Language arts is essential to your child’s learning so finding the right curriculum is vital. Luckily, we have the ultimate homeschool language arts curriculum comparison guide right here. Use this guide, along with these other top homeschool curriculum tips, to get your kids’ school year off to the right start.
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A Simple Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum Comparison Guide
This guide goes through the very basics of some of the top language arts curriculums. You should easily be able to determine the most important aspects, including price, religious views, and teacher involvement. Find the curriculum that works best for you and your family. Or, if nothing in this list works for you, check out this enormous list of 53+ free homeschool curriculums and resources.
Want a printable comparison chart like the one pictured above? Grab your printer-friendly chart here!
Rabbit Trails Through Literature
Rabbit Trails Through Literature has two volume options. You can enjoy volume one or volume two as a family this year. Each option is beautiful and complete, ready for you and your entire family to enjoy together.
This resource takes your family through many beautiful children’s books where you will learn and explore together. This is not a learn-to-read program but rather a learn and explore books program.
Grade
While this curriculum can be enjoyed as an entire group, the target grades are PreK-7.
Price
This is a very affordable curriculum running at right around $50. You’ll need to get your own books but many can be found at your local library or online.
Digital or Physical
This is a physical curriculum. You’ll get a digital pdf lesson plan that you can print out and enjoy with your kids using your own books notebooks, and physical projects.
Secular or Christian
The creator is Christian and while most lessons take a neutral worldview, some Christian ideals may have been included.
Preparation Time
There is minimal preparation time as all the lessons are done for you. All you need to do is gather your notebook and supplies.
Teacher Involvement
Teacher involvement is pretty heavy here. You’ll be involved every step of the way from the read-aloud to the discussion to the projects.
Night Zookeeper
Night Zookeeper is not a traditional language arts curriculum. They don’t have your kids go through classic literature and they don’t teach your kids how to read. However, this is a great resource for anybody who wants to have their kids focus on spelling, creative writing, or vocabulary skills. It’s a lot of fun and kids will forget they’re even learning!
Grade
Night Zookeeper is designed for kids aged 6-12 (so grades 1-6)
Price
This is a very affordable learning resource. You can often find an online deal for $60 per year (that’s only $5 per month!). Actually, at the time of writing this, that deal was live so go see if the Night Zookeeper deal is still available!
Digital or Physical
This is a digital resource. Consider this to be more of an educational computer game. Your kids will need a browser-based device to access Night Zookeeper.
Secular or Christian
Night Zookeeper is a secular program.
Preparation Time
No prep work is required! Once your kid’s account is set up, they’re good to go!
Teacher Involvement
Zero teacher involvement here. You can keep an eye on progress reports and have your kids focus on specific things if you so choose, but I never do. I just let the game guide them.
Schoolhouse Teachers
Schoolhouse Teachers is a popular all-in-one curriculum that the entire family can use for one low price. They have a multitude of subjects, spanning from language arts to science to history to electives and more.
My favorite part about this curriculum is that it’s a work at your own pace resource so I can breeze through a course in a week or two, or I can spread it out over a few months. The choice is ours!
Grade
Schoolhouse Teachers caters to grades K-12 so the entire family can find exactly what they need!
Price
This is a very affordable course, especially when you consider the fact that you pay per family, not per child. You will not be nickel and dimed just because you have multiple children. Additionally, they often have sales so you can get their already affordable curriculum at an even better price!
For the most part, you can expect to pay between $100 and $300 per year for the entire family, depending on any current promotions. Check right now and see if they’ve got a good Schoolhouse Teachers promotion running!
Digital or Physical
This is a digital resource. All of your courses will be found on their website.
Secular or Christian
While many of the courses are follow a neutral worldview, Schoolhouse Teachers is a Christian resource so you’re likely to find plenty of Christian viewpoints.
Preparation Time
Prep work is specific to the course you are going through but most require pretty minimal prep work.
Teacher Involvement
You’ll need a small amount of teacher involvement for your kids depending on their ages. Older kids will be able to work more independently and younger kids will need more assistance.
LightSail
LightSail is a platform that has been offered to public schools for more than a decade and they’ve recently introduced a platform just for homeschoolers. This platform includes more than 15,000 books that you can access and read as well as lessons, memory work, quotations, bookmarks, discussions, and so much more.
Read books that follow your child’s reading level or that go along with a topic you are already discussing as a family. It’s fun and easy for everyone!
Grade
LightSail is designed for kids PreK – 12, although kids who are already good readers have an easier time.
Price
There are many pricing options ranging from $10 a month to $100 a year. You will need to pay for each individual child to have an account.
Digital or Physical
This is a strictly digital platform. You will need an internet browser to access everything.
Secular or Christian
There are options for every worldview! The designers were really thinking ahead when they created this platform. You can toggle your own specific worldview from secular to Hindu to Christian to Latter Day Saint to Jewish and then resources that fit into those categories will be shown to your child.
Preparation Time
Preparation time ranges from low to medium depending on how detailed you want your lessons to be. Many things are already prepared for you to enjoy or you can prepare your own customized resources.
Teacher Involvement
Teacher involvement ranged from medium to high depending on how involved you want to be. You can guide your kids through the done-for-you lessons r you can create your own and dive even deeper. Or you can use this platform as a library and just have your kids read books and do no lessons at all! The choice is yours.
Logic of English
With the Logic of English, your child will cover everything from phonics to handwriting to grammar to spelling. The bright illustrations and phonogram game tiles are built to make learning language arts super fun and engaging.
Grade
It’s designed for children aged 4 to 8 and over. The “Foundations” level is meant for kindergarten to grade 2 while the “Essentials” package is for the older ones.
Price
The prices start at $79 depending on the package.
Digital or Physical
While it’s traditionally a physical course (we recommend going with this one), they’ve started offering an online version as well.
Secular or Christian
It has adopted a strictly secular, common core perspective.
Preparation Time
There’s little to no preparation time involved since everything is planned out for you by the experts at LOE.
Teacher Involvement
You’ll need to be super involved with your younger ones as they get to grips with every aspect of language arts.
Michael Clay Thompson
The Michael Clay Thompson program is a homeschool language arts curriculum that covers grammar, writing, vocabulary, literature, and poetics. It comes with everything your children need to master the language in a comprehensive, multilevel course.
Grade
Michael Clay Thompson offers language arts courses for those in elementary, middle, and high school.
Price
The complete packages cost $250 but you can decide to buy part of them instead which makes it cheaper.
Digital or Physical
It’s a digital course but you can choose to download ebook versions of the textbooks.
Secular or Christian
It adopts a secular perspective.
Preparation Time
Everything you need is inside the box so you can get started without preparation.
Teacher Involvement
Your older children might want to go through everything independently. However, your younger kids will need complete involvement from you.
Match Fishtank
Match Fishtank believes in the common core traditional teaching method. Thus, this curriculum brings these values into the homeschool environment.
Grade
You can use this free online curriculum for children in kindergarten to grade 12!
Price
It’s free but you can unlock Fishtank Plus if you want extra resources.
Digital or Physical
It’s 100% digitally completed.
Secular or Christian
It has a strictly secular perspective.
Preparation Time
There is no prep time involved since everything is right there on the portal.
Teacher Involvement
It’s designed to be student-led so they can mold themselves into critical thinkers. But feel free to be more involved if you’d like to.
The American Language Series
The American Language Series is an intensive phonics-based language arts program that utilizes the consonant-vowel approach to language.
Grade
It’s designed specifically for kindergarten. However, some of the subject matter could be considered appropriate for 1st grade.
Price
The full packages start at $153 but you can buy each book separately if you’d rather.
Digital or Physical
It’s a physical course with highly-illustrated books.
Secular or Christian
It combines both secular and Christian views. Some stories include references to Christianity.
Preparation Time
Other than reading through the teaching manual, no prep is involved.
Teacher Involvement
You’ll need to work closely with your little one here so involvement is high.
G.U.M. Drops (Grammar, Usage, ; Mechanics)
G.U.M. Drops is a lightweight guide to grammar and other language mechanisms. You won’t be analyzing sentences or diagramming here. However, you will be mixing traditional instructional teaching style with independent exercises.
Grade
It can be used for grades 1 to 8 depending on the textbooks you purchase.
Price
The books will cost you $8.65 each which is super affordable for a whole homeschool language arts curriculum!
Digital or Physical
It’s a strictly physical course.
Secular or Christian
It’s a highly secular curriculum.
Preparation Time
There’s no prep time here since everything is set out clearly in the textbook.
Teacher Involvement
For the older ones, you don’t have to get involved too much as they can read the material and then apply the concepts independently.
Heart of Dakota Program
For homeschoolers wanting an adaptable Christian language arts curriculum, Heart of Dakota is incredibly popular.
Grade
The complete package allows you to teach children from kindergarten to the end of high school. This makes it perfect for homeschoolers with large families.
Price
Prices for each level start at $47. But you can purchase packages that cover multiple levels if you want to get discounts.
Digital or Physical
It’s a physical course. Each volume equals a year’s worth of lessons and work.
Secular or Christian
This is a Christ-centered language arts curriculum.
Preparation Time
None! There are daily lesson plans in each volume that are split into two parts. All you need to do is stick to these and you’re good to go.
Teacher Involvement
You’ll need to be highly involved since it adopts a traditional teacher-led approach.
McRuffy Language Arts Program
McRuffy is a homeschool language arts curriculum that covers phonics, grammar, composition, reading, and spelling. Handwriting is an optional (but super helpful) extra. It uses a direct teaching model that ensures minimal confusion.
Grade
It has been made with grades kindergarten to 4 in mind.
Price
The price for each level is $139.95.
Digital or Physical
It’s a physical course that comes complete with consumable handwriting workbooks.
Secular or Christian
It adopts a secular approach but is still Christian friendly.
Preparation Time
You don’t need to prepare at all since you are given the writing workbooks, textbooks, and lesson plans.
Teacher Involvement
Teacher involvement here is medium to high. Around 3rd grade, you can lessen the amount of direct teaching.
Plain and Not So Plain Curriculum
Plain and Not So Plain Curriculum is a free language arts curriculum that makes use of traditional teaching and intensive phonics. It is both engaging and uber-effective.
Grade
It’s perfect for grades 1 to 3 so it’s great for younger families.
Price
The digital version (PDF) is free but you’ll pay $25 per grade for the printed version. Regardless of the version you choose, you’ll receive worksheets as well. Although, there aren’t any teacher guides.
Digital or Physical
You can decide between digital (PDF) or physical.
Secular or Christian
It adopts a strictly Christian view.
Preparation Time
There is little to no preparation time needed for this homeschool language arts curriculum since everything is PDF or textbook-based.
Teacher Involvement
This depends on your child’s age and language arts ability. You’ll know when you can step back based on their performance.
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