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Parents Guide to Free Homeschooling Materials

13 min read

In the words of Bob Dylan, “the times they are a-changin.” In the months and years since the Covid-19 virus took the world by storm, our lives as we used to know them are completely different. From work to school to daily activities, this pandemic disrupted everything and affected students from kindergarten to middle school, and even high-schoolers preparing to enter college or join the workforce.

If your child's school moved to an online curriculum, or you have chosen to create your own all-in-one home-school plan in recent years, you may be feeling overwhelmed and lost. Getting abruptly thrown into helping your children with their daily schoolwork can be scary; if you don't know where to start to create a quality home education plan, we're here to help.

Below is a wide variety of free online lesson plans, educational games, and other activities to help you and your children through this difficult time. There are more than 125 resources listed below by subject and subject matter, and many of these resources link to even more support to help you and your children in the homeschooling process.

Free Online Homeschool Classes

How can I homeschool for free? Where can I get free or low-cost lesson plans? How can I get free homeschool supplies? These are questions many parents found themselves asking when COVID-19 flipped their children’s education upside down. Homeschooling your children can be an incredibly challenging but deeply rewarding journey, regardless of whether you started during the pandemic or not. We have created a massive collection of free homeschooling resources, including free lesson plans, free printable worksheets, free homeschool activities, and much more.

Do Free Homeschool Programs Exist?

While a general Google search for “free homeschool programs” will yield hundreds of resources, you can narrow your search by looking for free homeschool apps to download that offer more structure and guidance at just a glance.

Another option to shorten your own learning curve on the best free home-school programs is watching YouTube videos of parents (or former teachers) who already have had success and who offer their advice and ways to get started in their videos. Another benefit of these YouTube videos is many creators also provide quick links in their descriptions to free home-school programs they have used or recommend.

Some examples of free homeschool curriculums and programs we saw in a quick YouTube search include:

Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/

Easy Peasy All in One
https://allinonehomeschool.com/

Ambleside Online
https://www.amblesideonline.org/

An Old Fashioned Education
https://oldfashionededucation.com/

Another strong free resource to check out is the Smithsonian Learning Lab. Not only is the quality of the information and presentation superior, but the information is organized so you can create personalized lessons for almost any subject suitable for every grade.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab provides millions of digital distance learning resources gathered from the Smithsonian’s research centers, museums, libraries, archives, and more. You can access collections of lessons and activities that have been pre-packaged by Smithsonian museum educators and classroom teachers.

In addition to text and video resources among the Smithsonian’s offerings, if your child learns better by listening, there is a wide selection of audio recordings on many different subjects and topics to dovetail into your child’s learning plan.

Free Resources For Different Classes and Subjects

Before you begin to create a free at-home study plan for your student, you will need to know the subjects they need to focus on daily. At-home classes will need to cover a variety of topics, and it’s critical that you also learn about any legal requirements in your state regarding home-schooling.

Another important consideration when creating your lesson plans at home and choosing from free educational resources is to consider how you will test how much your student is learning over time and also how to perform assessments to keep them on track to securing a quality education. You may want to become familiar with any standardized testing to help guide you and your student on the subjects and skills that are best to focus on.

What are the best places to find homeschool resources?

Your local school administrators and even PTA may be able to guide you to the best free homeschool resources as well as the most accurate insight on what type of testing and assessments can help you gauge a student's progress if they are learning from home.

Finding and joining a parent group in your area that is already familiar with creating and overseeing homeschool curriculums could also help you formulate and execute a successful plan for you and your family.

The US Department of Education website is also helpful for parents trying to navigate and understand the need for testing. However, since home-schooling programs do not receive federal funding (as public schools do), you may be exempt from some federal testing requirements. Again, reaching out to local parent groups and school administrators may be your best first step to better understanding what is essential to create your own home-school plan as you consider the list of free resources below.

Free Math Resources

Math is one of the “3 R’s” of a solid education (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic). No matter what age or skill level your child is at, there's free math help for them listed below. From printable graphs and charts to online lesson plans and games, there are plenty of fun - but educational - websites and online support to choose from. Most of the platforms offer free services to build your student’s math skills.

One of the most comprehensive free math resources is from Khan Academy and is a good place to start. From basic counting to algebra and high-level trigonometry, Khan provides clear and organized visual guides, videos, and follow-up test questions to help your student easily level up and build their math skills from any level.

Free Language Arts and English Resources

Texting in the modern world has obliterated spelling and punctuation, so make sure your child has a strong foundation of grammar in order to communicate effectively and accurately in their writings. Are you looking just for spelling and grammar help? Or, maybe you need the best way to help your teens organize essays or outlines for term papers. You can introduce younger kids to reading or build vocabularies and language skills for students of all ages with daily language and English studies. If you need support with English or essay writing, have no fear: All things English and Language Arts for a variety of ages are listed below.

Free Social Studies Resources

Understanding our own history is a key part of being a citizen of the world. Do you know when the Declaration of Independence was signed? What years did WWII take place? Can you name the branches of the US Government? Test out your social studies knowledge below, and support your students' history studies with these reliable resources. And test and build your own knowledge of history, government, and social studies while guiding your child.

Free Geography Resources

Map and geography skills are a critical foundation for any home-school curriculum. Do you know how to read a world map? Can you name all the continents and bodies of water? Do you know all 50 US capitals? Learn US and world geography with some of these free resources below and expand your child’s horizons and curiosity about the world they live in. Sparking an early interest in your child to learn about the world and other cultures and nations is the key to a well-rounded student.

Free Science Resources

Understanding how things work can spark a child’s curiosity and also build upon their research, reading and math skills. From physical science to earth science to chemistry, there are plenty of reference guides and at-home science projects to keep you and your family entertained and learning. Whether they are exploring and learning about the weather, nature, space, or the basic laws of physics, these subjects will contribute to a successful educational foundation. Create your own science experiments at home and watch young minds grow with each new project.

Free STEM/Technology Resources

Technology is critical in education these days. While many parents did not learn the in-and-outs of computers and tech in traditional school programs, today’s kids were born into a new age of technology. Feed their innate knowledge and love of all things tech, by showing them how video games and apps actually get created, and get them excited to learn about the things they already love. If you're looking to improve typing and keyboarding skills or show students how to code, or are looking for fun engineering projects, these sites can help you create a STEM education plan and set your student up for success.

Free Foreign Language Resources

Learning a foreign language can be part of any student’s homeschool experience - no matter their age. Many free foreign language plans offer studies from basic introduction to more advanced speaking and reading. Plus, the number of languages a student can learn from home is almost endless - from Spanish and French to Cantonese and Japanese. The best part about many language courses is they come in app form so you students can practice from anywhere at any time. With some, like HelloTalk, older students can even practice speaking with native speakers around the world.

Free Virtual Field Trips For Homeschool Students

Are there any free virtual tours? Absolutely! Explore museums and even parks around the world without ever leaving home. Educational virtual trips are a fantastic way to entertain, engage, and delight your students right at home. We have curated a collection of free virtual field trips for students to help broaden and enrich the scope of your lessons:

  • 31 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips by We Are Teachers — Check out this roundup of free virtual field trips from Kimmie Fink, an experienced educator and curriculum consultant who was the 2009 Puget Sound Teacher of the Year. The trips range from zoos and farms to art museums and planetariums.
  • Google Arts and Culture — Google Arts and Culture has partnered with more than 2,500 museums and galleries around the globe to offer virtual tours. Some iconic participants include New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum.
  • Take a Virtual Visit to a National Park — A magnificent collection of National Park virtual tours and live webcams across the United States awaits, including Yellowstone National Park and the Statue of Liberty.
  • Virtual Yosemite Tour — This breathtaking virtual tour of Yosemite National Park is a perfect complement for a geography lesson.
  • San Diego Zoo Live Cameras — “Oooh” and “awww” over incredible animals at the San Diego Zoo as part of your homeschool science lessons.

A Note About Creating Homeschooling Routines

According to national news reports, the closing of schools during the recent pandemic schools created challenges for many students and their parents. In response to this, many teachers and established educational organizations are encouraging parents and guardians to assist in the development process even more than before, and to help kids establish daily routines, and strengthen relationships and resilience.

There are additional resources available to both teachers and parents to aid in accomplishing successful learning at home or in a new online environment, including local help desks, online parent support groups, and webinars.

About The Author

Marc Mezzacca avatar
Marc Mezzacca

Founder and CEO, CouponFollow

As the Founder and CEO of CouponFollow, Marc has a passion for helping consumers save time and money while shopping online. He’s been a bargain and deal hunter since the early 2000s.

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