Single-subject programs
You don't have to buy one program for everything. These options each do one thing well — reading, math, science, typing, or a language — so you can fill a gap without paying for a full curriculum.
69 options
Pricing is approximate and changes often — always confirm on the provider's site before purchasing.
General enrichment
Kid-friendly activities, games, and short science and nature content. Works as light enrichment or a rainy-day supplement rather than a graded course.
Best for: Curiosity-driven extras for younger kids
Visit the curriculum siteScience
Open-and-go video science lessons built around a single question, each paired with a simple hands-on activity using household supplies. Little prep for the parent.
Best for: Hands-on elementary science without lab shopping
Visit the curriculum siteLanguage arts, math, and more
Faith-based, open-and-go courses with a strong language arts program that folds in reading, spelling, grammar, art, and geography. Many levels are downloadable free.
Best for: Families wanting a Christian worldview and low prep
Visit the curriculum siteThemed unit studies
Themed unit-study style resources you can drop into a week of learning. Best used to add depth to a subject you already have a spine for.
Best for: Interest-led unit studies alongside a core program
Visit the curriculum siteTyping, reading, spelling
Orton-Gillingham-informed typing course that teaches keyboarding and reading/spelling at the same time, in small multi-sensory modules.
Best for: Dyslexic and struggling spellers; typing skills
Visit the curriculum siteEarly reading
Step-by-step learn-to-read app and readers, with short daily lessons that move from letter sounds to full sentences.
Best for: Brand-new readers who need a clear sequence
Visit the curriculum siteReading, spelling, writing
Game-based reading and spelling program designed with dyslexic learners in mind, using structured phonics and lots of repetition.
Best for: Dyslexia support that still feels like play
Visit the curriculum siteForeign language
Bite-sized daily language practice across dozens of languages. Great for consistency and vocabulary, thinner on grammar explanation and conversation.
Best for: A no-cost foreign language elective
Visit the curriculum siteMath and reading practice
Adaptive practice with short videos and worksheets that adjust as your child works. A practice layer, not a full curriculum.
Best for: Daily skill practice to reinforce a math spine
Visit the curriculum siteReading, math, science, and social studies
A gamified virtual world where kids explore math, reading, science, and social studies through quests, games, and interactive activities. Motivating for kids who resist traditional worksheets.
Best for: Older elementary kids who learn best through games
Visit the curriculum siteMath and reading
Curriculum-aligned math and reading games that adapt to each child's level, with a parent dashboard showing progress and gaps. Good for daily practice and confidence-building.
Best for: Adaptive daily practice for early grades
Visit the curriculum siteVocabulary and reading
Illustrated vocabulary and storytelling resources that make word-learning memorable through humor and visual mnemonics. Pairs well with any language arts spine.
Best for: Building rich vocabulary through engaging visuals
Visit the curriculum siteCoding and computer science
Block- and text-based coding challenges that teach real programming concepts through a guided, game-like sequence. No prior coding experience needed for parent or child.
Best for: A structured first coding course for kids
Visit the curriculum siteSpelling
A playful spelling app where children collect animals by spelling words correctly at their level. Short, gamified sessions make daily spelling practice feel easy.
Best for: Reluctant spellers who need gentle, game-based practice
Visit the curriculum siteCreative writing and reading
An interactive story world where children invent magical animals and write stories about them, with prompts, games, and feedback to nurture writing skills and imagination.
Best for: Imaginative kids who write best inside a story world
Visit the curriculum siteEarly math
A beautifully designed math app that builds number sense, logic, and spatial reasoning through play rather than drill. Adapts to the child and needs no reading ability.
Best for: Preschool and early elementary math readiness
Visit the curriculum siteMath practice
A 3D game world where kids answer adaptive math questions to earn rewards and customize their character. A practice layer with a parent progress dashboard, not a full course.
Best for: Motivating reluctant kids through daily math practice
Visit the curriculum siteMath
Mastery-based math taught with manipulative blocks and short video lessons for the parent and child. One concept is taught to mastery before moving on.
Best for: Hands-on learners and parents who want video instruction
Visit the curriculum siteMath
Affordable mastery-based worktexts that explain concepts directly to the child, with strong emphasis on mental math and understanding rather than rote steps. Print-your-own PDFs.
Best for: Budget-friendly, thorough elementary math
Visit the curriculum siteChallenge math
Comic-book style math from Art of Problem Solving that pushes real problem-solving and puzzles well beyond grade level. Rigorous and genuinely hard.
Best for: Math-strong kids who are bored by standard curriculum
Visit the curriculum siteMath
The Primary Mathematics and Dimensions programs built on the concrete–pictorial–abstract sequence, with bar modeling to make word problems visual. Parent guides available.
Best for: Deep conceptual math with a proven sequence
Visit the curriculum siteMath
A complete, entirely free UK-developed math program with printable pupil sheets and detailed lesson plans. Discussion-heavy and requires parent prep, but costs nothing.
Best for: Rigorous math on a zero budget
Visit the curriculum siteEarly reading and phonics
A charming phonics game where children create a monster and travel through games covering letter sounds, blending, and first sentences. Short sessions, no ads.
Best for: Playful phonics practice alongside a reading spine
Visit the curriculum siteReading, phonics, and spelling
A structured, level-based online reading program with lessons, e-books, and rewards, plus companion math. Places your child by assessment and moves in clear steps.
Best for: A guided learn-to-read path with built-in library
Visit the curriculum siteEarly literacy
A completely free phonics and early reading app from Duolingo, with bite-sized lessons on letters, sounds, sight words, and short stories. No ads or upsells.
Best for: Free daily reading practice for beginners
Visit the curriculum siteWriting and grammar
Short daily video lessons where a teacher walks the student through grammar and the writing process step by step, with worksheets and assignments. Very little parent teaching required.
Best for: Independent writing instruction without parent prep
Visit the curriculum siteLanguage arts, history, and writing
Classical education resources including First Language Lessons, Writing With Ease, and Story of the World. Sequential, literature-rich, and secular in presentation.
Best for: Families following a classical, book-based approach
Visit the curriculum siteClassical core: Latin, literature, and more
Classical Christian curriculum known for its Latin programs, literature guides, and highly scripted teacher manuals. Structured, traditional, and repetition-based.
Best for: Parents wanting a scripted classical Christian plan
Visit the curriculum siteLiterature and reading library
Over 70,000 free public-domain ebooks, including most classic literature. Not a curriculum — a no-cost library to pair with any literature or history plan.
Best for: Free classic reading for literature-based learning
Visit the curriculum siteCoding and computer science
Beginner-friendly coding lessons that introduce programming logic in small guided steps. Works as a short elective rather than a full-year course.
Best for: A gentle first taste of coding
Visit the curriculum siteCoding and game design
An iPad app where kids build their own games and animations with block-based code, then publish and remix projects from other kids. Creative and self-directed.
Best for: Kids who want to make games, not just follow lessons
Visit the curriculum siteCore subjects: math, science, and language arts
Traditional textbook-based courses adapted from classroom programs like enVision Math and myPerspectives, with parent guides and answer keys. Familiar, school-style structure.
Best for: Families wanting a conventional school-style course
Visit the curriculum siteRoutines and behavior tracking (support tool)
Not a curriculum. A free tool for tracking routines, habits, and encouragement, with points, timers, and group activities. Useful for keeping the school day on rhythm.
Best for: Building consistent daily habits and routines
Visit the curriculum siteHandwriting and fine motor
A multisensory handwriting program that teaches letter formation through wood pieces, wet-dry-try slates, and simple workbooks. Developed by an occupational therapist and gentle for struggling writers.
Best for: Kids who resist writing or need OT-friendly practice
Visit the curriculum siteMath
A spiral math curriculum that introduces a new concept daily and reviews prior material in every lesson. Familiar to many families from classrooms and very thorough, though lesson-heavy.
Best for: Families who want constant review and a traditional sequence
Visit the curriculum siteReading, spelling, and grammar
A complete phonics, reading, and spelling program built on the rules that govern English spelling. Explicit, systematic, and strong for dyslexic learners or anyone who wants the 'why' behind spelling.
Best for: Systematic phonics and spelling for struggling or curious readers
Visit the curriculum siteScience
Video science lessons hosted by real scientists, each paired with a DIY activity, vocabulary, and quizzes. Aligned to NGSS standards and produced with the National Science Teaching Association.
Best for: Engaging standards-aligned science with low prep
Visit the curriculum siteWriting and language arts
A gentle, literature-rich writing approach from Julie Bogart that builds fluency through copywork, dictation, freewriting, and online classes. Emphasizes voice and confidence over drills.
Best for: Reluctant or creative writers who need a low-pressure path
Visit the curriculum siteScience
A hands-on, secular science curriculum covering life, earth, chemistry, and physics through weekly labs using household supplies. Each lesson has a reading page, lab, and writeup for the child.
Best for: Families wanting lab-based science without buying kits
Visit the curriculum siteHistory (elementary)
A narrative history program from Pandia Press that moves chronologically through world history with a storybook, hands-on activities, and a travel-guide style for each civilization. Secular and literature-rich.
Best for: Story-first elementary history that spans cultures
Visit the curriculum siteHistory (Christian)
A Christian, literature-based history curriculum that weaves Bible, reading, and writing into each unit. Daily lessons are self-contained and parent-friendly, with suggested living books.
Best for: Faith-based families wanting one spine for history and lit
Visit the curriculum siteGeography
Daily geography practice workbooks that build map skills, vocabulary, and place knowledge in short weekly units. Easy to drop in alongside any social studies spine.
Best for: Quick, consistent geography practice with zero prep
Visit the curriculum siteLogic and critical thinking
Workbooks and software that build reasoning, logic, and problem-solving across reading, math, and science. Often used as a supplement for kids who like puzzles and brainteasers.
Best for: Stretching strong thinkers with logic and reasoning puzzles
Visit the curriculum siteMath
Self-paced video math courses with auto-grading and step-by-step solutions for every problem. The app reads lessons aloud and tracks progress, so older students can work independently while parents watch the grade book.
Best for: Independent learners who want built-in grading
Visit the curriculum siteMath
A conceptual, hands-on math program built around a special abacus and card games, with very little worksheet drill. Emphasizes understanding and visual strategies over memorization.
Best for: Hands-on, visual learners who resist worksheets
Visit the curriculum siteMath
An online video math program with short lessons, adaptive practice, and automatic grading across all grade levels. One family subscription covers every child and lets them move freely between levels.
Best for: Families wanting one subscription for multiple levels
Visit the curriculum siteMath and reading practice
An adaptive practice platform that diagnoses gaps in math, reading, and other subjects, then assigns targeted lessons. Good as a daily practice and gap-closing layer alongside a spine.
Best for: Targeted skill gap practice across subjects
Visit the curriculum siteReading and phonics
An explicit, multisensory, open-and-go phonics program using letter tiles, flashcards, and short decodable readers. Scripted lessons make it easy to teach and strong for struggling readers.
Best for: Struggling or dyslexic readers who need explicit phonics
Visit the curriculum siteSpelling
A rule-based, multisensory spelling program that teaches the logic behind English spelling with letter tiles and scripted lessons. Works alongside any reading program and is strong for dyslexic learners.
Best for: Logical spelling that explains the 'why'
Visit the curriculum siteWriting and composition
A structured writing method that teaches structure and style through modeling, key-word outlines, and dress-ups. Video-based teaching with clear rubrics, building confident writers step by step.
Best for: Parents who want a clear, repeatable writing framework
Visit the curriculum siteLanguage arts (grammar, vocab, writing, poetics)
A rigorous, literature-infused language arts curriculum from Royal Fireworks that treats grammar, vocabulary, poetics, and writing as interconnected, idea-rich subjects for bright kids.
Best for: Gifted or language-loving students ready for depth
Visit the curriculum siteScience
Clear, friendly video science lessons and full courses with hands-on activities and printable journals, created by a science educator. Approachable and low-prep for elementary and middle grades.
Best for: Friendly, low-prep video science with real experiments
Visit the curriculum siteScience
A classical-model science curriculum with weekly experiments, encyclopedic reading, and notebook pages for each unit. Secular and flexible enough to fit a classical or eclectic plan.
Best for: Classical families wanting structured, notebook-based science
Visit the curriculum siteScience
A literature-based science curriculum built around living books and weekly experiments, organized into biology, chemistry, and physics bundles. Each kit ships with the reading books included.
Best for: Literature-led, hands-on science in one box
Visit the curriculum siteHistory (elementary)
A narrative four-year world history cycle from Susan Wise Bauer, told as a story with an activity book of maps, crafts, and questions. A familiar, well-loved spine for classical and eclectic families.
Best for: Story-first history for elementary that flows chronologically
Visit the curriculum siteHistory
A secular, chronological world history program told as a dialogue between two characters, with snapshots across cultures in each era. Inclusive and easy to pair with read-alouds.
Best for: Secular, inclusive world history for elementary
Visit the curriculum siteHistory and literature (literature-based)
Literature-based history guides that build a year of study around carefully selected living books, with discussion questions, mapping, and activities for each era and grade band.
Best for: Families who want history through great books
Visit the curriculum siteHistory
A secular, literature-rich history program from Pandia Press that blends a spine with living books, maps, timelines, and writing across a four-year chronological cycle.
Best for: Secular chronological history with built-in writing
Visit the curriculum siteCharlotte Mason literature-based (full curriculum)
A free, carefully curated Charlotte Mason curriculum built on living books, narration, and short lessons. Christian framing with a detailed book list and weekly schedule for each year.
Best for: A no-cost, book-rich Charlotte Mason year
Visit the curriculum siteCharlotte Mason / nature-based (full curriculum)
A gentle, secular, nature-and-literature-rich curriculum with weekly read-alouds, nature study, and open-ended projects. Low-prep and designed to follow a child's pace.
Best for: Relaxed, nature-loving early years
Visit the curriculum siteLiterature-based (full curriculum)
A secular, literature-rich curriculum with a global, inclusive book list, critical thinking, and weekly STEAM activities. Flexible and adaptable to a wide range of learners.
Best for: Secular, inclusive literature-based learning
Visit the curriculum siteLiterature-based (full curriculum)
A secular, literature-based curriculum that builds a year of learning around living books, with daily lesson plans covering history, science, language arts, and art tied to the reading.
Best for: Open-and-go secular literature plans across all grades
Visit the curriculum siteNature-based and outdoor learning
A nature-based curriculum weaving outdoor exploration, seasonal studies, and hands-on projects into reading, math, and science. Great for families who learn best outside.
Best for: Hands-on, outdoor, seasonal learning
Visit the curriculum siteMath and language arts practice
An adaptive practice platform with thousands of skills across math, language arts, science, and social studies, plus real-time analytics. A practice and reinforcement layer, not a full curriculum.
Best for: Deep adaptive practice with detailed analytics
Visit the curriculum siteEarly learning (reading, math, science)
A gamified early-learning app covering letters, numbers, and early science through activities, books, and puzzles. Best as light enrichment for the youngest learners, not a full curriculum.
Best for: Fun, gentle screen-time enrichment for little ones
Visit the curriculum siteMath and English practice (game-based)
A fantasy game where kids answer curriculum-aligned math (and English) questions to battle and explore. Motivating daily practice, but a practice layer rather than instruction.
Best for: Kids who will practice daily if it feels like a game
Visit the curriculum siteLive online classes (all subjects)
A marketplace of live, small-group online classes across academic and interest subjects, taught by independent teachers. Pick a class at a time to fill a gap or follow an interest.
Best for: Live classes for one subject or interest without commitment
Visit the curriculum siteSupplemental video learning (all subjects)
Short animated videos with quizzes, games, and activities across science, social studies, English, math, and more. Great for introducing or reviewing topics in an engaging, bite-sized way.
Best for: Quick, engaging topic introductions and reviews
Visit the curriculum siteWorksheets, games, and guided lessons
A library of printable worksheets, games, guided lessons, and lesson plans across core subjects. Useful for pulling extra practice on a specific skill or topic.
Best for: Grab-and-go worksheets and games by skill
Visit the curriculum siteSingle-subject programs work best when one of them is your spine and the rest are supplements. The piecing-together guide walks through that balance subject by subject.
These listings are independent editorial reviews. Prices and details are approximate and may change — confirm them on each publisher's own website. Homeschooling Smart does not sell, resell, or take orders for any of these third-party programs; links go to the publishers, who handle their own sales. The only products sold on this site are our own digital downloads and tools, listed in the Shop.