Best Homeschooling Apps and Resources for Parents and Teachers
While homeschooling our kids is rewarding, planning lessons tailored to each child's learning style can be overwhelming and exhausting. It also comes with its share of challenges for many parents, from staying organized to coordinating activities for varying age groups to finding engaging ways to teach complex subjects.
We've prepared this "Best Homeschooling Apps" guide as a resource for a few useful apps that can help streamline your workload. Knowing your time is full, we've kept our details on each product succinct.
Take a minute to glance through our suggestions. Hopefully, you'll find a few valuable planning tools to save time (and energy). We think you will.
Best Stay Organized with a Productivity Homeschool App
Evernote
Description: Evernote is a versatile note-taking app that helps homeschool teachers stay organized by capturing ideas, notes, and plans in one place. This app supports multiple formats, including text, images, and audio, making compiling educational resources and lesson plans easy.
Pros:
Seamless integration with various devices
Supports multimedia notes
Powerful search capabilities
Cons:
The free version has limited features
It can be complex for beginners
Website: Evernote
Cozi
Cozi is a whole family organizer homeschool app designed to simplify scheduling and task management. Parents can use it to coordinate lesson plans, track assignments, and manage family activities, ensuring everything stays on track.
Pros:
Shared calendar for whole family visibility for both parents and homeschool students
Create shopping, activity, and to-do lists
User-friendly interface
Cons:
Ads in the free version
Limited customization
Website: Cozi
Dropbox
Dropbox offers cloud storage solutions that enable homeschooling parents to store, share, and access educational materials effortlessly. Its collaboration features are ideal for sharing files with students or co-teachers.
Pros:
Easy file sharing
Reliable cloud storage
Access from any device
Cons:
Limited free storage
Requires a good internet connection
Website: Dropbox
Best Efficient Lesson Planning and Engagement Homeschool Apps
Planboard
Planboard is a lesson-planning app for desktop or mobile devices that helps the homeschooling parent streamline the homeschool curriculum by creating, organizing, and scheduling lessons. This homeschool app offers templates and planning features so no lesson detail is overlooked.
Pros:
User-friendly interface
Integration with Google Calendar
Comprehensive planning templates
Cons:
The mobile device app lacks some desktop features
Subscription required for premium features
Website: Planboard
Kahoot!
Kahoot! is an interactive quiz platform that makes learning fun and engaging through gamified quizzes. Teachers can create age-appropriate custom quizzes to test knowledge and encourage active, personalized learning.
Pros:
Engaging and fun learning
Create customizable quizzes
Supports multiple subjects
Cons:
Requires internet access
The free version has limited features
Website: Kahoot!
Best Homeschool Apps to Track Student Progress
Brili Routines
Description: Brili Routines is a homeschool app that helps teachers and students manage their daily schedules and routines, assisting them in efficiently completing tasks and learning activities.
Pros:
Visual schedule for homeschool kids
Encourages time management
Customizable age-appropriate routines
Cons:
Requires setup time
Subscription cost for full features
Website: Brili Routines
Studybreak Productivity Timer
Description: This app allows students and teachers to focus by breaking study sessions into intervals with scheduled breaks, enhancing productivity and concentration.
Pros:
Encourages focused work
Customizable timer settings
Helps manage study stress
Cons:
Limited features in the free version
It may require an app learning curve
Website: Studybreak Productivity Timer
Best Digital Libraries to Expand Learning
Libby
Description: Libby is an app for borrowing eBooks and audiobooks from your local library. It is a cost-effective way for homeschool teachers to access vast educational materials without purchasing physical copies or the need to create an extensive home library.
Pros:
Free access with library membership
Wide range of genres and subjects
User-friendly interface
Cons:
Requires library card
Limited availability of titles
Website: Libby
Perlego
Description: Perlego is an online library offering academic and nonfiction books. It is perfect for the homeschooling parent seeking comprehensive, helpful resources.
Pros:
Extensive academic collection
No borrowing limits
Access from multiple devices
Cons:
Subscription fee
Limited fiction options
Website: Perlego
Best Tools to Connect and Collaborate with Homeschooling Communities
Meetup
Description: Meetup helps homeschool families connect with local groups for shared learning experiences, social activities with other children, shared field trips, and support networks.
Pros:
Connect with local communities
Extra-curricular activities
Easy event organization
Cons:
Event availability varies by location
Some features require payment
Website: Meetup
Zoom
Description: Zoom offers a reliable video conferencing platform for virtual classes and meetings. This tool enables homeschool teachers to conduct live lessons, host study groups, and collaborate with other educators.
Pros:
High-quality video and audio
Screen sharing capabilities
Breakout room feature
Cons:
Requires stable internet
It can be overwhelming for beginners
Website: Zoom
Best Homeschool Curriculum Apps to Boost Artistic Creativity
Canva
Description: Canva is a graphic design tool for visually appealing educational materials. Homeschool teachers can design posters, presentations, and worksheets, enhancing the learning experience with visually engaging content.
Pros:
User-friendly design interface
Extensive template library
Free app version with ample features
Cons:
Some advanced features are subscription-based
May have a learning curve for complex designs
Likely only applicable for teaching parents and older kids to use
Website: Canva
TinkerCAD
Description: TinkerCAD is one of the easier-to-use 3D design and modeling educational apps that introduces students to 3D printing and engineering concepts. Homeschool teachers can use it to encourage creativity and hands-on learning.
Pros:
Intuitive for beginners
Supports STEM education
Free app to use
Cons:
Internet-dependent
Limited to basic 3D modeling
Website: TinkerCAD
Best Apps to Support Mental Health and Well-being
Headspace
Description: Headspace helps homeschool teachers and students manage stress and improve focus with guided meditation and mindfulness exercises. It's an excellent resource for promoting mental well-being in a homeschool setting.
Pros:
A variety of meditation topics
User-friendly app
Encourages regular mindfulness practice
Cons:
Full access is subscription-based
Requires commitment for best results
Website: Headspace
Calm
Description: Calm provides relaxation techniques, sleep stories, and breathing exercises that aid in maintaining a peaceful learning environment. Homeschool teachers can incorporate these into daily routines to support emotional health.
Pros:
Comprehensive relaxation tools
Beautifully designed interface
Free trial available
Cons:
Subscription required for full content
Some features are locked in the free version
Website: Calm
Wrap Up
The right tools offer invaluable support in creating an effective teaching and learning environment for you and your kids, from streamlining lesson planning to managing family schedules.
We encourage you to evaluate these apps, test their features, and discover how they can transform your homeschooling experience.
Feel free to ask other homeschoolers in your community for suggestions on streamlining your school planning and teaching experience. Many parents are willing to share tools and tips that have worked for them.
This community has a unified goal to give our kids love and the best possible educational foundation for a successful future grounded in solid ethics and values.
For additional tips and ideas, you might also be interested in:
Biblical Homeschool Lesson Plans: Integrating Faith and Learning, Online Homeschooling vs. Traditional Homeschooling, Exploring Homeschooling Reasons Why You Should Consider It, and What Makes a Good or Bad Homeschool Mom
