Let's face it. The cost of homeschool can be high. Some of the pre-packaged programs can cost $400 or more and still require supplies or printing. This leaves many of us wondering how we can homeschool our kids without breaking the budget and still give them the best education possible.
Take the regular educational needs for your child. Now, add in the need for a curriculum that worked with our son's Autism, hearing loss, and sensory issues (instead of working against them). Needless to say, when we started our homeschool journey we were left with a laundry list of needs and a larger list of dollar signs.
Through the trials and tribulations we found a few ways to get the homeschool curriculum we wanted, that would work with our child's needs, and that would come in under budget.
Here are the 5 ways we found to create a frugal homeschool kindergarten curriculum that keeps our child engaged and teaches him what he needs to learn.
Settle on a Theme
Our homeschool is year round. We decided the theme for kindergarten would be the alphabet through the year. Two weeks on each letter. By choosing the theme we were able to set up the lesson plans based on that theme easily. We knew the basic concept for each two week segment. By simply choosing a theme, we were able to rule out a lot of curriculum that would not have been useful or would have not fit into our plans.
You can choose any theme you want. Just make sure the theme will get you through the 180 days of school, or the time frame you have for your school year. Keep in mind you will need readers, activities, and work activities that go along with your theme while still keeping your child engaged.
Used and Vintage
When we decided to go with the alphabet through the year theme, we realized quickly this could be a costly option. One day while looking for curriculum, I found a set of vintage/used Little Golden Books that were listed as ABC Encyclopedia. They were readers for each letter of the alphabet. They were perfect!
They were in like new condition and $35 with shipping. We had our readers, the information in them is not outdated, and they would give us small topics for each letter for the entire year.
Use Your Library
You will have other books you want to use to supplement your main readers. To cut costs, check with your library. Why? Many libraries have updated their system to offer not only books in the library, but also E-books. This can give you a much wider range of books that can be read on a tablet, phone, or online through Kindle or other reading program.
Go Totally Digital
If you don't want to create your own curriculum, consider going with a digital curriculum package or bundle. The digital curriculums out there range from $50 per unit (such as Good and the Beautiful Language Arts unit) to $300 or more for full year curriculum options. These options usually do not require further books, supplies, or purchases of any kind. Some may require a book purchase while others require supplies only. This can give you everything you need, especially if you are following a specific program like Abeka.
Use Apps
The final way to help save money is to use apps when and where you can. The Kindle reading app is free and you can pay monthly for Kindle Unlimited for your books and readers. Jumpstart Academy and ABC Mouse offer app based curriculum and have report options to show progress and grades. These apps can cut your costs down significantly.
Are you already using some of these options? Which ones have you found that work best for you? Is there another way that you keep your homeschool budget low? Let me know in the comments.
