The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Curriculum Options Grades K-3 is your comprehensive guide to homeschool curriculum for the younger elementary grades. Everything from fun hands on learning with lapbooks, to step by step help with grammar. Here you will find tons of options for all subjects to choose from!
Homeschool Curriculum Options Grades K-3
Having homeschooled my children since 2006, and being in the homeschooling blogging/curriculum world since 2009, I have come across and used so many different curriculum options. I always find it amazing how much there is out there, and the resource base just keeps growing.
While this won’t be an all inclusive list of everything you could ever find and use, I hope it WILL BE a great pool of options for you to choose from. Whether you are starting from the beginning, or stuck and need some new ideas, this list is sure to bring you some inspiration with lots of homeschool curriculum options grades k-3.
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Homeschool Math Curriculum Options
The Very Best Options for Homeschool Math (2021) – full curriculum options, supplements, and even math advice from seasoned homeschool parents!
Shiller Math – offers two levels of math kits (along with a few other kits). Their math kits are Montessori Based and cover an age range from preK through 8th grade. What first drew me to them was all the hands on manipulatives. Check out Math Kit I for ages PreK – 3rd Grade.
Miquon Math – for kids in 1st-3rd grades. Its approach helps children actively explore math concepts, learning by doing.
Teaching Textbooks 4.0 – App based program for grades 3 through pre-Calculus. No teaching or grading required as it’s all done within the program! Totally mobile and easy to use.
Apologia Homeschool Elementary Math Curriculum – a new product from Apologia for elementary kids in grades 1-6. This curriculum combines color photos, hands-on activities, engaging projects, and plenty of games to teach math concepts! Each lesson’s design presents math as an accessible and exciting topic.
CTCMath – is an online math curriculum for children in grades K-12 (through Calculus). It is a video based program but also offers printable versions of the lessons and worksheets so your student can work pencil and paper as well if they would like to.
Math U See – helps students learn math concepts and succeed at their own pace. This unique math curriculum integrates a distinctive set of manipulatives with strategies presented through lesson-by-lesson videos, textbooks, and digital resources.
Kindergarten Saxon Math – Each lesson starts with the Meeting Book. Basically we add a new date to the calendar and learn about new information on a calendar. It practices counting skills (up to 31 which is helpful for my daughter), reading skills, patterns (each month has a new pattern to color in the dates with), and obviously calendar skills (days of the week, months of the year, etc.)
Life of Fred Elementary Math Review – written in a story format about a little boy named Fred who uses math in his everyday life. Fred is a 5 year old boy who is a professor at KITTENS University. He encounters a need for math first, and then he does the math. At the end of each chapter is a section entitled “Your Turn To Play” with questions for your students to answer that relate to what they have learned in that chapter.
Homeschool Science Curriculum Options
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Science – collection of science curricula, supplements and free resources both secular and Christian.
Nature Study Made Easy with NaturExplorers Nature Unit Studies – 19 different, complete nature based science studies for 1st – 8th grades.
BookShark Homeschool Science Curriculum – an all-in-one complete literature-based science curriculum that is ready to use as soon as you open the box.
Great Science Adventures – multi-grade level, secular homeschool science series from Common Sense Press.
Sonlight Science Discover & Do – a literature based homeschool science curriculum. Uses living books, includes a hands-on science kit, and is easy to implement.
Apologia Elementary Science – Topics such as Astronomy, Botany, Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures, and Land Creatures. These texts follow the immersion principle of learning. Rather than study a wide-variety of unrelated science topics during the course of a school year, these texts dig deeply into one science topic.
Evan-Moor Science Units – Habitats, ScienceWorks Series, All About Plants, ScienceWorks Energy
Lifepac – Christian curriculum based on the principle of mastery learning. Students master content in each unit worktext before progressing to the next. Grades K-12.
Mr. Q Science – Classic Science series for kids in grades K through high school. Check out this review.
Supercharged Science is written in a creation neutral way as to not contradict religious perspectives. There are many options from eScience to Science Mastery programs and covers all grades from K-12.
R.E.A.L Science – RSO is an incremental program that incorporates mathematics, scientific method, and science terminology as it gently builds on itself. Each topic in the RSO series of books is presented in an entertaining story-like format and is followed by hands-on activities along with background science information, parent instructions, labs, reading lists, journaling ideas, and websites. Each book of RSO level one is a complete one-year science curriculum if used one or two times a week. Level 1 is appropriate for Grades 1-5.
English Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum Options Grades K-3
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – includes full curriculum PLUS resources for reading, writing, spelling, grammar and handwriting!
In the Hands of a Child Grammar Lapbook – A fun, hands-on way for kids to gain a firm grasp of English grammar.
Night Zookeeper Online Writing Program – approaches reading and writing by teaching helpful skills. Through online challenges and games, kids ages 6-12 practice grammar, vocabulary, and spelling for their level. Reading comprehension practice is also included.
LightSail for Homeschoolers – language arts platform is a comprehensive and engaging online reading and writing program for children in grades pre-K through 12.
Handwriting without Tears – a handwriting program with seven levels available starting in the pre-k level up to 5th grade. Their unique writing paper is unlike any other handwriting program. The writing paper does not have the typical three lines with the middle line being a dotted line. HWT believes typical handwriting paper causes line confusion for many students. HWT created writing paper with only 2 lines.
Lightning Literature – uses a foundation of real books to support a comprehensive language arts program of literature, grammar and mechanics, and composition. Each level can accommodate either student independent reading, audiobooks, or reading aloud together. Handwriting, spelling, and phonics instruction are not addressed in these courses.
Learning Language Art Through Literature – English lessons have never once been a chore with this curriculum – honestly! Our girls have loved each and every Learning Language Arts Through Literature (Llatl) book and I have to say that it has prepared them well, given them a solid grounding in grammar, writing, vocabulary and exposed them to lots of wonderful classical literature.
All About Reading – The illustrations tell an often funny story, one that goes beyond the beginning reader text. Even at this very early level a story is not limited to 3-5 words repeated over and over.
First Language Lessons for The Well-Trained Mind – an excellent foundation in grammar and beginning writing. The books use a “Four Strand Approach” to teach grammar rules, usage, and beginning writing. The “Four Strands” are: Memory work, Copying and dictation, Narration, and Grammar.
Growing with Grammar – a complete grammar program for grades 1-8.
Rod and Staff – Learning grammar can be done along with the process of reading and writing naturally. However, to consolidate the practical knowledge, learners need to learn and practice the use of grammatical knowledge in routines.
Reading Eggs – one‑on‑one lessons that match the child’s ability. Uses fun games, colorful animations, catchy songs and exciting rewards. Teaches phonics, sight words and other essential literacy skills
Homeschool History Curriculum Options
Beautiful Feet Books – A literature based history curriculum. At the K-3 level the focus is on beautiful picture books, hands-on activities, simple discussions, and lots of time snuggled together on the couch reading and talking about great books! Also check out this review of Beautiful Feet Books.
The Ultimate Guide to History Curriculum for Homeschool – a collection of both World and US History plus Geography curriculum and resources for your homeschool.
The Mystery of History – a complete, chronological history of the world, in 4 volumes, which combines secular and Biblical history.
The Story of the World – classically based, homeschool history curriculum for kids in grades 4-8. SOTW is a four-volume set covering the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. The books are written at increasing levels of difficulty, and can be read aloud to younger children or read independently by older children.
Sonlight programs go through a full history cycle three times between kindergarten and graduation. Each time through, children gain a deeper understanding of history. They includes topics such as World History, American History, Church History, World Cultures, American Government and more.
Notgrass has history curriculum for kids in grades 1 through high school. For Elementary (Grades 1-4) they offer Our 50 States and Our Star-Spangled Story
Full Curriculum Options
Tapestry of Grace – designed to help parents provide a Christian, classical, Charlotte Mason education. The history of the world is Tapestry‘s organizational theme. Its goal is to help students see the patterns of God’s personality and works. Tapestry of Grace (TOG) is a unit study style curriculum that covers most of the major subject areas for students in grades K-12.
Five in a Row – an easy-to-follow instructional guide for teaching Social Studies, Language, Art, Applied Math and Science using outstanding children’s literature as the basis for weekly unit studies.
Ambleside – a K (Year 0) through 12 (Year 12) curriculum based on the methodologies and philosophies of educator Charlotte Mason. It is free and uses many free books available online or for e-readers, a real benefit for cost savings.
Passport to Adventures – is an elementary unit study style curriculum that uses the Magic Tree House books (1-34) as a spine. It covers science, geography, art and more in a hands-on, fun, and multi-sensory way.
Passport to More Adventures – week long unit studies for each of the first 27 books in the Merlin Mission series.
ABC Mouse – full online curriculum for children ages 2-8. The Step-by-Step Learning Path presents the full ABCmouse.com curriculum in 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.
Time for Learning – a fun, engaging, easy-to-use homeschool solution. Time4Learning uses short animated lessons to engage younger students.
Other K-3 Homeschool Curriculum Resources
Online Art Lessons Perfect for Grades K-3 – the very best way to incorporate art in a more focused and intentional way in your homeschool is to find outside resources that take the guesswork and planning off your plate.
Have you heard about eeboo? – Educational games and tools can be a fun and engaging way to help your children learn and grow. Eeboo creates toys, games, and gifts that help children learn and explore.
Song School Latin – Song School Latin is an amazingly fun, full year homeschool program designed to teach your youngest students Latin.
Homeschool Typing with Typesy – a fun and fast paced interactive curriculum that integrates video teaching, scientifically designed exercises, and various fun games and activities. There are over 1100 lessons with an approximate learning time of 21 hours.
Spanish for Kids – an interactive, immersion foreign language program for kids. The video lessons are of children acting out everyday situations while all the speech is in Spanish.
MORE ULTIMATE GUIDES
We hope you have found some great resources with our Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Curriculum Options Grades K-3.
Be sure to check out all our Ultimate Guides! Including ones for each subject:
ULTIMATE GUIDES BY GRADE:
- K-3 (this post)
- Preschool
- Kindergarten
- 1st Grade
- 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade
- 4th Grade
- 5th Grade
- Middle School
- High School
AND stay tuned as we work our way through Homeschool Curriculum Options for Grades PreK-5, as well as Middle and High School too! {We will link them above as we go!}
HOMESCHOOL METHODS SERIES
Be sure to check out this What do Homeschool Methods Look Like in Real Life Series? to get an in-depth look at 8 homeschool methods along with resources and how -tos for implementing them in your homeschool.
Heidi Ciravola is mom to three kids who were all homeschooled. Two have graduated college and one is finishing homeschooling high school. She spends much of her time navigating the high school waters (from electives to college prep) and reviewing homeschool curriculum for all ages. You can find her writing about these things as well as her love of books and homeschool life in general over at Starts At Eight.
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