Top Literature-Based Homeschool Curriculum PICKS [2024]

Want your child to devour books with a literature-based homeschool curriculum? Curriculums like these are often great fun for those who love books as they allow parents and children to read and learn together. There’s family bonding, laughs, and learning. But there are lots of different options. Christian, secular, history or science focused, free or paid, online or offline, Christian and secular.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. If you want to do my course on how to homeschool, click here.

Let’s take a look at an option that will suit you below.

Affiliate links are used in this post.

In this post, we’re going to cover these options and more:

Let’s take a look at these options more closely below.

Sonlight

Sonlight is one of the best literature-based homeschool curriculum packages.

This program arrives in a big box in the mail with absolutely everything you’ll need (down to the last paperclip).

The main focus is reading many books to learn about different subjects, such as history, science, and geography.

They mix subjects together, so you learn how things connect.

When looking at the curriculum, you can:

pick a package that fits your child’s grade level or
make your own.

Sonlight will give parents guides, plans to help teach, fun activities, and games.

Sonlight is a Christian curriculum that doesn’t explicitly teach evolution or creation.

Families using Sonlight can find support online or in local groups.

Visit Sonlight here.

Moving Beyond the Page

Moving Beyond the Page is a secular homeschool curriculum based on literature.

It is tailored for gifted learners of all ages. It is designed to provide an integrated and hands-on learning experience.

This program uses the unit studies method, meaning themes, not subjects, are grouped.

Moving Beyond the Page uses high-quality children’s literature, emphasizing critical thinking through activities such as:

experiments,
creative writing, and
art projects.

The curriculum encourages independent thinking and a love for learning, with various instruction accommodating various learning styles and parental involvement as facilitators.

Check out Moving Beyond the Page here.

My Father’s World

My Father’s World is a Christian literature-based homeschool curriculum.

Alongside using plenty of literature, it follows the:

classical
Charlotte Mason
unit studies methods.

It also weaves a biblical worldview into every subject.

This is a very hands-on curriculum with lots of crafting.

They have colorful homeschool workbooks, making an excellent family-style homeschool curriculum.

But, if you’re not very crafty, you can skip this aspect.

Check out My Father’s World here.

Veritas Press (free consultation here)

Veritas Press is an all-in-one online homeschool. It’s also a very conservative Christian program with LIVE online lessons.

This classical homeschool curriculum program offers a few options:

self-paced lessons
pre-recorded classes or
LIVE, online video lessons

Their latter option is accredited and is the easiest option for parents.

The cost of their curriculum is also subsidized by many American state governments.

To check if you live in one of these states, do a consultation.

You can get a FREE consultation with Veritas Press here.

Great Books Homeschool

Great Books Homeschool is an affordable, secular homeschool curriculum based on literature.

The idea is that you can get the books from libraries and save yourself a lot of money.

But they offer a complete curriculum for all ages.

This program is Charlotte Mason and classically inspired.

Visit Great Books Homeschool here.

Compass Classroom

You can’t go past Compass Classroom if you want something for more middle and high school and entirely online.

This is a Classical curriculum with elements of Charlotte Mason influences.

Compass Classroom has many lectures and videos, but students read a lot of classical literature.

For example:

Dante’s Divine Comedy
Milton’s Paradise Lost
C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Series

These are just a few.

You can buy courses separately or access all their courses for a monthly subscription fee.

Visit Compass Classroom here.

Memoria Press

Memoria Press is one of the most popular homeschool curriculums focusing on classical Christian education.

Founded in 1994, it emphasizes Latin, literature, grammar, and logic, following the classical triad of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

Their curriculum combines classic literature, biblical studies, and rigorous academic content, emphasizing memorization and critical thinking.

Memoria Press provides teacher guides, online resources, and assessment tools.

This program makes a good Catholic literature-based homeschool curriculum. While it’s not explicitly Catholic, many Catholics use it to teach children Latin and how to read the Vulgate.

Explore Memoria Press here.

Ambleside Online

Ambleside Online is a homeschooling curriculum rooted in Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy.

But, it is also a free literature-based homeschool curriculum that’s Christian to the core.

Ambleside Online focuses on:

living books,
narration,
nature study, and
short, engaging lessons.

The program emphasizes the use of quality literature and encourages children to retell what they’ve read to develop comprehension.

Nature study is integrated to promote outdoor observation and journaling.

The curriculum spans various subjects, including literature, history, science, and the arts. It is organized by grade level and includes free online resources.

Parents play a central role in implementing the curriculum, fostering their children’s love for learning and character development.

It’s okay for free, but remember you’ll have to buy the books, which can often cost as much as a curriculum!

Check out Ambleside Online here.

Bookshark

Bookshark may be the best secular literature-based homeschool curriculum (many people describe it as Sonlight’s secular version).

Their comprehensive packages include all needed materials and can be customized to fit individual needs.

BookShark integrates multiple subjects, such as history, literature, and language arts, into cohesive units supplemented with hands-on activities and projects.

Parents receive detailed support through instructor guides and online resources.

It offers a secular option and aims to foster a love for learning while preparing students academically.

Visit Bookshark here.

Tapestry of Grace

Tapestry of Grace uses Charlotte Mason and classical learning styles to teach children literature.

They promote a solid biblical worldview and recognition of truth, beauty, and virtue in the program.

This isn’t the fastest program to complete, but it offers a rich and rigorous education.

It also comes in several formats with deluxe and affordable options.

Check out Tapestry of Grace here.

Simply Charlotte Mason

Simply Charlotte Mason is a popular Charlotte Mason homeschooling option.

They offer massive living booklists, workbooks, schedules, and reading books.

You can get online versions or printed books offline for parents and children.

Check out Simply Charlotte Mason here.

A Gentle Feast

A Gentle Feast is a Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum that uses plenty of literature.

The program can be bought with workbooks for offline use or printed out online as a more affordable option.

This curriculum comes with phone support for parents who are new to homeschooling.

It includes morning time. This is where family members learn together in a group.

Then, it has a curriculum for varying age levels to do throughout the day.

Check out A Gentle Feast here.

Heart of Dakota

Heart of Dakota offers a gospel-centered conservative Charlotte Mason curriculum.

Books are carefully curated, and the curriculum is quite nature-based and rigorous.

The family produces this curriculum, and you’ll support a gorgeous homeschool family by buying.

Check out Heart of Dakota here.

Notgrass

Notgrass produces a geography, history, and literature homeschool program that spans multiple ages.

This means you can use it with children of varying ages, homeschooling them simultaneously.

Notgrass is very popular.

I use it with my own children.

I learn, and they learn at the same time!

Notgrass is particularly well-known for its American History homeschool curriculum.

Their From Adam to Us curriculum is also very popular.

Here’s a review of it.

Check out Notgrass directly here.

Oak Meadow

Oak Meadow is a secular, nature-based homeschool curriculum.

This is an accredited online program that encourages real-life experiences and down-to-earth learning.

But it can be pricey as it’s accredited.

Check out Oak Meadow here.

Blossom and Root

You can buy a homeschool curriculum that’s more affordable but similar to Oak Meadow with Blossom and Root.

This secular program can be downloaded entirely online (no physical workbooks).

Check it out here.

Beautiful Feet Books

Beautiful Feet Books is a homeschool literature-based curriculum inspired by Charlotte Mason.

They use books to teach history, geography, science, and social studies.

Their curriculum includes selected books, study guides, and lesson plans to facilitate learning through reading and discussion.

They focus on fostering a love for learning by exposing students to engaging literature to spark curiosity and critical thinking.

Check out Beautiful Feet Books here.

Five in a Row

Five in a Row is a homeschooling curriculum by Jane Claire Lambert.

It focuses on literature-based learning for children aged 4-8.

Families read a picture book weekly, exploring subjects like social studies and science through related activities.

The curriculum fosters discussion, hands-on learning, and creativity, using each book as a foundation for a week-long unit study.

Parents tailor activities to their children’s interests to cultivate critical thinking and a love for learning.

The approach is praised for its flexibility, simplicity, and emphasis on bonding through shared reading and learning.

This one is written by Christians but primarily secular.

Visit Five in a Row here.

Learning Language Arts Through History

Learning Language Arts Through History is a boxed homeschool curriculum with several reader options.

They have student workbooks and teacher’s guides for parents.

This curriculum is also quite popular and well worth checking out.

Take a look at it here.

The Bottom Line

I love the idea of a Christian literature-based homeschool curriculum. The only problem is that I don’t have much time to read to my child for hours each day, and I often find my throat sore when reading too long. I like this idea for older children but struggle with the time commitment needed for younger children. Therefore, I prefer more open-and-go curriculum options at the moment. You can take a look at these here.