Finding the right homeschool tools can make all the difference in creating a smooth, engaging learning experience.
Over the years, we’ve tested countless resources, but only a handful have truly stood out.
This list features our top picks—resources that simplify lessons, spark curiosity, and support a well-rounded education.
Whether you’re looking for curriculum options, hands-on learning materials, or organizational tools, these selections will help make homeschooling more effective and enjoyable.
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Top Essential Homeschooling Tools
Homeschooling has been an incredibly rewarding journey for our family, but we’ve learned that the right resources make all the difference.
Over the years, we’ve discovered that having a well-rounded collection of tools is key to staying organized and keeping lessons engaging for both the kids and us as parents.
These essential resources have become indispensable in our daily routine.
From simplifying lesson planning to making learning more fun and interactive, these tools have truly enhanced our homeschooling experience.
Homeschool of 1: Free Printables
Homeschool of 1 offers an extensive collection of nearly 1,000 free printables, designed to support homeschooling for children in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Whether you’re working on math, science, history, or art, these resources are crafted to be flexible and adaptable to your child’s learning style and pace.
By providing a wide variety of printable activities, worksheets, and educational materials, you can create a comprehensive, engaging curriculum without the ongoing cost of textbooks.
Simply print the resources you need, when you need them—saving you both time and money.
Teachers Pay Teachers: A Go-To for Homeschool Resources
Teachers Pay Teachers has been a game-changer for us. It’s a marketplace full of lesson plans, educational games, and materials created by experienced teachers.
I love how easy it is to find resources that match my child’s needs, and I can quickly adapt them to our homeschooling schedule.
It’s also great for discovering fresh ideas. Whether it’s a new activity or a different approach to a subject, I’m always finding something that keeps our lessons engaging and fun.
Amazon: The Ultimate Homeschool Resource
Amazon has been our go-to for homeschooling essentials. It’s perfect for finding textbooks, reference books, and reading materials—both new and used. Plus, with e-books, it’s easy to access materials quickly, saving time and money.
We’ve also used Amazon for educational gadgets like microscopes, STEM toys, and interactive learning kits that bring lessons to life. The variety makes it easy to find hands-on tools that engage my child in learning.
And for all the supplies you need—art materials, stationery, and even storage solutions—Amazon’s got it covered. It’s a one-stop shop that makes keeping everything organized and accessible a breeze.
Etsy: Custom and Unique Learning Resources
Etsy has been a great resource for finding creative, custom-made educational materials. From personalized charts and posters to visual aids tailored to my child’s learning needs, it’s a fantastic place for unique learning tools.
What I love about Etsy is the variety. You can discover niche resources that really make lessons feel special and cater to my child’s interests, making homeschooling a more personalized and engaging experience.
Curiosity Stream
Curiosity Stream has been a fantastic addition to our homeschooling routine. With its library of high-quality documentaries covering topics like science, history, and technology, it’s a great way to make lessons come alive.
The content is engaging and visually rich, sparking curiosity and inspiring a love for learning. It’s perfect for my child to explore new subjects at their own pace, and with on-demand access, it’s easy to integrate documentaries into our lessons whenever they fit.
Homeschool Curriculum and Resources We Love
After homeschooling for over seven years, we’ve found a few standout tools that have made a huge difference in our daily routine.
These resources cover everything from science and math to language arts and social studies, helping us create a diverse and engaging learning experience.
Top Science Tools for Homeschooling
We’ve used a variety of science tools over the years, and here are the ones that truly brought science to life for our family:
- Real Science Odyssey: A hands-on, engaging science curriculum that covers everything from biology to astronomy, perfect for all ages.
- Home Science Tools: Offers everything you need for conducting experiments at home, from lab equipment to complete science kits.
- KiwiCo: Hands-on science kits delivered to your door. Perfect for sparking curiosity in kids of all ages.
- Mel Science: Focuses on chemistry with interactive experiments and an app that enhances the learning experience.
- Know Yourself: A unique approach to teaching human anatomy using interactive materials like books, stickers, and games.
- College Prep Science: For high school students, College Prep Science offers comprehensive programs in subjects like biology, chemistry, and physics, complete with live online classes and virtual labs.
- LEGO: Science-themed sets like LEGO Mindstorms encourage problem-solving and creativity while introducing concepts in engineering, robotics, and physics in a hands-on way.
- Guest Hollow: An eclectic science curriculum that incorporates a variety of resources, from literature to hands-on activities, offering a flexible and creative approach to teaching science.
Homeschool Math Tools
Math can be challenging, but these resources made a world of difference for us:
- Mr. D. Math: Comprehensive math curriculum with live online classes, covering everything from elementary to high school levels.
- IXL: Adaptive online practice that helps kids strengthen their math skills with instant feedback.
- Teaching Textbooks: Engaging and interactive, with multimedia lessons and automatic grading to keep math fun and efficient.
Homeschool Language Arts Resources
For language arts, we’ve found the following resources to be indispensable:
- Learning Language Arts Through Literature: A literature-based approach that combines reading, writing, grammar, and spelling into one cohesive program.
- Night Zookeeper: Creative writing adventures that turn kids into storytellers, with personalized feedback to help them grow as writers.
- Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW): A structured program that breaks down writing skills into manageable steps, great for all ages.
Homeschool History Resources
We love bringing history to life with these homeschool history curriculum resources:
- History Odyssey: A flexible, comprehensive history curriculum that includes hands-on activities, maps, and literature.
- Beautiful Feet: A literature-based approach that combines history with storytelling to create an engaging learning experience.
- Sonlight: While a Christian curriculum, we’ve adapted it for our secular homeschool by focusing on its literature-rich approach.
Homeschool Music Tools
We believe in a well-rounded education, so we make sure to include a homeschool music curriculum as an elective:
- Music In Our Homeschool: A comprehensive music curriculum covering theory, history, and performance, adaptable for different age groups.
- Hoffman Academy: Free online piano lessons for beginners to intermediate students.
- Maestro Classics: Classical music stories and performances that introduce students to the world of orchestral music.
Foreign Language Tools
We’ve explored several foreign language homeschool curriculum tools:
- Japanese from Zero: A fantastic program for mastering Japanese, offering lessons for all skill levels with a multimodal approach.
- Mr D Math ASL: Structured American Sign Language courses, making it easy for students to learn this valuable visual language.
- Lingopie: An immersive language tool that uses TV shows and movies to teach languages like Spanish, French, and more, helping kids learn in a real-world context.
- Duolingo: A popular language-learning app with interactive lessons that make learning fun, available in multiple languages from Spanish to Navajo.
Homeschool Social Studies Resources
For social studies, we’ve relied on these tools to help expand our understanding of the world:
- Moneytime: A financial literacy program that teaches kids about budgeting, saving, and investing with interactive activities.
- Typesy: A typing program that helps students master keyboarding skills—essential for research and communication.
- BrainPop: An interactive platform with engaging videos, quizzes, and activities covering a wide range of social studies topics.
- Let’s Go Geography: A fun and interactive geography program that teaches about countries, cultures, and landmarks through hands-on activities.
- Outschool: Offers live, virtual social studies classes with expert instructors, covering history, geography, and more.
- Adventure Academy: An immersive online world where kids explore various social studies topics through quests and collaboration.
Preschool Homeschool Resources
Although we started homeschooling when our son was older, we’ve heard great things about this resource for younger kids:
ABCMouse: A comprehensive early learning program that covers reading, math, science, and art through interactive activities and games.