Five in a Row

What Reviewers Say

Reviewers describe Five in a Row as a gentle, flexible approach to education that prioritizes exploration and a love of reading. According to Spirit-Led Homeschool and This Homeschool House, the curriculum provides a low-stress introduction to school life that allows children to follow their own interests. A reader review on The Homeschool Mom highlights the program's simplicity and the way it integrates literature with Bible study using basic library books. Simple Homeschool describes it as a format for exploring the world in a big-picture way while keeping a flexible lifestyle. However, reviewers also note specific limitations. Cathy Duffy Reviews mentions that the program is not an open-and-go system and requires separate instruction for math and phonics. Furthermore, Learning Life indicates that while the units are effective, they may lack the academic rigor some parents expect for older students.

How It Works

A parent and child sit together to read a single high-quality picture book every day for five consecutive days, which is referred to as 'rowing' the book. After each reading, the parent chooses one or more lessons from the teacher's manual in social studies, language arts, art, applied math or science, all revolving around the story. For example, if the book is set in China, one lesson might involve finding China on a map, while another might explore a science concept like how silk is made. Using one lesson a day takes as little as 30 minutes including the reading, while using every lesson, field trip and follow-up activity can take several hours. This routine requires very little preparation other than checking the book out from the library and gathering simple household items for occasional hands-on projects.

Switching to This?

Five in a Row does not offer formal placement tests because the curriculum is based on developmental stages rather than specific grade-level skills. The community rule of thumb is to choose a volume based on the child's age: 'Before Five in a Row' for ages 2-4, 'More Before Five in a Row' for ages 3-5, Volumes 1-4 for ages 5-9, and Volumes 5-8 for ages 10-12 and up. Because each weekly book study is a self-contained unit, families can easily start mid-year or skip around the manual to follow a child’s specific interests. Parents switching from a traditional textbook program should be aware that they will need to purchase separate, dedicated programs for phonics and formal mathematics to ensure those core skills are fully covered.

Curriculum Details

Price

$49

Each teacher's manual (Before Five in a Row, More Before Five in a Row, and Volumes 1-8) costs $49, in print or as a digital PDF. Optional Bible Supplements and Nature Studies are $49 each, and Story Disks and Mini Units are $10 each. The picture books and chapter books are not included; families borrow them from the library or buy them separately.

Grades

PRE-K - 8

Available As

Print Digital

Coverage

Multiple subjects: Art, History/Social Studies, Math, Reading/Language Arts, Science

Subjects

Reading/Language Arts Science History/Social Studies Art Math

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Pacing

Flexible

Parent Time

30-60 min/day

Student Independence

Needs instruction

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Academic Level

Grade level

Worldview

Neutral

Teach Multiple Ages

Yes

Engaging for Reluctant Learners

Yes

Videos

Reviews We Consulted

Updated: May 2026

How This Compares

When compared to Sonlight, another literature-based program, Five in a Row is much more flexible and affordable, as it focuses on one book a week rather than the massive, pre-scheduled reading lists that Sonlight requires. Against Beyond the Page, Five in a Row feels more 'gentle' and conversational, as it avoids the heavy worksheet load and formal assessments found in the more rigorous Beyond the Page units. Parents looking at Build Your Library will find that while both use 'living books,' Five in a Row is more focused on the deep analysis of picture books, whereas Build Your Library uses a more traditional history-based timeline. Compared to Torchlight, Five in a Row uses more classic, older book titles, while Torchlight prioritizes modern, diverse literature and a more secular-eclectic philosophy. Finally, the main reason parents choose Five in a Row over these competitors is the ease of 'teaching to the middle,' allowing multiple children of different ages to enjoy the same story and activities together at the kitchen table.

Getting Started