15+ Homeschool Curriculum Programs for Learning At Home

Homeschooling in 2020? These programs simplify the process. Photo by the author
Homeschooling in 2020? These programs simplify the process. Photo by the author
9/15/20 - By Rachael Cherry

More and more families are looking into homeschool curriculum programs in the coronavirus era. But as you dive into the world of homeschooling, it readily becomes apparent that choosing a curriculum is no small task as there are just so many available.

We became a homeschooling family last year and can attest firsthand that curriculum choices come down to the individual learner. It can be a bit of a trial and error to find what works best for your family. One thing that can be especially helpful for families, especially those new to homeschooling, is to select a comprehensive curriculum that touches on all the subjects instead of picking and choosing each course curriculum individually. We've included below a number of comprehensive homeschool curriculum, but also a few top-notch specialty programs in reading, math, and science, as well as several faith-based options.

Find more at-home learning resources in our Back to School Guide and Virtual Learning and Fun Guide.

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Complete Homeschool Curriculum

1. Time4Learning

Whether your student is in preschool or high school, Time4Learning has educational options that are both affordable and flexible to the individual learner. Homeschoolers can utilize the full Time4Learning curriculum as their main form of schooling, or pick and choose subjects to supplement the curriculum they already have in place. Monthly membership to the site provides comprehensive lesson plans, answer keys, an activity planner, automated grading and reports, and more. 

2. IXL 

If you're looking for a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, IXL has you covered. Membership is charged monthly, and families can pick from full curriculum (math, language arts, science, and social studies), a combo package (math and language arts), or math, language arts, or Spanish individually.
 

3. Complete Curriculum

For a full year's worth of curriculum by grade and a secular approach to education, you'll want to look into Complete Curriculum. The curriculum has been assembled by former teachers. All curriculum is also aligned with national standards. 

4. Oak Meadow

This comprehensive homeschool program delivers age-appropriate coursebooks complete with lesson plans, assignments, readings, and projects for your homeschool. Although each book covers all subjects in a particular grade, there are supplementary materials for deep dives into various areas. Reviewers have called it "easy to follow" and praised the "hands-on" approach that fosters creativity.

5. Moving Beyond the Page

Explore arts, social studies, math, and language arts in this project-based homeschool curriculum. Focused on gifted students, Moving Beyond the Page aims to spur critical and deep thinking. It's a secular program that often starts with reading a novel together.

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Literature-based Homeschool Curriculum

6. Torchlight

Described as eclectic, worldly, and Socratic, this literature-based homeschool curriculum is revered for its modern and global approach to learning. Torchlight offers structure but also flexibility and encourages families to modify the program and choices as needed. The asynchronous program offers book lists, discussion points, hands-on projects, and writing, but suggests families find a complimentary math program to add to their homeschool curriculum. It runs from pre-K to a level 4, which is described as best for ages 9-13.

7. BookShark

This literature-based curriculum has something every student will love: a four day week! It also focuses on the learner's level and age range versus the traditional grade, which gives the family the opportunity to be both structured and flexible. Parents can use the Instructor's Guides to prep for their weeks, and all planning is done for you to make everything as easy as possible. 

8. Build Your Own Library

Another beloved literature-based homeschool curriculm is Build Your Own Library. It's flexible and allows families to add to it, but lessons include spelling and history, and science, along with reading. There are activity sheets, lesson plans, vocab lists, reading lists, and even research projects to explore.

Special Homeschool Subjects

9.  Reading Eggs

Learn to read with Reading Eggs, which offers self-paced lessons with fun characters and graphics sure to draw in preschoolers, kindergartners, and other young learners. There are also programs for older kids who want to continue to work on their literacy skills and a math-based option. Printable worksheets complement the app-based program with reading, spelling, grammar, and comprehension. Parents can track progress, too. 

10. Real Science Odyssey 

Pick from among a number of science courses at Real Science Odyssey, such as astronomy or earth and environment. Download the eBook for lessons, worksheets, and hands-on labs and experiments, which mostly make use of household items. Peruse by grade level and by subject. There's also a History Odyssey program.

11. Math Mammoth

Pick from among full math curriculum to one-off math subjects with this homeschool curriculum favorite. The complete programs come with workbooks, lesson plans, tests, answer keys for the parent/teacher, and additional downloadable sheets for supplemental learning.

12. Learning without Tears

The beloved Handwriting without Tears program offers a number of homeschool programs, too, including keyboarding and distance learning support.

Faith-based Homeschool Curriculum

13. Abeka

This Christian-based homeschool program intertwines biblical principles with traditional school subjects for students in preschool through high school. Material is presented to students in a context and sequence that helps them learn each concept fully before moving onto the next. Parents are able to purchase curriculum by grade level or by subject. The goals include growing intellectually, morally, and spiritually while mastering each subject.

14. Alpha Omega

Alpha Omega offers homeschool families the choice of online, print, and computer-based courses and curriculums, so you can choose the best format for your family. There are also placement tests available. The program is Christian-based and uses these beliefs to reinforce concepts being taught in each subject. 

15. My Father's World

If you're a Charlotte Mason/classical education enthusiast, My Father's World is definitely a curriculum to check out. The program is designed to make homeschooling easy and has both a God-centric and Greco-Roman classical approach to the subjects. The curriculum is divided into preschool-3rd grade (Discover), 3rd-8th grade (Investigate), and 9th-12th grade (Declare), and all the concepts across the subjects are taught in a way to build and reinforce early learning. 

16. Classical Conversations

With Classical Conversations, students learn with the belief that God is at the center of every subject. The approach is a classical one that runs through three cycles (one per year). Students join a community in their city where they meet in-person once per week and learn new grammar, complete a science project and an art project, give a weekly individual presentation, and review prior concepts. Each cycle touches on math, English, Latin, geography, a timeline of the world, history, and science. Parents are then able to pick their own subject curriculums to supplement the learning at home. 

17. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschooling

This free homeschooling curriculum was designed to make homeschooling easy and accessible to all families without any time or financial pressures; all you need is access to a computer and the internet. Lessons are short and college preparatory and cover everything from preschool to high school. While there is a Christian base to the curriculum, it is not overt.

 

Looking for live virtual instruction? Check out these upcoming online fall classes at our back-to-school fair, or consider an online school.