Many people are finding it hard to make ends meet these days, and there is not always room in the budget for homeschool supplies. This is especially true when one first begins to homeschool and doesn’t already have books on hand which can be reused or adapted to the homeschool.

Here is a round-up of no-cost resources which can be found online; they are sorted into age groups and subjects to create a free homeschool curriculum for each group. I’ve included a variety of approaches and academic standards to accomodate a range of abilities and learning styles. Unless otherwise indicated, these sources are specifically Catholic.

If you are looking for a complete free homeschool curriculum for K-12, which is also Catholic, try Mater Amabilis. This curriculum, like some others below, is based on the educational ideas of Charlotte Mason. It is very thorough and requires quite a bit of work from parents, but there is a forum for support from others using the same course. For a complete course with a secular approach try the Khan Academy or you might like Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool, which is Christian (not Catholic).

Free Homeschool Curriculum from around the web

Click on the level to jump to the desired section:

• Kindergarten & Pre-school
• Early Years
• Middle/Primary School
• High School
• General Resources for a Free Homeschool Curriculum

Kindergarten and Pre-School

general

• Some great ideas for using the Charlotte Mason method with your little ones – from Joyfully Domestic
• Lots more free Catholic resources listed here at Ora et Schola
• The Common Sense Education website lists lots of free science websites from K-12 (secular)
• A range of printable worksheets, including alphabet, numbers, handwriting, from Homeschool.com (secular)
• A wonderful complete curriculum based on Charlotte Mason’s method at Under the Home (not Catholic; to grade 5/6 level)

Catechism

• A fun project on the Mass and child’s parish church at the Look to Him and be Radiant website (this would also suit Early Years students)
• Advent and Christmas unit studies for little ones from a Charlotte Mason site

Early Years

general

• A wonderful complete curriculum based on Charlotte Mason’s method at Under the Home (not Catholic; to grade 5/6 level)
• Christian Grade 1-6 (some to year 9) printable lessons in core subjects from Plain and Not So Plain
• Memory work for Year 2 from the Catholic Schoolhouse

Catechism

• Catholic Toolbox website: children’s activities centred on Novus Ordo Mass, with some suitable for traditional Catholics
• A pdf version of the St. Joseph First Communion Catechism from the Fraser Pearce website: based on the Baltimore Catechism
• Lovely colouring sheets on Scripture and the traditional Mass from the Fraser Pearce website
• Printable vintage saints book from the St. Catherine Centre
• Printable Bible-based worksheets from Catholic Icing

Math

• Lessons and resources for years 1-10 from the Math Hub website. (Australian, secular)
• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)

Phonics

• Handwriting lessons based on the St. Joseph First Communion Catechism from the Fraser Pearce website: based on the Baltimore Catechism
• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)
• Resources for teaching children to read by Stephen Parker (secular)

Social Studies

• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)

science

• Resources and lessons for primary school from the National Geographic website. As this is secular, it contains references to evolution.
• The Common Sense Education website lists lots of free science websites from K-12 (secular)

Latin

• General suggestions for teaching your child Latin which includes some free ideas from the National Catholic Register
• Latin prayer sorting games from Ora et Labora Publications

Middle/Primary School

General

• A wonderful complete curriculum based on Charlotte Mason’s method at Under the Home (not Catholic; to grade 5/6 level)
• Christian Grade 1-6 (some to year 9) printable lessons in core subjects from Plain and Not So Plain

Catechism

• Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism: a beautiful 37-week online course based on the Baltimore catechism which should be the crown of any Catholic family’s free homeschool curriculum. Presented by Fr. Anthony Pillari, the course includes printable worksheets and flashcards which can be used for review in subsequent years.
• Catholic Toolbox website: children’s activities centred on Novus Ordo Mass, with some suitable for traditional Catholics
• The Mass Explained: pdf of the 1954 comic-book style presentation of the traditional Mass from the Corpus Christi Watershed website

Math

• A list of free Math resources from Prodigy including their own math curriculum. These resources cater mostly for middle-school students but some cover younger and older students as well. (secular)
• Lessons and resources for years 1-10 from the Math Hub website. (Australian, secular)
• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)
• Master Math online lessons from year 6 – 9 (secular)

Language arts

• Lessons from the National Geographic website (secular)
• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)
• McGuffey Eclectic Readers: information here at Happy Homeschool Mom – includes link to the download (not Catholic, but traditionally conservative). These books would make a useful addition to any free homeschool curriculum.

Latin

• Learn Church Latin: lots of links to Latin resources for parents to use with their children, including a link to the free pdf of textbooks written by Fr. Most.
• Free Latin games from Ora et Labora Publications

History

• The Book of Centuries used in Charlotte Mason’-style’s method is available in free pdf form at Living Books Press (Check their site for new free ebooks each month!)
• Lessons from the National Geographic website (secular and politically correct but you might find something that appeals to your child)
• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)
• Heritage History is not Catholic but presents a thorough overview of historical periods using books found in the public domain. Lesson plans, including maps and timelines are included, making this a valuable resource. (As with all non-Catholic sources, check for anti-Catholic bias, especially around the Reformation.)
• Short, animated history videos from a Catholic Perspective by Glorious Heritage

science

• Resources and lessons for primary school from the National Geographic website. As this is secular, it contains references to evolution.
• The Common Sense Education website lists lots of free science websites from K-12 (secular)
• Printable worksheets from Homeschool.com about math, science, history, grammar, phonics and more (secular)

High School

general

• General advice on home educating high school students from The Home Scholar (not a Catholic resource)

Catechism

• Free Traditional Catholic Books from the Traditional Catholic website: a treasure trove of classic Catholic titles available online for free, with Part II here
• A variety of traditional Catholic resources, including catechisms, examination of conscience and articles at Traditional Catholic
• Orthodox (but not traditional) Catholic theology, philosophy, history and logic courses at the Institute of Catholic Culture

Math

• Online math programme from Math Planet with courses in Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry. (secular, based on the US curriculum)
• Lessons and resources for years 1-10 from the Math Hub website. (Australian, secular)
• A range of worksheets and unit studies, including some Christian-themed, from the Homeschool.com website
• In-depth history courses (as well as philosophy and literature, fine art, politics, economics, math and science) from Hillsdale College (conservative Christian but not Catholic)
• Master Math online lessons from year 6 – 9

Language Arts

• A range of worksheets and unit studies, including some Christian-themed, from the Homeschool.com website

Latin

• Learn Church Latin: lots of links to Latin resources for older students, including a link to the free pdf of textbooks written by Fr. Most.
• Free 30 introductory Latin course from Ora et Labora Publications

History

• A range of worksheets and unit studies, including some Christian-themed, from the Homeschool.com website
• The Book of Centuries used in Charlotte Mason’-style’s method is available in free pdf form at Living Books Press (Check their site for new free ebooks each month!)
• In-depth history courses (as well as philosophy and literature, fine art, politics, economics, math and science) from Hillsdale College (conservative Christian but not Catholic) (As with all non-Catholic sources, check for anti-Catholic bias, especially around the Reformation.)
• Orthodox (but not traditional) Catholic theology, philosophy, history and logic courses at the Institute of Catholic Culture
• Heritage History is not Catholic but presents a thorough overview of historical periods using books found in the public domain. Lesson plans, including maps and timelines are included, making this a valuable resource. (As with all non-Catholic sources, check for anti-Catholic bias, especially around the Reformation.)

Science

• The Common Sense Education website lists lots of free science websites from K-12 (secular)
• In-depth history courses (as well as philosophy and literature, fine art, politics, economics, math and science) from Hillsdale College (conservative Christian but not Catholic)

General Resources for a Free Homeschool Curriculum

homeschooling

• A free homeschooling resource guide from Today’s Catholic Homeschooling
• The site mentioned above also has some lesson plans and other curriculum suggestions
• Resources for parents from Heart of a Mother
• Advice for traditional Catholic home educators from Our Lady of Victory podcasts

Booklists

• An extensive Charlotte Mason booklist for all ages here
• Reading lists arranged by subject at Elizabeth Clare blog as well as liturgical year booklists here
• Reading your Way Through History booklist from Love2Learn

music

• Catholic Hymn study – all you need to learn hymns at home from Traditional Catholic Living

a few more general resources:

• Free Homeschool Deals
• Homeschool Share
• Some more liturgical Year resources at Cascia Books
• Lots of interesting free resources at the Catholic Schoolhouse here, and here including printable maps and unit studies

In a future post, we’ll look at how almost any book can be used to teach your children.