We have all been dumped into a new world, which means that we may have to cobble a homeschool curriculum for our kids quickly.
Even if you choose to send your children to in-person school this year, you still have the likely possibility that you will end up in quarantine or self-isolation at one point. This means that you have to be prepped for at least some time with your kids at home. Besides, for not wanting your children to fall behind on their learning and skills- it is significantly easier to have your kids home when you have things to keep them occupied.
I wouldn’t say I like spending money. I don’t have a lot of money. Like many of you out there, I am working on a very tight budget right now, so I do not have too much money to spend on tons of money to create a homeschool curriculum. However, certain things need money to be spent on. While I try to reduce expenses as much as I can, I also have to realize that life costs money, and I can’t overly deprive my kids of learning opportunities.
Homeschooling families often set a homeschool budget to use to buy supplies, books, etc. You should sit down and figure out how much money you are able to spend on your children’s schooling. If you are just pulling your kids out of public school or private school then you should calculate all the fees that you used to spend on your kid’s educational and use that to pay for your homeschooling instead. Homeschooling can save you money but it is not completely free. that being said, if you use a little ingenuity you can save money on your homeschool curriculum.
Budget-Friendly Homeschool Curriculum
I have put together some resources here to help you put together a budget-friendly homeschool curriculum.
My kids are younger and attended Montessori preschools. I LOVE the Montessori tray concept, and I have found that there are so many household items that you can use to create math, reading, fine motor, and life skills trays.
You may not have all these items in the house, but you can usually find these things for really cheap (Target Dollar Section and Dollar Tree are a great place to start).
Tip: Start now and save all the following items. Do not throw them out! They will be valuable to you!
Here are some great materials that can be easily repurposed for so many things: Cereal Boxes, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, all boxes, plastic wraps, corks, jars, containers (We are all becoming our grandmother right now- wash out those mayonnaise and peanut butter containers!). These are great for activities and for storing all your new materials- no need to spend a lot of money on containers, and these types of materials.
If you get any circulars in the mail- keep them! They can be used for collages, ripped paper activities, and sorting activities.
Keep an eye out for anything you have that can be used to count, move, sort, or open and close. You would be surprised at how many tools you have lying around the house.
Now, of course, we are all human to expect ourselves to put together a homeschool curriculum out of thin air is a bit much. I like to base my ideas on what the professionals have already put together. Thank goodness there are many teachers out there who have done the hard work of putting together curriculums and ideas for us to use.
They do not operate on a tight budget, though, so I have to adapt them to my own uses:
- Reuse and Recycle. Whatever you can use that you have in your house- USE! Don’t buy containers or utensils if you have something you can possibly use, even if it’s not perfect.
- Do without. Pick activities and lesson plans that don’t need expensive materials or are likely only to be used once.
- Bargain shop. Whatever you do need to buy, make sure to shop around a bit and get the best deals.
- Borrow. Get books from the library or from other free places. Ask around on community Facebook pages or WhatsApp groups for anything you can borrow. Maybe someone is giving something away? maybe a kindly mother is happy to lend something out?
- Sign up for free stuff. Sign up for these free book clubs. Utilize free trials (see below). Follow savings blogs for free activities, materials, or experiences.
- Buddy up. See if you can find another mother who is in the same predicament as you (this works best if you have kids of similar ages) and split any big purchases that need to be made.
Resources to help you put together a Homeschool Curriculum:
- Education.com – is mostly paid materials, but they have some free sheets. They have also specifically put together sets of materials for at-home learning that are free to download.
- Teachers Pay Teachers– is all materials made by teachers that they upload so that you can purchase and help dedicated teachers supplement their income. They have some free materials that you can use as well. This is a site where teachers post lesson plans, printable worksheets, classroom resources, handouts, and other coursework. If you poke around, you can find some great teaching ideas and resources for free and tons of resources you can pay for.
- Happy Teacher Mama – is a great blog about homeschooling. They have some paid printable worksheets and lesson plans, but if you subscribe to the email list, you can get tons of free stuff as well. The blog is great to read, as well!
- Living Montessori Now – my kids are in a Montessori playgroup, so I have been trying to keep up with all the amazing stuff they do in their school. This blog has some paid features but many great ideas and a lot of free printables.
- Montessori Mom – still within the Montessori theme is this great blog with Montessori themed ideas, trays, and printables.
- NASA– my kids are obsessed with all things outer space, so good thing NASA has a whole section on their website with STEM resources.
- Simple Living. Creative Learning. – is a homeschooling blog with great homeschool curriculum ideas and tons of free resources and printables. Why reinvent the wheel when you can follow the experts?
- TrilliumMontessori- Speaking of experts- these are the Montessori experts. They have a great blog and mailing list with a lot of curriculum development, webinars, course, and resources to bring your teaching to a whole new level.
- The Artful Parent– is the blog you need for all your crafting projects and experiments that you will be doing!
- All Free Kids Crafts– has TONS of fun and easy craft ideas for you to do with your kids. You can sign up here to get a Free Kids Craft E-book!
- Cosmic Yoga– is the cutest, most adorable YouTube Channel which has yoga for kids presented in the cutest and most adorable way.
Jewish Homeschool Curriculum Help:
- Chinuch.org is the motherload of Jewish resources. Started by Torah U’Mesorah, this is a site where teachers from around the world post their sheets, lesson plans, and ideas for free download.
- Torah Tots is a great website to get materials for younger students or if you are not so confident of your own Jewish Knowledge. They have very basic lesson plans about the weekly parshah and Jewish Holidays. They also have great coloring sheets to print.
Sometimes you have to spend money:
The fact is you may have to spend some money on resources to make this work. It’s unrealistic to think that you can make this homeschool curriculum work without spending money. I would suggest utilizing the free trials available for these resources before signing up. 30 days free is 30 days free! Don’t spend money until you are sure that this works for you. And don’t forget to cancel your free trials if you are not able to pay for them! Set the alarm or reminder on your phone or email a few days before your free trial is up, so you don’t forget!
5 Online Learning Resources to Use for Your Last-Minute Homeschool
ABCmouse.com curriculum is a carefully designed program of more than 850 lessons in ten levels. As your child completes each lesson, he or she is guided to the next one and is motivated to continue learning by ABCmouse.com’s Tickets and Rewards System. Sign up today!
From the creators of ABCmouse.com, Adventure Academy is the newest educational product from Age of Learning Inc. featuring endless game play. Adventure Academy is an educational product that combines an Elementary School curriculum with an interactive 3D world. Sign up today!
Developed by experts, their proprietary framework is research-backed and kid-tested to give your child the best start to their learning journey. Homer Learning to Read grows with your child on every step of their learning journey with a program personalized to their age, interests, and skill level. Sign up today!
Fun characters, engaging topics, exciting new worlds to explore—the thousands of titles in the ReadingIQ library have been carefully selected by reading experts to ignite your child’s imagination. From popular childhood classics to exclusive original titles, a complete digital learning library is always at your fingertips! Sign up today!
Hooked on Phonics® Learn to Read is an award-winning program that has helped over 5 million kids become confident readers. The Learn to Read program is based on research and approved by the Children’s Reading Foundation. Designed in conjunction with leading educators, award-winning authors, teachers and parents, Hooked on Phonics® Learn to Read uses a proven, simple, and fun method to give your child a strong foundation in phonics and reading skills. Get Your First Month of Hooked on Phonics for Just $1!
Homeschool Resources by Mail
Highlights – 15 Minutes a Day to School Success
A FUN new way to support learning at home. It’s the quickest and easiest way to ensure children’s school success in just 15 minutes a day! Each month’s shipment includes a blend of skills practice and fun activities tailored for their grade. They only need minutes a day, but they might not want to stop! Kids learn to explore independently and stay motivated. 15 Minutes a Day to School Success is not only aligned to school standards, but it also encourages resilience and flexibility – two qualities that will come in handy for today’s early learners.
I Can Read Book Club
Receive a welcome shipment with 2 FREE books, each a $4.99 retail value, for only shipping and handling! Get convenient monthly auto-delivery of 5 paperback I Can Read! books to your door. No obligation to purchase additional books, and you may cancel at any time.
Raddish Kids – Monthly Delivery
A cooking class for kids, Raddish kids is a subscription service that allows parents to teach their kids cooking, chemistry, math all while having a bonding, fun experience that you will never forget.
Will you sign up for any of these resources to help you round out your homeschool curriculum? Do you have any tips to create a homeschool curriculum on a budget? Please share them with all of us!
A Dime Saved
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.
Good homeschooling resources here. I feel like it’s Khan Academy’s time to shine, too.
Have you had good (or much) experience with it?
I also appreciate the “do without” mindset in some cases. Just because kids might *normally* approach a lesson plan with certain resources doesn’t mean it’s the only way to teach that subject. Schools certainly have access to tools and resources we won’t have at home, and that’s okay.
This is a great resource list! Pinning because I am going to need some educational activities for our three year old. He’s not likely to go to daycare any time soon.
Great resources. I love the money saving tips too. My little is doing remote learning this coming year but it will be nice to have these resources to have on hand for a long winter.
What great homeschooling tools! It is wonderful to see that you are so involved because kids really thrive when they have the kinds of engaging resources you are providing. As you mentioned, it is impossible to get away with not spending any money during these circumstances but that doesn’t mean you can’t drastically cut costs by being careful and creative.