Whether you’re brand new to homeschooling or you’ve been at this for awhile, the tween years can often feel, well… daunting. How in the world are you supposed to find the best homeschooling curriculum for middle school?
Our children are smack-dab in the strange place that straddles both childhood and the teenage years.
Hormones, emotions, and big feelings.
It’s A LOT!
While I’ve homeschooled both of my children since they started Kindergarten, I remember feeling especially nervous and scared as they approached the middle school years. I experienced the overwhelm of not knowing where to start and doubting my abilities to choose the right materials and approach.
The good news is that I ended up finding some truly fantastic resources that we ended up using all throughout the middle school years!
I want to share these homeschooling resources with you!
I’m hoping this list will help simplify the selection process for you and that you’ll be able to find plenty of appealing options!
I’ve organized this list by subject and have included links to relevant Homegrown Scholars blog posts that you’ll also find helpful.
Here we go!
Note: The majority of the resources listed below are ones that my family has used and wholeheartedly recommend. However, if you see an * before any materials listed, this indicates a resource that I have not personally used but have heard great things about from homeschooling families I know and trust.
BEST FREE HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL
Hey, why not dive into resources that are completely FREE first!?!
Your public library! – I’m not kidding, you might be shocked at just how many resources are available at your local public library, both in-person and online. Be sure to check it out!
FREE online homeschooling resources – This is a blog post where I’ve listed A TON of FREE, high-quality online resources.
BEST ONLINE MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITIES FOR HOMESCHOOLING middle SCHOOL:
It is CRITICAL that you find homeschooling support! In my experience, I found that in some ways it was easier to connect with other homeschooling families when my children were younger. As they hit the tween years and entered middle school, their personal interests and the friendships they’d formed on their own meant that our community changed too.
For this reason, I think it’s truly essential to stay connected with other homeschoolers, someway, somehow. If you’re struggling to find homeschooling friends locally, or a co-op or group where you feel comfortable and welcome, there are some wonderful virtual options!
While there are plenty of FREE online options, I’ve found paying for homeschooling support/community/coaching to be worth every penny I’ve spent. It truly was an investment in my self-care and well-being, as well as to the success of our homeschooling!
Consider looking into the following resources for homeschooling support:
The Kindred Collective – FREE with optional paid seasonal virtual conferences.
Brave Learner – For parents of ALL ages. PAID membership.
BEST COMPLETE HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL:
- * Book Shark – Complete curriculum. All ages.
- Build Your Library – All ages (The program serves as a guide – required materials must be purchased separately.)
- * K-12 – All ages.
- Khan Academy – All ages and completely FREE.
- *Oak Meadow – All ages.
- Time 4 Learning – Online. All ages.
BEST MATH HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL:
- * Math-U-See – K-12
- Right Start Math – K-12
- Singapore Math – K-12
- Live Online Math – pre-Algebra and up
Supplemental Math Books
- Life of Fred – There are a TON of these books, from preschool through high school, with plenty that are ideal for middle school. Books can be purchased separately or as a series. Note: Author writes from a Christian worldview.
- Murderous Maths – These can be purchased separately or as a series.
BEST LANGUAGE ARTS HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM RESOURCES FOR middle SCHOOL
- Brave Writer – All ages, online classes available too.
- Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) – Online classes available too. Note: Christian world view included in some (but not all) of their curriculum. Each product clearly states when Christian content is included.
- The Creative Writer – There are three books in the series.
- Time for Writing – This is the writing component of Time for Learning.
BEST SCIENCE HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL:
- Next Level Homeschool – Offers a wide variety of classes across many different subjects. Completely online and geared towards middle school and high school.
- R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey – Pandia Press – Complete science curriculum.
- * KIWICO – Offers a variety of subscription crates, including middle school.
BEST HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL:
- Big History Project – FREE and online.
- Give Your Child the World by Jamie Martin – Book containing specific recommendations for history and geography books for regions and cultures. Offers suggestions for both younger children as well as tweens/early teens.. Note: Author has a Christian worldview but she is very honest about any recommendations she makes that are Christian.
- History Odyssey – Pandia Press – K-12
- Raddish – Cooking subscription box – focuses on different regions and cultures around the world. While younger kids can work alongside an adult in the kitchen, tweens can take on a more assertive role and prepare meals with less supervision or completely on their own.
BEST ART HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL:
- * Classy Artist Box – Subscription boxes.
- Let’s Make Art – Offers monthly watercolor subscription boxes as well as one time watercolor projects.
- * You Are an Artist Chalk Pastels – Offers different memberships and online tutorials. All ages.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM FOR middle SCHOOL:
- *Babbel – Paid app to learn languages. Doesn’t have a huge variety (but still offers more than 10 languages.)
- Duolingo – FREE and paid options for this popular app.
- * Homeschool Spanish Academy. Live online sessions with Spanish Instructors.
- Be sure to check your local Junior College(s) for languageclasses!
BEST HOMESCHOOLING CURRICULUM COVERING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SUBJECTS:
- * Curiosity Stream – Tons of documentaries. Paid membership but VERY affordable!
- Outschool – Huge variety of online classes!
- Netflix – Great resource for documentaries!
YOU MIGHT ALSO FIND THE FOLLOWING BLOG POSTS HELPFUL:
- Top 10 Must Have Homeschooling Supplies
- 5 Books Every Homeschooling Parent Should Read
- 10 Captivating Poetry Books for Middle Schoolers
- Best Resources for Homeschooling
- Best Books for Homeschooling – Contains 15 separate lists of books in different categories. I add new lists often and it’s an ongoing project, so be sure to check back frequently!
If you’ve got younger kids, be sure to check out Best Homeschooling Curriculum for Elementary School and for older kids, Best Homeschooling Curriculum for High School!
Let me know if you have questions about any of these resources!
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