half levels,” which are more practice of the main levels for children who may need more time to master a skill before moving on. They also offer Teacher’s Guides, but I never found them necessary because the workbooks themselves do a great job of explaining each skill. 

The workbooks are not labeled by grade.

One wonderful thing about this curriculum is that the workbooks are not labeled by grade, just by levels. I find that this helps a child to progress at their pace with confidence, without the grade level pressuring them. 

The main skill that Explode the Code focuses on is phonics decoding and reading, but I have found that the lessons touch on so much more. Some other areas I saw my students improve in by using this guide are reading comprehension, critical thinking, handwriting, spelling, and vocabulary. 

Workbooks are printed in black and white and have large print.

The amount of work on each page is minimal, making it approachable for children who are easily distracted or get overwhelmed by the sight of a lot on one page. Once a child has a basic understanding of phonics and the way Explode the Code is set up, they should be able to do most work independently.

Workbooks teach phonetic concepts in a systematic approach.

This systemic approach covers new concepts in each book and reviews past skills learned.

Here are the phonetic concepts you will find in each book:

• Book 1 and 1 ½: Short vowels and short-vowel words
• Book 2 and 2 ½: Initial and final consonant blends
• Book 3 and 3 ½: One-syllable words that end with a long vowel or the letter y, silent-e rule, and vowel and consonant digraphs
• Book 4 and 4 ½: Vowel digraphs, syllable division, suffixes, and compound words
• Book 5 and 5 ½: Word families, three-letter blends, qu, ey, and the three sounds of ed
• Book 6 and 6 ½: More difficult diphthongs and r-controlled vowels
• Book 7 and 7 ½: Soft c and g, silent letters, the sounds of ear, ei, eigh, and the digraph ph
• Book 8 and 8 ½: Suffixes and irregular endings

While I have not personally used it, Explode the Code also offers an online version of the lessons, as well as, an online reading assessment to help with placement. They also have Beyond the Code, which focuses on reading comprehension. We used it for a short period, but didn’t like it as well as Explode the Code. 

If you are interested in learning more about what resources we used for early reading skills, before starting Explode the Code, read this blog post. I hope this review helps you decide if Explode the Code would benefit your family! 

Early reading resources from Treehouse Schoolhouse

Treehouse Story School: Preschool

Foster literacy with your preschooler or kindergartener by encouraging a genuine love of reading and stories. Treehouse Story School: Preschool is a gentle, literature-based preschool curriculum that invites children to learn through the themes in stories they love. Each week will focus on a picture book, inviting children into connection and learning through music and movement, play-based narration, alphabet and number play, motor skills, practical life development, crafts, and baking together.

Wonder of Nature Alphabet Cards

The Wonder of Nature Alphabet Print Cards were designed to offer young children a multi-sensory invitation to recognizing letters. These beautiful cards can be displayed in your school room or used for hands-on learning activities like matching, sorting, and reading.

Wonder of Nature Alphabet Sheets

Explore the alphabet through the wonder of beauty, nature and hands-on connection. The Wonder of Nature Alphabet Sheets were designed to offer young children a multi-sensory invitation to recognizing, forming, and writing letters. Slide these sheets into a restaurant menu cover or into dry-erase pouches so that your child can practice them again and again. Download a free sample of the Letter A here.

What curriculum do you love for teaching early phonics? Share your favorites in the comments below.