The decision to homeschool usually brings a mix of feelings like excitement, relief, and a little bit of nervousness. Oh yeah, it also brings a feeling of sticker shock. What you thought was going to be this fun and exciting new adventure turns out to be a budget eater. What do you do? Stop feeding and clothing your kids in order to educate them? Have no fear! As the post title suggests, it is possible to homeschool for free or really, really cheap. Better yet, I’m going to help you figure out how.
Homeschooling for free or cheap doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the quality of your child’s education. There are excellent resources available that help you put together a quality homeschool education on a budget. These are NOT resources that you only use out of desperation because you can’t afford to homeschool. I know plenty of people that use these programs based on the quality alone, without price being a factor. So, if you need to stretch your hard-earned dollars to keep your kids, fed, clothed, and educated, here are some great ways to do it.
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Free Homeschool Curriculum Sites
There are a few publishers that offer free curriculum for you to use. Keep in mind, for some of these there is still the cost of printing and any extra materials you need, but the curriculum itself is offered free.
Ambleside Online
Worldview: Christian
Subjects Offered: Complete curriculum except for math and foreign language
Homeschool Style: Charlotte Mason
Grade Levels: K-12
Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool
Worldview: Christian
Subjects Offered: Complete Curriculum
Homeschool Style: Traditional/Charlotte Mason Influenced
Grade Levels: Preschool – 8
Easy Peasy All In One Highschool
Worldview: Christian
Subjects Offered: Complete Curriculum
Homeschool Style: Traditional/Charlotte Mason Influenced
Grade Levels: 9-12
Core Knowledge
Worldview: Secular
Subjects Offered: Language Arts, History and Geography, Science
Homeschool Style: Traditional
Grade Levels: Preschool – 8
The Good and the Beautiful
Worldview: Religious
Subjects Offered: Language Arts (They actually offer a complete curriculum but they only offer the Language Arts free)
Homeschool Style: Eclectic/Charlotte Mason Inspired
Grade Levels: 1-5
Khan Academy
Worldview: Secular
Subjects Offered: Multiple Subjects (They are always adding new subjects)
Homeschool Style: Traditional
Grade Levels: Multi grade levels offered depending on the subject
Memberships
Utilizing sites that offer family memberships for their curriculum is a great way to homeschool on a budget. These sites work by charging you one price, usually yearly or monthly, and give you access to all grade levels they offer for all of your kids. Some of these sites have a cap of ten kids, but it is still a great way to save money, especially for large families.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
Worldview: Christian
Subjects Offered: Complete Curriculum
Homeschool Style: Varies (this site utilizes courses from multiple authors and each one brings a different style)
Grade Levels: Preschool-12
A+ Interactive Math
Worldview: Neutral
Subjects Offered: Math
Homeschool Style: Traditional
Grade Levels: 1-6, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1
Read my review of the Family Math Package. Use code myhsview to receive 20% off a one year family math package purchase.
My Teaching Library
Worldview: Neutral (Offers some Christian content)
Subjects Offered: All Subjects
Homeschool Style: Traditional/Eclectic
Grade Levels: PreK-12
Read my review of My Teaching Library.
Your Local Library
Using the library to borrow books for your homeschool is pretty obvious, but most libraries offer a lot of other cool resources homeschoolers can utilize. For example, one of my local library branches has a fully equipped science lab that is open for public use. Instead of buying lab equipment needed for science experiments, I can go to the library and use their lab. There are also other cool things like 3D printers, computer classes, and even a recording studio. I highly recommend seeing what your local library has to offer.
Write Reviews
This one is hit or miss, but there are opportunities available to get free curriculum in exchange for reviews. You don’t even need a blog. If you have a robust social media following, you can review on your social media platforms. I wrote for the Review Crew last year and that is one opportunity you can apply for. The other option is to contact publishers directly. Tell them what you can offer in exchange for a free product, and see what happens. They may say no, but it’s worth a try.
Buy Used
If there is a curriculum resource that you really want to use but it’s too pricey, try finding it used. I have had success on eBay and Facebook homeschool groups. You can also check with some of your local homeschool groups to see if they have a yearly sale. These sales are a lot like a yard sale and can be hit or miss when you want something specific. You can find some really good deals at these sales though.
I try to post homeschool deals here on the blog and on my Facebook page frequently. For tips on when to find the best homeschool deals, and how to prioritize your homeschool budget, read My Top 5 Tips for Homeschool Curriculum Shopping.
