Sound Foundations - Reading, Writing & Spelling

24/03/2026

3 Years ago today! This came up on my feed. One of the most amazing kids I ever taught!

14/03/2026

❓ Can we easily provide books to the EU?
☺ YES! We just have them printed there.
💐 I just received this lovely picture from an Educational Psychologist in Ireland, who received her books today.

💚 Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

11/03/2026

What a great place to work. I love it here!

25/02/2026

🚛 US and CANADA PRINTING
We would like to apologise to US and Canadian customers who have recently had to wait longer than expected for delivery. This was due to an issue with our printers in the US. In most cases we were able to help with emailed PDFs if these were required, but this is not ideal, as it's much better for children to start their 'own book'.
The issue has now been resolved and new customers can expect to receive tracking within 1 business day.
Thank you to everyone for your patience, and we hope all goes well with your new books.
❤ SOUND FOUNDATIONS

12/02/2026

I was just using our Handwriting Tracing Sheets yesterday with a homeschool tutee. They're great! Here's a recent review from a US Mom with a link to the free download.
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/product/handwriting-tracing-sheets/
"Hi! I first heard about your books and resources more than 20 yrs ago on The Well-Trained Mind forum. I have used your free handwriting materials for all 6 of my kids ages 29-9 yrs old now. That tracing page taught them not only correct letter formation, but I also used it to teach letter sounds and names. When my 4th son was having problems learning to read Dancing Bears was his saving grace!"

07/02/2026

Just a little help with 's' and 'y'!
Layla already had neat writing when she first came to us. This is unusual, but she had been given lots of copying exercises, while hardly being able to read a word. Here we just gave a little advice on starting an 's' from the top and dropping the tail of the 'y' below the line (the scruffy date is mine!). Apples & Pears is the complete spelling programme that also teaches writing.
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/
More on Layla's reading soon, with advice on what to do if your child 'really isn't getting it'.

30/01/2026

✒A lovely review here from a mother of three children in North Carolina.

"I have been homeschooling my kids since 2018; they are now 14, 12, and 8. I felt compelled to email and say thank you for making such amazing and affordable products. From the bottom of my heart, your company has been a lifesaver for all three of my kids. Not only are the books amazing, but they are affordable. So many homeschool products are hundreds and even thousands of dollars, and that is so unrealistic for most families. But your books are at a perfect price point."

She continued to tell us a lovely personal story about the amazing progress made by each of her children. Even after 30 years, such results mean the world to us.
If anyone needs help, or advice, please get in touch!

26/01/2026

What's the point of learning times tables (or anything else)?
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/product/fast-maths-addition-multiplication-set/
'We teach the multiplication tables not because adults need to multiply numbers by hand, but because they are a gateway concept. Automaticity in basic operations frees up working memory, which in turn facilitates the learning of fractions, ratios, proportional reasoning, algebra, and much of higher mathematics. Math is “relentlessly hierarchical” (Stokke, 2024); later learning continually builds on earlier concepts. When students fail to master foundational math knowledge in the early grades, their difficulties begin to snowball. By the time they reach high school, advanced coursework becomes inaccessible, post-secondary options narrow, and career choices are reduced long before students are old enough to understand what they are losing.' (Geary, 2011)

Fast Maths is enjoyable, engaging, and easy to teach. It is the perfect programme for children to learn their number bonds.

18/01/2026

We have just renewed our 10% Homeschool discount offer. If you are the parent or tutor of a home educated child, please like and share this post and use the TAKE10 code at checkout.
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/
For free advice with reading, writing or spelling, just drop us a line.

17/01/2026

"Mom, this program actually works!"
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/

I have been homeschooling four very different children with very different needs for over ten years. I just recently found Apples and Pears and it has been amazing and what an incredible difference it has made to my two youngest (8 yrs and 11 yrs) children's spelling. My 8 year old has been my only decent "natural" speller and picked up reading fairly easily but this program has worked very well for her and allowed her to grow in her spelling abilities. My 11 year old has never been a very good speller. He might be able to spell words correctly for a test but then when asked to use the word in a sentence immediately afterwards he would spell it wrong. This program incorporates dictation of sentences using many spelling words learned and he FINALLY actually spells them correctly. I used to be slightly embarrassed at notes he would write to people because he would frequently spell words wrong but that has also changed. After using the program for about two weeks he was working on his dictation and he spelled a word correctly that he almost always spelled wrong and he looked up at me amazed and said "Mom, this program actually works!" Not only does this program include dictation but it really focuses on breaking words down by their morphemes to help them see how to break the words apart instead of guessing. It also teaches vital spelling rules that I don't think I ever learned in school. I have tried SO MANY programs through my older two children (18 year old and 13 year old) and none of them were as easy to use or made such a huge change in their spelling. I only wish I had found this sooner. I recommend this program to anyone asking for a good spelling curriculum.

Our reading, spelling and maths books are ideal for pupils just starting out, or who need catch-up.

31/12/2025

💻For the second time in a week I've heard we've been recommended by AI, this time for Dancing Bears Reading. This is from a Mom in Pennsylvania:
🖊 We are a book loving homeschool family. My 7 year old just hasn’t caught on, so I asked ChatGPT for advice. I have several curricula that I have used with my older kids, but none have been a great fit for my youngest. ChatGPT asked a few questions about where she is with reading and then some learning style questions, and then recommended Dancing Bears. I hadn’t heard of it before, but I decided to give it a try. I think it’s pretty cool that technology is able to help find resources to fit our kids specific learning style 😄. This is their top choice for my daughter. It did list ways to make my old curriculum work better, but said if I’d rather have a curriculum perfectly tailored to her, choose Dancing Bears A. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/