37 Best Homeschool Tools | Our Top Picks
We always get asked what our favorite homeschool tools are.
We only share homeschool resources that we love, but there are definitely some that we love more! So everything on this list are the best of the best homeschool tools according to Homeschool of 1.
Homeschooling is a lot of work, but it’s worth every second. We’re here to help you find resources that will make your journey easier and more successful!
**This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases.**
Top Homeschool Tools We Use Daily
Homeschooling can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience for both parents and children. As many families have discovered, a well-rounded set of tools and resources is essential for a successful homeschooling journey.
In this post, we’ll explore the top homeschool tools that have become indispensable in our daily routine. These tools have made the learning process engaging, efficient, and enjoyable for both students and parents.
There are the stand-out homeschool resources that we couldn’t get through the day without:
Homeschool of 1
Customizable Curriculum: The Homeschool of 1 shop provides a treasure trove of downloadable resources, worksheets, lesson plans, and educational materials. These can be tailored to suit your child’s unique learning style and pace, ensuring a personalized educational experience.
Time and Cost-Effective: The ability to print worksheets and materials at home saves time and money. Eliminating the need to constantly purchase physical textbooks or workbooks.
Variety of Subjects: Whether it’s math, science, history, or art, you’ll find resources for virtually every subject, allowing for a comprehensive homeschooling experience.
Alphabet HandprintsHuman Body Systems BundleColor by Number BundleContinents Bundle7 Wonders of the WorldLife Cycle Bundle
Teachers Pay Teachers
Diverse Lesson Plans: Teachers Pay Teachers is a fun marketplace for educators. Offering an extensive collection of lesson plans, educational games, and teaching resources. This platform allows parents to access a vast pool of materials created by experienced teachers.
Adaptability: Lesson plans and materials on Teachers Pay Teachers can be adapted to different grade levels and learning styles. Making it easy to tailor your homeschooling approach to your child’s needs.
Collaboration: The community aspect of this platform enables parents to connect with other homeschoolers, share ideas, and learn from their experiences.
Amazon
Textbooks and Reading Materials: Amazon is an excellent source for textbooks, reference books, and reading materials. You can find both new and used books, as well as e-books, making it a versatile resource for homeschoolers.
Educational Gadgets: Amazon offers a wide range of educational gadgets. From microscopes and telescopes to interactive learning kits and STEM toys. Enhancing the hands-on learning experience.
Convenient Supplies: Homeschoolers can also purchase art supplies, stationery, and organizational tools. All of which are vital for a well-structured homeschooling environment.
Etsy
Custom Learning Resources: Etsy is a hub for creative, custom-made educational resources. You can find personalized educational charts, posters, and visual aids that cater to your child’s specific learning needs.
Unique Resources: The platform offers access to an array of unique and niche educational resources. Allowing for a truly distinct homeschooling experience.
Curiosity Stream
Educational Streaming: Curiosity Stream is a fantastic resource for enriching your homeschooling curriculum with high-quality documentaries and educational content on a wide range of subjects, including science, history, technology, and nature.
Inspiring Exploration: It sparks curiosity and encourages a love for learning by presenting information in an engaging and visual manner. The diverse content caters to a broad spectrum of interests.
Flexibility: With a vast library of on-demand content, Curiosity Stream provides the flexibility to integrate relevant documentaries into your lesson plans, enhancing the overall learning experience.
Homeschool curriculum and resources
We have been homeschooling for over 5 years now and have used numerous secular homeschool curriculum resources. I wanted to share with you our absolute favorite homeschool tools for every subject.
Homeschool science tools
To make the world of science come alive within the walls of your home, having the right science tools and resources is essential. I am going to share with you the main tools we use for homeschooling science. Early years through to high school.
Real Science Odyssey
Comprehensive Curriculum: Real Science Odyssey offers a complete science curriculum that covers various scientific disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. Its hands-on approach and engaging experiments make science education enjoyable.
Age-Appropriate Levels: The curriculum is available for different grade levels, ensuring that your child’s science education aligns with their age and ability.
Online Support: Real Science Odyssey provides online resources and support to assist parents in effectively teaching science to their homeschoolers.
Read our Real Science Odyssey review.
Home Science Tools
Lab Equipment: Home Science Tools offers a wide range of laboratory equipment and supplies. Making it easy to set up a home science laboratory for conducting experiments and demonstrations.
Science Kits: They provide science kits that cover various subjects. Simplifying the process of acquiring all the materials needed for hands-on experiments.
Resourceful Guides: The website also includes informative guides on conducting experiments and science projects. Ensuring that parents have the necessary support for successful science education.
KiwiCo
Science Kits Subscription: KiwiCo delivers science and art-themed kits right to your doorstep. These kits are designed to inspire creativity and curiosity, providing hands-on learning opportunities for kids of all ages.
Age-Appropriate Kits: KiwiCo offers kits tailored to different age groups, ensuring that the content is engaging and developmentally appropriate for your child.
Convenience: The subscription service makes homeschooling science hassle-free by providing all the necessary materials and instructions.
Read our KiwiCo Crate reviews.
Mel Science
Chemistry Exploration: Mel Science focuses on chemistry, offering a subscription service that delivers chemistry experiments to your home. It’s an ideal choice for older students interested in diving deep into this scientific discipline.
Interactive Mobile App: The accompanying mobile app provides 3D simulations, videos, and detailed explanations to enhance the learning experience.
Safety First: Safety is a priority, with clear instructions and precautions for handling chemicals.
Read our Mel Science review.
Know Yourself
Human Anatomy: Know Yourself offers engaging resources for teaching human anatomy. With beautifully illustrated books and hands-on activities, it provides a unique approach to understanding the human body.
Whimsical Approach: The use of storytelling and fun characters makes the study of anatomy less intimidating and more accessible for young learners.
Interactive Materials: The curriculum includes interactive materials like stickers, games, and puzzles to reinforce learning.
College Prep Science
High School Science: For homeschooling high school students. College Prep Science offers comprehensive science programs, including biology, chemistry, physics, and more.
Live Online Classes: Dr. Jay Wile, a well-known educator, provides live online classes and recorded courses to support homeschoolers.
Lab Experiments: The program includes virtual and hands-on labs, ensuring a well-rounded science education.
LEGO
Building Blocks of Science: LEGO has science-themed sets that allow children to build models related to physics, engineering, and even robotics. These sets encourage creative thinking and problem-solving.
STEM Learning: LEGO Boost and LEGO Mindstorms sets promote hands-on STEM learning, making complex concepts accessible to young learners.
Integration with Curriculum: These sets can be integrated into your science curriculum homeschool to enhance the practical application of scientific principles.
Guest Hollow
Eclectic Science Curriculum: Guest Hollow offers an eclectic science curriculum. incorporating various resources, books, and activities to create a unique learning experience.
Literature-Based Approach: Science is taught through the lens of literature, making it engaging and relatable for students.
Cost-Effective: This approach allows for a cost-effective yet comprehensive science education.
Homeschool math
Mathematics is a fundamental subject in any child’s education, and the right tools and resources can make all the difference in your homeschool. Throughout the years we have switched between these 3 different math tools:
Mr. D. Math
Comprehensive Math Curriculum: Mr. D. Math offers a comprehensive math curriculum for homeschoolers that includes courses from elementary to high school levels. It covers subjects such as algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus.
Live Online Classes: One of the standout features of Mr. D. Math is the availability of live online classes taught by an experienced math teacher, which provides an interactive learning experience.
Supportive Community: Parents and students can access a supportive online community, further enhancing the learning process.
Our favorite geometry homeschool curriculum!
IXL
Adaptive Online Practice: IXL is a versatile online platform that offers adaptive math practice for students. It covers a wide range of topics, aligning with different grade levels and standards.
Immediate Feedback: IXL provides instant feedback, helping students understand their mistakes and learn from them. This feature promotes independent learning and improvement.
Progress Tracking: Parents can monitor their child’s progress, identify areas that need improvement, and customize the learning path to address individual needs.
Read our IXL reviews for more details.
Teaching Textbooks
Engaging Math Curriculum: Teaching Textbooks is a well-established math curriculum that is known for its engaging, interactive approach. It covers math levels from elementary through high school.
Auto-Grading: One of the key benefits is its auto-grading feature. which allows students to receive immediate feedback on their assignments and tests.
Multimedia Learning: Teaching Textbooks incorporates multimedia elements like video lessons and animated graphics to make math concepts more accessible and interesting.
The best math curriculum for ADHD!
Homeschool language arts
For language arts, we have found 3 different resources that we used in elementary and now in high school. From literature-based learning to creative writing adventures, these tools cater to a broad spectrum of language arts needs.
Learning Language Arts Through Literature
Literature-Infused Curriculum: Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a curriculum that immerses students in the world of literature to teach language arts skills. It integrates reading, writing, grammar, and spelling into a cohesive program.
Strong Literary Foundation: With a focus on classic and well-loved literature, this curriculum encourages students to analyze, interpret, and appreciate the beauty of language.
Comprehensive Approach: It covers various grade levels, providing a complete language arts education, and is well-regarded for its clear lesson plans and teacher-friendly approach.
The best homeschool literature curriculum!
Night Zookeeper
Creative Writing Adventure: Night Zookeeper takes a unique and engaging approach to language arts, transforming students into “zookeeper apprentices” who create stories and nurture magical creatures in a fictional night zoo.
Storytelling and Writing: This platform sparks creativity and encourages children to develop their writing skills by weaving imaginative narratives and engaging in storytelling challenges.
Personalized Feedback: Night Zookeeper provides personalized feedback to help students improve their writing abilities, making it a supportive resource for budding writers.
Read our Night Zookeeper review.
Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW)
Writing Skills Mastery: IEW is a comprehensive program that focuses on mastering writing skills, providing students with a strong foundation in composition and rhetoric.
Structured Approach: It offers a structured approach to teaching writing, starting with basic sentence construction and progressing to complex essay writing. The program is known for breaking down the writing process into manageable steps.
Support for Educators: IEW provides training and resources for parents, making it accessible for homeschooling families, even if they don’t have a background in teaching writing.
Homeschool history
We absolutely love homeschooling history and again there are 3 standout resources. We are secular homeschoolers, although we really enjoy Sonlight. In fact it is the only religious curriculum we recommend (we just ignore the bible bits.)
History Odyssey
Comprehensive World History: History Odyssey offers a comprehensive and flexible world history curriculum that covers ancient, medieval, and modern history. It’s structured in a way that allows homeschoolers to explore historical events chronologically or thematically.
Engaging Activities: The curriculum incorporates hands-on activities, maps, and literature, making history come alive for students. It encourages critical thinking and historical analysis.
Parent-Friendly Guides: History Odyssey provides comprehensive parent guides with lesson plans and resources, making it accessible even to parents without a background in history.
Read our History Odyssey review.
Beautiful Feet
Literature-Based History: Beautiful Feet is known for its literature-based approach to history, immersing students in well-chosen historical novels and biographies. It encourages a love for history through captivating storytelling.
Diverse Curriculum: Beautiful Feet offers history programs covering various time periods and regions, allowing homeschoolers to explore history through the lens of literature.
Integrated Subjects: This resource often integrates history with other subjects like geography, art, and music, providing a holistic learning experience.
Read our Beautiful Feet Books review.
Sonlight (Religious Curriculum)
Christian Worldview: Sonlight offers a Christian worldview in its homeschool history curriculum. It aligns historical studies with biblical values, making it a preferred choice for religious homeschooling families. We are actually secular homeschoolers and we use Sonlight, we just leave out the Bible readings.
Literature-Rich Approach: Sonlight’s history programs are literature-rich, utilizing historical fiction, biographies, and non-fiction books that reinforce Christian values and principles.
Multisensory Experience: This curriculum provides a multisensory learning experience, combining engaging stories with hands-on activities, discussions, and a global perspective.
Read our Sonlight review.
Homeschool music
It has been important to us to add music into our home, and I can tell you with no hesitation that it has helped my sons mental health. These are 3 of our favorite music resources:
Music In Our Homeschool
Comprehensive Music Curriculum: Music In Our Homeschool provides a comprehensive music curriculum that covers a wide range of musical topics, from music theory and history to composing and performing.
Versatile Learning: The curriculum is adaptable to various age groups and musical backgrounds, making it suitable for both beginners and more advanced students.
Interactive Resources: Music In Our Homeschool offers interactive lessons and activities, including printable worksheets and online quizzes to reinforce learning.
Hoffman Academy
Interactive Piano Lessons: Hoffman Academy is a fantastic resource for homeschoolers interested in piano instruction. It offers a series of free, high-quality piano lessons that are both engaging and interactive.
Progressive Learning: The lessons are structured to take students from absolute beginners to playing intermediate-level pieces, ensuring a gradual and effective progression in piano skills.
Video Lessons: Hoffman Academy’s video lessons are accessible and engaging, making it a great resource for parents and students, even if they have no prior music experience.
Maestro Classics
Classical Music Adventures: Maestro Classics brings classical music to life with engaging stories and captivating orchestral performances. These audio CDs and accompanying resources introduce students to the world of classical music in a fun and accessible way.
Learning Through Stories: Each CD includes a story that weaves in information about the composer and the music being performed, making it an immersive learning experience.
Educational Materials: Maestro Classics provides printable educational materials and activity booklets to deepen understanding and appreciation of classical music.
Homeschool foreign language
Learning a foreign language is a gateway to understanding different cultures and broadening one’s horizons. These are the best homeschool foreign language curriculum resources for your homeschool:
Japanese from Zero
Japanese Language Learning: Japanese from Zero offers a comprehensive program for those interested in mastering the Japanese language. It caters to all levels of learners, from beginners to more advanced students.
Engaging and Practical: The program introduces practical conversation skills, reading, and writing in Japanese. It also includes textbooks, workbooks, and an online presence for interactive learning.
Multimodal Approach: Japanese from Zero utilizes videos, podcasts, and online exercises to provide a well-rounded learning experience.
See how we add this to our Japanese homeschool curriculum.
Mr. D Math ASL (American Sign Language)
Sign Language Instruction: Mr D Math ASL is an outstanding resource for learning American Sign Language. It offers structured courses that teach students how to communicate using this valuable visual language.
Interactive Video Lessons: The curriculum includes interactive video lessons, making it a great resource for both children and adults interested in learning ASL.
Practical Communication: Learning ASL not only enriches language skills but also fosters communication with the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Read our Mr D ASL review.
Lingopie
Immersive Foreign Language Learning: Lingopie offers an immersive experience by allowing students to learn a foreign language through watching TV shows and movies. It currently covers languages such as Spanish, French, Italian, and German.
Real-Life Context: Learning within a real-life context helps students understand not only the language but also the culture and idiomatic expressions.
Customized Learning: Lingopie adapts to individual learning paces, ensuring that students grasp the language at their own speed.
Read our Lingopie review for more details.
Duolingo
Versatile Language Learning App: Duolingo is a popular language learning app that offers courses in numerous languages, from Spanish and French to less commonly taught languages like Swahili and Navajo.
Gamified Learning: Duolingo’s gamified approach makes language learning fun and engaging. It includes interactive exercises, quizzes, and rewards for progress.
Accessibility: The app can be accessed via smartphones, tablets, and web browsers, allowing for on-the-go language learning and convenience.
Homeschool social studies curriculums
These are our favorite elective resources.
Moneytime for Financial Literacy
Financial Literacy Education: Moneytime provides a comprehensive financial literacy program, equipping students with essential money management skills and knowledge.
Real-Life Applications: The curriculum focuses on real-life financial situations and introduces concepts like budgeting, saving, investing, and understanding credit.
Interactive Activities: Moneytime includes interactive activities and simulations to help students practice financial decision-making.
Read our Moneytime review.
Typesy
Keyboarding and Typing Skills: Typesy is a valuable resource for teaching keyboarding and typing skills, which are essential for modern social studies research and communication.
Adaptive Learning: The program adapts to individual learning speeds and offers a variety of typing exercises, games, and lessons.
Skill Integration: Proficient typing skills enable students to efficiently research and create social studies projects and reports.
Read our Typesy review.
BrainPop
Multimedia Social Studies Curriculum: BrainPop offers a multimedia curriculum covering various social studies topics through animated videos, quizzes, and interactive activities.
Engaging Content: BrainPop’s content is engaging and aligns with educational standards, providing a structured approach to social studies education.
Diversity of Subjects: It covers a wide range of subjects, from history and government to geography and culture.
Read our BrainPop review.
Let’s Go Geography
Geography Education: Let’s Go Geography is a program designed to make geography an exciting and interactive subject for homeschoolers. It covers countries, cultures, landmarks, and more.
Hands-On Activities: The curriculum includes hands-on projects, crafts, and games to help students explore geography in a fun and memorable way.
Age-Appropriate Lessons: Let’s Go Geography offers age-appropriate lessons for various grade levels, ensuring that content aligns with your child’s development.
Outschool
Virtual Social Studies Classes: Outschool is an online learning platform that offers a variety of virtual social studies classes, covering topics like history, geography, and culture.
Diverse Instructors: Outschool connects students with instructors who have expertise in various social studies subjects, providing a well-rounded learning experience.
Flexible Learning: The platform offers flexibility in scheduling and allows students to explore niche topics of interest.
Find out more with our Outschool review.
Adventure Academy
Virtual World Exploration: Adventure Academy. is an online educational platform that offers an immersive virtual world for children to explore, learn, and complete social studies quests.
Broad Curriculum: It covers various subjects, including history, geography, and environmental studies, allowing students to acquire knowledge in an engaging and adventurous way.
Collaboration: Adventure Academy enables students to collaborate with peers in a virtual environment, enhancing social studies discussions and group activities.
Learn more with our Adventure Academy reviews.
Homeschool preschool
As we only started homeschooling when my son was 8 we don’t have many homeschool tools for this age group. However friends have highly recommended these two:
ABCMouse
Comprehensive Early Learning: ABCMouse provides a comprehensive early learning program that covers a wide range of subjects, including reading, math, science, and art.
Interactive Activities: The platform offers a variety of interactive activities, games, puzzles, and songs that engage young learners and make learning fun.
Progress Tracking: Parents can monitor their child’s progress, ensuring that the content remains suitable for their child’s age and development.
Read our ABCMouse review.