Can you homeschool without internet? If you’ve ever considered unplugged homeschooling, here are ideas on how to create your own offline homeschooling programs, homeschool without a computers or the internet, and home educate with things you probably already have for internet-free homeschooling experiences! You can homeschool without a computer and internet access successfully!
How To Homeschool Without Internet
We’re so accustomed to learning with internet that we wonder how is homeschooling offline even possible or how can I homeschool my children without the internet?
What if we told you YES!
You really can homeschool without internet connect! We’ll cover back-to-school tips and help for students without internet or if you want to incorporate more unplugged homeschool materials.
Can you homeschool without a computer and internet access?
You may be wondering, do you need a computer for homeschooling? Although homeschooling is much easier with a computer and internet access, it is possible to school at home without them. There are boxed homeschool curriculum that don’t use internet access and many other ways to learn offline!
Remember, learning comes in many different forms and it doesn’t have to be an in-person class or taking an online course or even following a curriculum or using workbooks and worksheets!
School at home takes a complete shift in thinking. You are NOT recreating a school environment at home. YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING BETTER! You have the ability to allow your child to learn in a way that best suits their learning style and abilities.
And, sometimes that doesn’t mean textbooks, workbooks or following a specific curriculum.
(It’s really exciting if you think about it!)
Here’s how you can create your own mostly free offline homeschooling programs (and you won’t even need a free homeschool curriculum!):
How To Homeschool Without Internet 24 Different Ways
- Find a best offline homeschool curriculum that works for your family.
- Read together.
- Read separately.
- Do an outdoor nature scavenger hunt.
- Choose random items around your house and then write a story about them.
- Play board games.
- Play video games.
- Paint or draw.
- Create a comic book.
- Do crafts.
- Work on workbooks.
- Go on a hike and nature journal.
- Create an indoor or outdoor obstacle course for PE class.
- Cook to practice reading, math, nutrition, teamwork and more.
- Do busy bags with random items and have them create something out of it. (Great STEM thought process!)
- Write letters to friends and family to practice writing, grammar, and printing/cursive.
- Volunteer and get community service hours.
- Go to museums to cover art, science, music and more.
- Do puzzles for critical thinking and even shapes practice.
- Learn about animals at the zoo.
- Grow your own food (in a garden or in containers on a balcony/window sill) to cover STEM and even life skills.
- Do science projects for STEM.
- Look for local homeschool programs without internet.
- Identify birds, wildflowers, or trees you see in your yard or at the park for nature studies.
Learning without internet is possible because so much learning takes place in everyday things!
LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM TO USE WITHOUT INTERNET? CHECK OUT:
45 Teach at Home Resources (By Grade / Level) for Offline Learning
A Word About Offline Curriculum…
Some of you right now might be like ::eyerollsigh:: because you want to follow a step-by-step process and are more comfortable with textbooks, workbooks, or following a straight curriculum.
I get it.
However, I encourage you to take a step back for a minute and think about (or observe) how your child learns best … and it might not be with a textbook and workbook. (For some kids, it might be, though!)
- Does your child learn best working with his/her hands (like crafts, Legos, etc.)? Try a hands-on STEM book where they’ll work on reading, math, science, critical thinking, creating and more!
- Does your child love worksheets and thrive doing copy work and progressing through a workbook? Try an age-appropriate curriculum workbook for an unplugged homeschool curriculum!
- Does your kid learn better by watching? Watch educational documentaries.
If you’re looking for an offline homeschool curriculum, I really suggest starting with a unit study. Ask your kids what topic they want to study (for example: Minecraft) and then build a learning unit around it:
- Read books about Minecraft (reading)
- Code in the Minecraft game (math, critical thinking, strategy, creativity)
- Grab a Minecraft curriculum workbook that covers math, reading, and STEM all in one place
- Cook some Minecraft food recipes (reading, math, teamwork)
And on and on! (You can even find free Minecraft worksheets online!)
This can done with any topic and adjusted to any age/grade/level.
Unit studies also work really well if you are homeschooling kids of different ages, grades, or learning levels!
How You Homeschool Without Internet
Here’s what our contributor Jesse Murphy has to say about her experience homeschooling without the internet…
How do you homeschool if you want your kids to unplug?
What is this, Little House On The Prairie?
I hear you.
However, homeschooling not online is not by choice… at least not for us.
I repeat, learning how to homeschooling without internet was not by choice in my house, so we had to get creative with homeschooling without being online.
We live in a very remote area and that means that we are not able to get high-speed internet.
In order to get internet at all, we have to have a giant satellite dish in our yard.
It looks lovely.
A great yard decoration.
So, because of this, we are pretty limited to what we can do on the internet and why we need to get creative with our unplugged homeschool.
We learned how to come up with flexible homeschooling ideas.
We can’t download files or images, stream videos, or do any other fun online homeschooling stuff like that.
(We can’t even free online homeschool. It’s all homeschooling offline for us!)
I know…
We may as well just be in 1800s.
It feels that way sometimes when we are surrounded by things that other people get to do every day but we can’t.
It doesn’t feel fair and it actually makes me quite angry.
But, we can’t do anything about it.
(And, on the bright side, I never have to prompt my kid to unplug from technology or worry about kids and technology issues that some other parents deal with regularly.)
So, how do I manage to disconnect and have successful offline homeschooling with my son without all the great modern advantages of the internet and the best online homeschooling programs?
It’s pretty simple really–much the same way parents have been homeschooling for decades.
Ready for the secret?
With books and paper.
(And, some other fun stuff.)
Honestly, I wish we were able to use the internet in our homeschooling,
I am always seeing those neat, online homeschooling curriculum and courses, learning games, and free homeschool printables that we sadly can’t use.
I do my best to find engaging books and activities for my son but it can be a bit of a challenge, especially with many kids addicted to technology today and my kid seeing that.
It seems like all the cool things are tech-based.
My kid begs me to let him watch YouTube and play online games for homeschooling, but I have to say no.
He doesn’t really get why he can’t access fun technology online (since it seems as though everyone else in the world can), so I try to find fun things for us to do that will help combat this issue.
Here are a few resources I use to make school time and downtime fun and without the fancy schmancy internet…
How To Homeschool Without Internet
4 Ideas for Unplugged Homeschooling and Creating Fun Offline Homeschooling Programs
How To Homeschool Without Internet Idea #1: Subscription Boxes
If you’ve never heard of them, subscription boxes are a boxes of goodies that are mailed to you at intervals.
Subscription boxes and homeschool kits by mail are a great way to homeschool offline.
Each box (or the subscription) is based around a different them like STEM, art, history, games, nature, and more.
My favorites are the STEM boxes from Green Kid Crafts!
GKC is a fun monthly subscription box for kids in preschool through the tween years that has fun projects made from eco-friendly materials.
You can help your learner expand their mind and creativity with one of their award-winning boxes each month.
My son really loves doing the projects and I really like the company!
CHECK OUT: Best Affordable Subscription Boxes for Kids
READ THIS NEXT:
Why Is Creativity So Important in Learning?
How To Homeschool Without Internet Idea #2: Arts and Crafts
A bit of a no-brainer here, but I try to always have some arts and crafts supplies around so my son can get creative.
I usually pick up inexpensive stuff from the Dollar Store and let him have fun whenever he wants.
Sometimes we have specific arts or crafts projects to do, but a lot of the time I just let him go to town.
He loves to paint, so he really enjoys making a mess, ahem, I mean a masterpiece with his paints.
READ THIS NEXT:
How to Bust Boredom
How To Homeschool Without Internet #3: Reading
My son has only recently discovered the joy of reading on his own.
I read to him every night before bed (and have since he was in diapers), but only in the last few weeks has he decided to crack open a book to read himself.
I couldn’t be happier about it!
The key is to find a book that he is actually interested in, and I think this goes for any kid.
Whatever topic they’re currently into, take advantage of that by finding a book that is on that same topic.
For example, my son is obsessed with Minecraft.
So, for his birthday I got him a series of books all about Minecraft!
I also got this fun activity book that any Minecrafter would love!
READ THIS NEXT:
Teaching How To Read Is Sucking All The Fun (DO THIS INSTEAD)
How To Homeschool Without Internet #4: Learning Board Games
Games are a great (FUN!) go-to when talking about how to homeschool without a screen or internet.
I am always searching for fun board games and, if they educate while you play, then even better!
One of our favorite is Ocean Raiders.
It’s a math game that’s great for ages 4 through 8.
You search the seas for the answers to the math questions and move across the board and learn addition facts as you go!
Dive deep into math fun with this great little game!
SEE 58 BOARD GAMES RECOMMENDED BY PARENTS
So whether you live out in the sticks (as we do) or if you just want to simplify your life or unplug and keep a limit on your kid’s internet access, I hope you have found some new ways to keep the kiddos entertained and how to homeschool without the internet!
Happy homeschooling!
Much love, JessXO
A LITTLE CREATIVITY AND YOU CAN SUCCESSFULLY HOMESCHOOL WITHOUT INTERNET!
STARTING HOME SCHOOL? CHECK OUT OUR HOW TO HOMESCHOOL GUIDE
I can’t afford internet I’m a single mom who works a lot!! My daughter is in 8 th grade and I need help homeschooling her help please
Hey Karie, Did you see the email I sent? Also, be sure to check out our HOW TO HOMESCHOOL FOR FREE post: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/free-homeschool/
what an uninformative page. almost as confusing as what they send home from school before this. our family needs
4 subjects, 4 textbooks, for a second grader. we dont need advice for cooking or art or entertainment. thats the easy part.
we need to graduate our 8 year old from the 2nd grade this year with a set of books we will read from front to back.
Hi Che,
Do you usually traditionally school or do you homeschool already? Let’s start there and we can get you some help!
Also, part of the goal of this post was to remind parents that kids learn naturally through a variety of ways (and not just textbooks and worksheets). For example, cooking isn’t just cooking, it’s also reading and math and teamwork and nutrition and is learning in real-world situations.
Let’s chat! We can definitely help you more with your situation.
I want to homeschool without the internet. My 5th grader struggles so much with the school curriculum, he’s a visual learner mostly. And sadly I’m not tech savvy or apparently to smart because I have trouble helping with his school work, it’s all so confusing and they don’t explain to the parents what to do so we can help them. The school is just willfully letting my son slip through the cracks and I have recently decided that it’s time to take it upon myself. But it’s hard to understand what to do. Do we have to do state testing? How do I know what he needs to learn to stay with his age range? I need help going in the right direction please. I’ve Never done this and want to do right by my son. Please any and all help is appreciated.
Hi Heather,
Thanks for stopping by and trusting us to help you! First, the overwhelm that you’re feeling is what all of us felt at the beginning of our homeschool journey. On top of that, you’re dealing with all the weird circumstances of our time right now. I’m sorry you’re dealing with all this!
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Check your state homeschooling laws. Every state has different laws and you need to know what yours are.
2. Un-enroll your child from the current school. You’ll usually just say you are transferring your child to private school. (Many states categorize homeschool as private school.) This is where it’s important to know your state laws because traditional schools hardly ever know the process (and will tell you that you need to do things that you really don’t).
3. DESCHOOL. This is one of the most important steps for success for you AND your child. READ HOW HERE: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/what-is-deschooling/
4. Ask your kid what he wants to learn about. (FOR REAL.) And then, build subjects around his interests. Learn how here: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/what-are-homeschool-unit-studies/
Also, as a new homeschool family, you may find this helpful: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/how-to-homeschool/
Let me know if you have any questions after you look through those resources.
I am wanting to homeschool my granddaughter. She is 12 and will turn 13 in September. She wants to be home school and her dad and i are willing to do it, my question is do i have to have a curiculiam or what and how do i teach her
Hi Margie,
That’s great! Welcome to homeschooling! The first thing you need to do is check your state homeschooling laws. Every state has different laws and it’s important that you know what your state requires. (Just Google “homeschool laws [your state]”)
Next, it sounds like you’re transferring your granddaughter from traditional school, so you’ll want to allow for a period of deschooling. I would NOT pick a curriculum yet and I would deschool. You can learn about it here: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/what-is-deschooling/
After that, read this: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/how-do-you-start-homeschooling-your-child-today/
Lastly, join our private homeschool group for new homeschoolers where you can ask questions and get info and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hssfnewbies/
I’ve tried homeschooling but its confusing and my child is losing motivation, help me figure this out.
Hi Michele. I’m so sorry for your frustration! Where are you in your homeschool journey? Did you just start? Did you move from traditional school to homeschool? Let me know and we can discuss further. In the meantime, check out this post: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/how-do-you-start-homeschooling-your-child-today/
How does a child graduate if being homeschooled in this aspect?
Hey Terry, great question! Thanks for asking it. As always, parents need to check state laws (or laws of your area) on what is required. Then, you can build a curriculum or study plan based on those requirements. There are plenty of physical (books/paper/workbooks) “boxed” (all in one) homeschool curricula that don’t require the internet, or you can “piecemeal” together different resources that meet your family’s needs. Your child can complete their studies with little to no internet, if needed, to meet graduation requirements for your state. Let me know if you have more questions. Happy to help.
Hi!!!
Just discovered your site after googling “homeschooling without the internet!”
My kids are 12 and 14 and hate distance learning. I do too.
I am fully capable of homeschooling my kids, but don’t really want to be a homeschool supermom who comes up with ideas, sits with them for hours, and basically lives my life dedicated to their education all day (that’s my impression, at least).
At their ages they are fully capable of indendent study and I am happy to support, encourage, tutor, facilitate, etc., but not hours a day. I want to set them up and help as needed. However, setting aside time each week for group fun/projects sounds great.
Here’s what I am envisioning for us:
Start: Set them up with paper curriculum/online video/or hands-on project.
Check-in as needed.
Done by lunch
Spend afternoon exploring, relaxing, visiting, playing, etc.
Rinse and repeat …
Do you know of a company/organization/resource that has standard curriculum that I can work through?
I attended elementary school in the 70s and loved how much I got to use all my senses. We watched the occasional TV show (Electric Co.), movie, and documentary, but mostly did paper/pencil work. I’m trying to recreate this.
What help can you give me, as I’m scared to death of having to recreate the wheel? I would just really love to find basic curriculum that is ready to go and then be free to enrich on my own time.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for any direction. I am trying to get everything in place by 1/29/21.
I know to check my state (CA) for rules/laws, etc., but I know that so long as I follow the rules, I can find my own curricumum–this is where I’m anxious and bewildered.
Hi Linda,
Love your vision!
Most homeschool parents act as facilitators (much like you say you want to be) instead of “teachers,” so I think you’ll find great joy and success with homeschooling.
Finding a “boxed curriculum” that meets all your needs is honestly a difficult task, so it’s difficult to recommend just one (there are a lot of factors that go into choosing one, but you can google “boxed homeschool curriculum). Grab our free curriculum checklist first though so you don’t waste money: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/what-homeschool-curriculum-should-i-use/
Based on your comments, I’m not sure a boxed curriculum is necessarily what you want (because it also sounds like you want more flexibility than those would provide).
At your kids’ ages, I would start with asking them what they want to learn about and then build a unit study around that (or, at their ages they may be able to build their own resources–my daughter does this a lot). It’s actually pretty easy and doesn’t have to take a ton of planning. For example, if they love vikings, your unit study might be checking out books on vikings from the library, watching viking history videos, writing about vikings, designing a viking ship, etc. Check out: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/what-are-homeschool-unit-studies/
You may also find this helpful: https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/great-courses-plus/
My daughter is almost 13 and finds a lot of cool stuff on there. Also check out CrashCourse on YouTube for a wide range of topics. I often have my daughter work her way through those two resources (both have things broken down by lectures/lessons).
Once per month, I spend 2-3 hours creating a monthly schedule for her with those resources (for example, watch Viking history lectures 1-3 on Great Courses Plus, etc.). Other than that, we work on some fun projects together and I facilitate her learning (or work on finding her classes/extra curricular stuff).
At their ages, it’s good to get them in the habit of managing their own schedules (which will help them in college and/or jobs later).
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions. Happy to help.
Thanks a lot for your post! I am going to check out the links that you mentioned as I am thinking about homeschooling my child and do not want him to be learning online. Really grateful to you for the time you took to write this:)
Hope it helps!
I wouls love to read about homeschooling HIGH SCHOOL with no internet. Argh! I am so sick of he internet! My kids get away with things I don’t like them to do.
Great idea! I’ll put it on my list to write about!
Hi,
I am already homeschooling without the internet, and I’ve been looking for other families with similar mindsets (we are screen-free at home) for outings, playgroups, and other things related to socializing. Do you happen to know of anyone who would be interested? I have been looking into this for months and I have come up empty
Hi,
I would check with your local library. Also, search for “wildschooling [your area]”. You will find a lot of parents who focus on screen free in those groups.