Some children will learn to be good spellers with almost any spelling program. This was not the case with my sons.

All 4 of my boys had to work hard at spelling. They all needed multi-sensory activities and lots of practice. They never improved to be as good a speller as my daughter, who being a visual learner, and a prolific reader, could spell almost any word that she could read. For the boys, we used the Writing Road to Reading (The Spaulding Method). They learned the phonograms and the sounds that they make. They kept a spelling rules books. For spelling to make sense, they needed to see, hear, read, and write using pencils, paper, and their minds. Connecting speech sounds to print was the foundation in Spaulding.

All about Spelling is also a successful multi-sensory spelling program that is taking homeschool spelling by storm. There are dozens of testimonies from homeschool families that have found in All About Spelling a solution to spelling problems. One reason for its success is its multi-sensory approach and built in practice. It is also very easy to use, so it wins points there with teachers.

We all want our children to start off right and never run into problems. The reality is that there will need to be curriculum changes from year to year to fine tune instruction to the needs of our children.

You may have older children that need a stronger spelling curriculum that addresses spelling difficulties with a strong foundation and with built in review and practice. If so, you will be happy to know that some experienced homeschool moms recommend All About Spelling for older children who need help with spelling.

All About Learning Press has a recent post on how to use All about Spelling with older children.
As with every curriculum, you should not bend to fit the curriculum; rather bend the curriculum to fit your needs. That being said, an older student can just go through All About Spelling levels and lessons at their own pace. When they know it, just continue on.  You can download a PDF explaining how Merry customized the first 16 lessons for her older students.

For more information, see our All About Spelling review.