The Ultimate Homeschooling Resources: What Real Parents Are Actually Using

Best homeschooling and worldschooling resources

In an online homeschooling community we’re part of, parents were asked one simple question: what’s the one resource you couldn’t homeschool without?

Hundreds of comments later, it was clear it’s a genuinely brilliant list. Not sponsored recommendations, not affiliate-driven “top 10” round-ups written by someone who’s never homeschooled a day in their life. Just parents, in the trenches, saying what actually works for their family.

So we did the digging for you. We read every single comment, sorted the gold from the noise (turns out “2nd breakfast” and “a cleaner” came up more than once 😂), and pulled together everything that was genuinely, repeatedly, enthusiastically highly recommended by parents.

One honest note before you dive in: many of the families in that thread homeschool from home, a lot of them in the US, and some of the curricula are faith-based. We haven’t tested every resource ourselves, so treat this as a list of starting points rather than personal reviews. We’ve added our own notes on what works when you’re travelling further down.

Here’s what came out on top.

The one answer that beat everything else

Before we get into curriculum and apps: the library. By a landslide. It came up more than any single paid product, app or curriculum. Parents kept coming back to it as the one resource they’d never homeschool without: free books, free programs, and in some areas, free access to entire library networks.

If you take one thing from this whole post, it’s this: get the library card sorted first. Everything else is a bonus.

Our favourite picks from the thread

These are the ones that came up again and again, or that stood out enough to make us go “ooh, we haven’t heard of that one”. Genuinely highly recommended by parents across the board.

For maths

• Math-U-See: loved for making maths click for parents who “aren’t maths people” themselves
• Math Mammoth
• Right Start Math
• Kazuland: a newer, play-based maths app. Check its website for current age ranges and languages.

For reading and phonics

• All About Reading (and All About Spelling): built on the Orton-Gillingham method, repeatedly recommended for kids who need a more structured, multisensory approach
• Reading Eggs: originally developed in Australia
• Hooked on Phonics
• The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie: both came up as essential reading for parents, not kids

For a full curriculum backbone

• Ambleside Online: a free, Charlotte Mason-style curriculum built by homeschool mums, mentioned by multiple parents as genuinely rich and comprehensive
• The Good and the Beautiful: praised for weaving grammar, spelling, geography, art, and reading comprehension into one program
• Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool: a free, full curriculum
• Simply Charlotte Mason
• Sonlight

For science and hands-on learning

• Crunch Labs and Kiwi Crates: subscription STEM boxes. Check whether they ship to where you are.
• A microscope. Just, genuinely, a microscope. Several parents said it was the single best purchase they made.

For real-world learning

• Travel: even something as simple as catching the local bus or train came up repeatedly as one of the most powerful “curriculum” tools parents have
• State and national park programs: several families mentioned free astronomy, wildlife, and history programs run through their local parks
• Getting outside daily, regardless of the weather

The full round-up, by category

If you want to go deeper, here’s everything else that came up, organised by subject.

Curriculum & full programs

Simply Charlotte Mason, Notgrass History, Christian Light Education, Classical Conversations, Acellus Academy, Masterbooks, Build Your Library, Barefoot University, Robertson Academy (which one parent said offers some free Language Arts and Maths materials), Discern Academy (a self-paced online English program), Practical By Default, Generations.org, and Mystery of History all came up as recommended full or near-full curricula. Several are Christian programs, so check whether a program’s approach suits your family.

Maths

Beyond Math-U-See and Math Mammoth, parents also mentioned DIVE (a digital companion for Saxon Maths) and Rod and Staff Maths.

Reading, writing & language arts

Institute for Excellence in Writing was repeatedly credited with building strong writers. One parent said her daughter arrived at university already knowing how to write and express herself confidently. Also mentioned: Fix-It Grammar, Progeny Press study guides (Bible-based literature guides), the Mrs Wordsmith illustrated dictionary, and Pure Phonics.

Apps & digital tools

Homeschool Ledger, an app that tracks lessons, attendance and reading logs and generates transcripts and US state-requirement reports, got a shout-out from its own creator, but also drew genuine interest in the replies. Also recommended: Twinkl, Epic!, IXL, UptoSix Phonics Apps, and a Musical Memory app for families with younger kids.

Free downloads & printables

Parents shared quite a few of their own creations here, including printable history readers designed for reluctant and struggling readers, a Bible-based study of the Exodus tabernacle, and a beautifully laid-out Poetry Tea Time pack released fortnightly with audio built in.

Websites & communities

Exodus Books reviews were credited with helping one family choose curriculum for years. Others mentioned Rainbow Resource Center consultants, HSLDA (a US homeschool legal organisation), and various regional homeschool groups and co-ops as invaluable. Several parents said finding “your homeschool people” mattered as much as any curriculum choice, something we write about in our guide to worldschooling and socialisation.

Tutoring

One Christian tutoring service offering 1-on-1 online sessions came up, with flexible small-group and on-call options for families who want more support without a rigid weekly schedule. Check current rates directly, as prices change.

The stuff that isn’t a “resource” but came up constantly

A handful of answers weren’t products at all, and they were some of our favourites:

• Patience, with yourself and with your child
• A good mum-friend who also homeschools, described by one parent as invaluable, especially as a single parent
• A library card, and finding your homeschool people, called a genuine “game changer”
• The ability to read your child: what works, what doesn’t, what motivates them, and knowing when the problem is life, the curriculum, or a genuine learning difference

Honestly? These might be the most useful “resources” on the whole list.

Homeschooling resources when you’re travelling

Most of the families in that thread homeschool from one home base. Travelling changes what works, and a few things matter far more once you’re on the move.

• Weight adds up fast. Boxed curricula and thick workbooks are heavy. Digital versions, PDFs you can print locally, and apps are much easier to carry.
• Internet isn’t guaranteed. Download lessons and books before travel days. Our internet guide for nomad families covers what to expect.
• Keep your home library. If you keep a library membership back home, check whether it includes ebooks and audiobooks through an app. It can be the best free resource you take with you.
• Time zones matter. Live online classes that suit families in one country can land in the middle of the night somewhere else.
• Check the rules. What counts as acceptable homeschooling depends on your home country and residency, which we cover in our worldschooling legal guide.

In our family, Louie keeps up maths and Dutch from his Dutch school workbooks, and much of the rest comes from wherever we are. We share how that works day to day in Homeschooling on the Move. If you’re still working out your approach, our guide to worldschooling styles is a good place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best free homeschool curriculum?

In this thread, Ambleside Online and Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool were the free full curricula mentioned most. The library came up more than anything else, paid or free. Free doesn’t mean right for every family, so look at the approach and the workload before you commit.

Do we need a full curriculum at all?

No. Plenty of families use a light structure for maths and reading and let everything else come from life, books and travel. Others, especially those with unschooling leanings, use no formal curriculum. It depends on your child, your goals and what you can sustain.

Are these resources suitable outside the US?

Many are US-based, and some follow US grade levels or faith-based content. They can still work anywhere with an internet connection, but check that they suit your country’s requirements and your family’s values, and whether physical products ship to where you are.

Which resources work best for travelling families?

Digital and lightweight ones: apps, downloadable PDFs, ebooks and audiobooks. Heavy boxed curricula and subscription boxes can be tricky if you’re moving every few weeks.

Is this list sponsored?

No. These are recommendations from homeschooling parents, not paid placements, and we haven’t personally tested every one. Always read reviews and try free samples where you can.

Want the full, filterable database?

This thread was a brilliant reminder that some of the best recommendations come from parents actually doing the work, not marketing copy. We’ve folded the standout picks into our own guides, which you can filter by subject, age, and cost:

👉 The Complete Guide to Online Programs for Homeschoolers & Worldschoolers

👉 Worldschooling Hubs Directory

For more ideas, see our lists of the best books about worldschooling and the best documentaries for curious kids, or start with how to start worldschooling.

Know a resource that deserves to be on either list? Submit it at the bottom of either page. We check out every single one. 🌍