When it comes to homeschooling all you really need is a curious child, a library card, paper and pen and a bit (okay, a lot) of patience. But there are so many options out there to make your job a lot easier, and more fun too.
While I usually have a curriculum or two that we loosely use through the year, there are so many other resources I use in addition. Here are some of my favorite homeschool resources we’ve used over the years.
The Brave Writer – I love the approach Julie takes. Even if you don’t use her curriculum I suggest reading her book The Brave Learner or her new book Raising Critical Thinkers
Blossom and Root – A nature based homeschool curriculum for the elementary years.
Your Natural Learner – We used her early years curriculum, it’s based in teaching your child within their natural learning rhythms. Very helpful for laying the foundations for learning.
Harbor and Sprout – I recently purchased some of their study units and they are beautiful! Aesthetically this is probably my favorite resource. You can save 10% now through this link.
The Good and the Beautiful – I didn’t try this curriculum for so long because we were keeping it secular, but when I explored it a bit more, the religious content is not overwhelming so I decided to give it a go after hearing so many people rave over it. My kindergartener is working on the Language Arts and Handwriting and loves it, and I’d recommend the Math to any story loving, math hesitant learners.
Outschool – This is an amazing resource! Online classes for just about anything you can think of. You can save $20 off your first class through this link.
Tuttle Twins – We started with this great collection of books that cover all kinds of topics from economics to government, and just ordered their American History curriculum too. The kids love the stories, and the fact that they have created an animated show now has peaked their interest in this series even more.
IXL Math – This worked for one of my kids and not the other. The workbooks are colorful and there is an online option to practice more, or even have full on math lessons.
Teachers Pay Teachers – this is an amazing website that has SO MANY resources. You can search for just about anything and find all kinds of materials. It’s also extremely affordable with many free printables. I have a few resources available here as well.
Audiobooks – This just may be my favorite homeschool resource of all. We have read so many books this year thanks to audiobooks (yes, audiobooks count as reading) We use audible (which you can try for free) and also borrow some from our library too. I highly recommend the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale, so good!
Easy Peasy Homeschool – This site literally has everything you need to homeschool your child through high school. I found this early on and used it quite a bit in the beginning. Even if you don’t use this as your curriculum, it does have some great resources you can use.
What Your ___ Grader Should Know books – I like these books as a reference book, and my kids even like just looking through them. They are not in depth, but are more like an overview of all the topics you would ‘normally’ cover in a school year. We definitely do not try to follow them completely.
The Ultimate Homeschool Bundle – I have bought two of these bundles and love them. It’s kind of like a sampling of all different kinds of homeschool materials, it ranges from Pre-school through graduation and also has things like planners and support for us moms.
The Library – I know I already mentioned this, but seriously, use the library!
Homeschooling Websites – There are a TON of other homeschoolers out there who share resources both free and paid. I follow many and get inspiration as well as printables, worksheets, games and craft ideas from them. Some favorites are Rock Your Homeschool, 123 Homeschool 4 Me, The Art Kit, Freedom Homeschooling
There are so many more amazing resources out there, and I’ll try to come back and update this list as we go, but I also don’t want it to be overwhelming. Like I said above, you really don’t need much to homeschool, but options are wonderful! Get a peek into our homeschool style here.
Do you have favorite homeschool resources I didn’t include here? Leave them in the comments so we can all check them out.
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