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Not sure how to choose your homeschool curriculum on a budget?
I remember back when I started homeschooling my first child, drooling over expensive curriculum packages and feeling disappointed because our budget was too small.
How was I suppose to give my child a quality education with a tiny budget?
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a great curriculum for your children.
I have a few tips and tricks for your homeschool curriculum on a budget.
Homeschool Curriculum on a Budget
Decide what is most important
For us, having a solid math program and language arts program was the foundation of our homeschool. This post contains affiliate links which provide us a small fee at no cost to you.
Without your child knowing how to read, the other subjects like science and history are going to be difficult.
In the early years, our homeschool budget focused on math and language arts programs and any leftover money went to the other subjects.
Math Curriculum on a Budget
In my opinion, it’s hard to put together a comprehensive math program by yourself and not have gaps.
Unless you are a math teacher, I would rely on a proven math program for your homeschool.
It doesn’t have to be an expensive math program but if you are tight on money, I wouldn’t skip the math.
You can get solid math workbooks for almost any grade from Abeka or Math Lessons for a Living Education for around $25 for the year.
I have used multiple Abeka workbooks without the teachers manual or expensive manipulatives.
Many online math programs like Teaching Textbooks or CTC math offer a family discount if you have multiple children using the program.
There are sites like Khan Academy who offer free math classes and videos but I do think they lack in practice problems if that’s the only thing you are using.
XtraMath is a free site to help kids master math facts but it is not a curriculum, just extra practice.
Language Arts Curriculum on a Budget
Teaching your child to read and learn grammar skills isn’t something that has to break your budget.
Inexpensive Phonics Programs
Alpha-Phonics is a simply beautiful textbook that you can use to teach your child how to read.
I love this phonics book because it’s one you can use right on your couch together and doesn’t have a lot of moving parts.
Phonics Pathways is another inexpensive textbook to teach your little one how to sound out words and begin to read.
I know there are a lot of other phonics programs that cost hundreds of dollars with lots of flashcards and manipulatives but we found these workbooks to be very effective.
We also made our own flashcards out of index cards using the words in the lessons and reviewed them daily.
Adventures in Phonics is another workbook we have used and you can read about my experience from Christian Liberty Press here.
Inexpensive Language Arts Programs
Language arts has a lot of components like grammar, reading, writing, and literature.
It would be a lot for you and your child to buy a different curriculum for each of these components.
I like to buy a program that covers all of these components and if I find my child has a weak area, I can always get a program for that area in particular.
With any language arts program, you need to add in lots of books for your child to read.
Read to your child and have them read aloud to you.
In our house, we have a read-aloud which is above their reading level that I read to them.
Our children are also required to be reading a book at their reading level.
Language Arts for a Living Education is a great Charlotte Mason style all in one program.
Abeka Language Arts offers a more traditional style workbook that covers language arts.
We have used them and they are a little on the dry side but definitely get the job done similar to public school.
Learning Language Arts Through Literature is more of a unit study style using living books. You can get the books at your local library to lower the cost of the curriculum.
History Curriculum on a Budget
History is a very broad term and your needs depend on the age of your children.
Early on, history can be reading great historical fiction to your kids so they get a feel for what each time period is like to live in.
Learning to read maps, learning about their local community and basic geography is important for younger children.
As they get older you can start creating timelines, digging deeper into wars, and learning about important historical figures.
First, you need to decide what time period or topic you are studying whether it be ancient history, early American history, modern history or geography.
Second, even if you use a curriculum, you need to remember to use your local library.
If you don’t know what books to check out at the library, you can always consult Sonlight Curriculum and see what books they recommend for their history packages.
I refer to their catalog all the time for great read aloud and history book ideas.
My History Curriculum picks
Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer is an all in one accurate historical fiction book that you read to your children.
It’s a great snuggle on the couch book or read to them while they play and comes in 4 volumes to cover all of history.
One volume covers one year of history for your family.
You can get worksheets or coloring pages to print off for a very reasonable price along with a library reference for other great books that go along with it.
America’s Story by Master Books is also a read together book but it has tons of pictures to look at together.
There is a separate teacher guide with activities, library book choices, and worksheets if you choose to use it.
Three volumes of America’s Story will cover all of history and you would use one volume per year.
Abeka History is a traditional textbook approach much like public school where your child will read on their own a chapter with review questions.
I would recommend supplementing with library books for these textbooks.
TruthQuest History is not an actual curriculum but an extensive guide on books from different time periods in history.
It is centered on living books and gives great guidance a direction for putting together a wonderful history curriculum.
You would need to rely heavily on your local library to keep this curriculum cost-effective.
Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool for history is a free curriculum that combines video with online books that have daily lesson plans.
Your child will click on a link to read an online selection or watch a video and the curriculum has activities and worksheets as well.
Science Curriculum on a Budget
It’s easy to get caught up in huge expensive science curriculum packages for your young kids but they are not necessary.
Elementary age children love to learn about science naturally as they explore their surroundings.
Early science could look like this:
- Your child finds an interesting bug outside
- You look up the bug on the internet together
- Your child sketches the bug on paper and writes a sentence about it.
- You put the paper in a science notebook (binder)
- Get library books about bugs
This format can be followed for any topic your child is interested in like weather, space, the ocean, animals, and plants.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the bookwork we can suck all the fun out of learning for our kids.
There are endless free science experiments and worksheets online for young children and loads of library books waiting to be read.
Science for young children should be full of nature walks, leaf collecting and identifying and helping them explore the world around them.
My Science Curriculum Picks
If you have older children and want a bit more structure in your science, here are some of my science budget picks.
Berean Builders Homeschool Science books are an all in one type textbook that is engaging and full of photos.
There is a teachers guide available but the books can work well by themselves.
Apologia Science is a homeschool favorite because it’s packed with information but written in a conversational Charlotte Mason style.
You can use the textbooks with or without the student journal and there are many free printables online as well.
God’s Design for Science books are very open and go, use for multiple ages, and inexpensive.
These books come in a variety of topics and are very creation based in theology.
Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool offers free science curriculum covering biology, earth science, physics/chemistry, and zoology.
It has daily lesson plans and printable worksheets and activities.
Many families use Easy Peasy for homeschool curriculum on a budget and it has a lot to offer for science and history.
I’ve also used it for supplementing art and music as well.
Picking Homeschool Curriculum on a Budget
If you are limited on finances for your homeschool curriculum, I personally would make sure to get your math and phonics/language arts covered first.
It’s easy to add in science and history using your local library.
Other places to find cheap or free curriculum:
- eBay has used curriculum
- Join a local Co-Op for classes
- Use your local library
- Ask other homeschool moms to borrow curriculum
- Check Youtube for art lessons or other free classes and videos
What is your favorite Homeschool curriculum on a budget? Let us know in the comments below.
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