How to Try Homeschool Curriculum for Free
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It can be hard to choose the perfect homeschool curriculum for your family. There are just so many choices! Even after considering the budget and educational philosophy, it might be hard to make a final decision.
Trying homeschool curriculum for free is a way to narrow down the choices without going broke.
Curriculum can get expensive!
One of the ways to save money is to make sure that we are only purchasing curriculum that we will actually use. Homeschool curriculum does nobody any good if it never leaves the bookshelf.
I have wasted money on curriculum that wasn’t a good fit and it is frustrating. Not only did I waste money on a curriculum that didn’t work, but I had to purchase a new curriculum to replace the bad fit. Now I try really hard to try homeschool curriculum for free before buying.
There are 4 main ways to try homeschool curriculum for free.
How to Try Homeschool Curriculum for Free
Download Sample Lessons for Free
Sample lessons are a great way to try out a homeschool curriculum.
When you are looking through a sample lesson look for a few things:
- Do you like the way the lesson is organized?
- Does the lesson length fit into your schedule?
- Do you like the amount of teacher involvement required?
- Is the level of rigor what you are looking for?
- Does your student want to use this program?
There have been many times that I thought I had found the perfect curriculum for my family only to change my mind after looking through the sample lesson.
To find sample lessons check out the website of any curricula you are considering. Sometimes it is offered right on the home page. Other times it might be tucked away within the shop on the product page or in the footer.
If you can’t find one, message the curriculum company and ask. I’m sure they will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Trying sample lessons with my kids has helped me learn what they like and dislike about various programs. I don’t want to fight my kids about schoolwork all year long, so their opinions are important to me.
Take Advantage of Curriculum Freebies
Another way to try homeschool curriculum for free is to take advantage of all of the available freebies a company has to offer. Many curriculum companies offer free products in exchange for joining the email list.
Joining homeschool curriculum company email lists is a great way to get coupon codes and find out about sales, so I always recommend signing up.
Freebies might include writing prompts, printable games, or small projects. For example, All About Learning offers free printable e-books, checklists, reading and spelling activities, phonogram review activities, phonological awareness games, and alphabet activities!
These offers are advertised on home pages, free resource pages, and in pop-ups.
Sign Up for a Limited-Time Trial Offer
Online homeschool curriculum options rarely have downloadable sample lessons or freebies. Instead, look for a free trial offer.
A trial offer will let you check out all the online program has to offer. You can take a little time to explore the curriculum and see if it meets your needs.
I like to make sure that it is intuitive to navigate – especially if I plan to turn my kids loose on the site.
If the trial offer requires you to keep a credit card on file, make sure to mark the date that the trial expires on your calendar. I usually mark it a few days in advance of the expiration date in case life gets busy.
This ensures that you have time to cancel it before being charged if it ends up not being the right curriculum for your family.
Borrow From a Friend
One of my favorite ways to try a homeschool curriculum for free is to borrow it from a friend.
Borrowing curriculum from a friend is great because you have access to the full curriculum. You can really check out the program to see if it seems right. You might even be able to convince your kiddos to try a few lessons. This gives you a really good feel for a curriculum before purchasing.
I can’t be the only homeschool mom who can’t stop chatting about curriculum with my friends. Ask around and see who can let you borrow a curriculum you are considering.
Trying a homeschool curriculum for free will help you decide whether it is a good fit for your family.
There are also quite a few totally free homeschool resources. Check out this list of free homeschool resources to see what you can include in your homeschool.
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