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Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum: 10 Picks to Choose From

Every child learns differently. This, coupled with the wide selection of writing programs available, makes choosing the best homeschool writing curriculum a big task. To help you decide, I’ve looked into some of the most popular platforms, and in this blog post, I’ll go over them in detail.

Key points

• There are many writing homeschool curricula available, and the best one will depend on your child’s age, learning style, and goals.
• Online homeschool writing curriculum platforms range from game-based learning to one-on-one classes, all of which offer their benefits and downsides
• Private classes with tutors offer more flexibility, structure, and individual attention, which can lead to steady progress

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What is the best homeschool writing curriculum?

The best writing curriculum for homeschool is the one that fits your goals. However, key features of a good writing curriculum are detailed feedback, clear structure, engaging process, and a balance of creative and academic writing. This is why platforms with tutor support often work better than a self-paced process.

10 best grammar and writing homeschool curriculum samples

• Brighterly
• Night Zookeper
• Outschool
• Brave Writer
• Institute for Excellence in Writing
• WriteShop
• Written Out Loud
• Quill
• Essentials in Writing
• WriteAtHome

Paid best writing homeschool curriculum: Comparison

	Cost	Subject	Instruction model
Brighterly	From $17.3 per month (3 lessons per week, billed annually)	Writing, reading, math & ELA	One-on-one private sessions, free materials
Night Zookeeper	$119.99/year 1 kid $154.99/year up to 3 kids	Writing	Game-based learning
Outschool	$0.50 per credit (with 80 credits/month minimum)	Multi-subject	Group lessons, private lessons, pre-recorded courses
Brave Writer	Prices vary per course	Writing	Short, asynchronous writing courses of 3-6 weeks
Institute for Excellence in Writing	Group lessons vary between $530-$658 for a 15-week course, depending on the course level	Writing, focus on academic writing	Self-paced pre-recorded courses
WriteShop	Vary depending on the purchased material	Writing	Books and teacher guides
Written Out Loud	$599.00 per course	Creative writing	Group classes with a writing coach
Essentials in Writing	From $69 to $229 based on the level and bundle	Writing, focus on academic writing	Self-paced courses with video recordings
WriteAtHome	$579/annual course, $299/semester course, $199/8-week writing workshops	Writing	Assignment-based learning

Free writing homeschool curriculum: Comparison

	Cost	Subject	Instruction model
Quill	Free for students and teachers	Writing	Drill-based practice powered by AI

Brighterly

Age group: Grades 1-9

Best for: One-on-one in-depth practice with writing and reading tutors. 

The first one in my list of best homeschool writing curriculum for elementary through high school is Brighterly. Brighterly math and reading platform offers individual writing, reading, and math lessons with experienced tutors, who customize the classes to the interests and goals of each student.

Benefits of Brighterly writing curriculum for homeschool

Brighterly reading program puts a big emphasis on developing the writing skills of the students. Each lesson blends reading and writing effectively, as these skills are interconnected. 

During the lessons, your kid will work with the tutor to both improve their comprehension and reading fluency and learn how to build stronger sentences, communicate their ideas clearly, and organize their thoughts in writing. Through this integrated approach, your child will see that good writing grows out of reading.

On the platform, you can try a free lesson to see the approach and meet your tutor. Also, your child’s level will be assessed there. The tutor will then create a learning plan based on your child’s level, interests, and needs, focusing on grammar, sentence structure, idea development, and other critical aspects of good writing that a home school writing curriculum should address. 

Brighterly features

Top-notch tutors

The platform works only with experienced and highly-ranked tutors, who know how to make writing enjoyable and approachable. Whether your child is learning to write in elementary school or has writing experience, the tutors will bring creative strategies, wealth of experience, and the support needed to turn your child into a better and more confident writer. 

Individualized learning

Every child is different, and Brighterly’s writing homeschool curriculum reflects that. After your child’s level is assessed and they are assigned a tutor who is right for them, the teacher will adapt each lesson to your child’s goals, learning style, and level right from the beginning. This personalized approach will help your kid love and enjoy writing. All lessons follow US educational standards, so you can make sure that your child is staying on track with expected academic objectives. 

Brighterly: Key pros and cons

According to Trustpilot reviews, Brighterly tutors are knowledgeable, patient, and always ready to support the students.

Pros	Cons
In-depth tracking system	Lack of peer-to-peer communication
Individualized lessons
Free materials

Brighterly price

• $17.3/per lesson for an annual subscription
• $19.4/per lesson for 6 months
• $20.2/per lesson for 3 months 
• $20.7/per lesson for a monthly subscription 

*Prices are calculated for 3 lessons per week

Brighterly offers a free, no-commitment first lesson. On the platform, you can also find free reading tests available for grades 1-9, reading worksheets and other useful materials.

Night Zookeeper homeschool writing curriculum

Age group: Grades 1-6

Best for: For kids who love creativity, storytelling, and learning through games.

Next one in the list of best writing curriculum for homeschool is Night Zookeeper, an adventure- and game-based learning platform. It’s a great platform for sparking creativity and love of reading and writing among young kids aged 6-12.

Night Zookeeper: Features

• The Night Zookeeper writing curriculum for homeschool focuses on game-based learning, where students create characters, stories, and descriptions
• The platform claims to offer a safe online environment, where your kid can share stories and earn rewards as they learn
• Night Zookeeper contains more than 1000 games for different levels
• The writing curriculum for elementary and middle school focuses on creative writing, while also paying attention to grammar and vocabulary
• Teacher feedback (written) is available for assignments

Night Zookeeper: Pricing

• Annual subscription for 1 child – $119.99
• Annual subscription for up to 3 children – $154.99

*A 7-day free trial is available.

Night Zookeeper writing homeschool curriculum: Pros and cons

Reviews on Trustpilot indicate an overwhelmingly positive experience with the platform, while some reviews mention that it’s easy for kids to slip fully into the game aspect of the platform, so some oversight is needed to prevent this.

Pros	Cons
Playful learning keeps the students engaged	No private tutor help and one-on-one interaction
Developed by experienced tutors	Limited free resources
Easy to use daily	Little focus on academic writing

 

Outschool writing curriculum for homeschool

Age group: Grades 1-12 

Best for: Families looking for a flexible mix of one-on-one, group, and self-paced learning.

Next up in my list of online homeschool writing curriculum platforms is Outschool, a place where you can find tutors for individual writing classes, as well as group classes and camps. Outschool lists many different writing programs for homeschoolers on the platform,  which vary depending on your kid’s grade, interests, and number of participants.

Outschool writing curriculum homeschool: Features

• The platform offers both individual and group classes
• You can choose between ongoing courses, one-time workshops, or multi-week programs with a specific focus
• Outschool boasts a wide range of courses, which gives you the flexibility to find something that works for you anytime

Outschool: Pricing

• $40/month for 80 credits
• $70/month for 145 credits
• $120/month for 268 credits
• $240/month for 548 credits

*First month is free for the 80-credit plan, and a 40% discount for the first month on all other packages

Outschool: Pros and cons

Outschool Trustpilot reviews report an overall positive experience with tutors, but note technical problems with the platform and a lack of adequate customer support. 

Pros	Cons
Live tutoring	The credit-based system can be confusing
Wide selection of writing curricula to choose from	Costs can add up quickly
	Many of the courses are available only on specific days and times, which limits schedule flexibility

Brave Writer homeschool writing curriculum

Age group: Grades 1-9

Best for: Families looking for a homeschool writing curriculum that focuses on flexibility.

Brave Writer is a well-known platform in the best homeschool grammar and writing curriculum list. The platform focuses on short writing courses that are 3-6 weeks in length. 

Brave Writer: Features

• The platform’s courses are asynchronous and take place through writing. 
• Tutors are available for guidance and planning the writing process, as well as to give feedback and answer questions, but not in real time. 
• Brave Writer has courses for students from elementary through to middle school, including homeschool essay writing curriculum and homeschool creative writing curriculum.
• The platform also offers writing instruction books for independent at-home learning, which you can buy in their online store.

Brave Writer: Pricing

Brave Writer doesn’t have a single pricing plan, as each course comes at a different pricing point based on the level and duration. 

Brave Writer: Pros and cons

The reviews on Reddit about Brave Writer are mainly positive, focusing on how the platform helps with the creative aspects of writing, including literary elements. However, many parents also mention that the platform doesn’t put enough focus on grammar and the mechanics of writing. 

Pros	Cons
Wide range of writing courses to choose from	The courses have fixed registration dates set up by organizers, so you need to register before the session is full
Fixed short course durations and new courses starting each week give scheduling flexibility	Different price points for each course make the financial aspect harder to plan
	The courses, for the most part, are asynchronous, with no real-time tutor feedback available

Institute for Excellence in Writing

Age group: Grades 1-12

Best for: Families looking for a well-structured and comprehensive homeschool curriculum for writing.

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) is a well-known name in any list of the best grammar and writing homeschool curriculum. On IEW, you can find both comprehensive self-guided courses and live group classes with tutors, who all offer level-based programs.

Institute for Excellence in Writing: Features

• IEW offers self-paced courses with pre-recorded video lessons that guide students through each step of the curriculum
• Children can also take part in live lessons in groups, which take place at specific times
• The platform separates courses into three levels, based on elementary, middle, and high school writing curriculum

Institute for Excellence in Writing: Pricing

On IEW, the pricing for elementary, middle, and high school writing curriculum self-paced courses that you can find varies per item. The prices start as low as $35 for some textual materials (not an entire course) and go up to $289 for guided 24-week self-guided courses. 

For live courses, the price varies based on the course level:

• Level A: $265/15-week semester
• Level B: $299/15-week semester
• Level C: $329/15-week semester

Institute for Excellence in Writing: Pros and cons

According to Reddit users, while IEW offers a solid writing curriculum for homeschool, choosing which material to use, especially in the case of self-paced learning, can get quite confusing.

Pros	Cons
Detailed courses and materials, and clear techniques	It can feel too structured for students looking for creative writing outlets
Detailed instructions for parents to make the learning process effective	Real-time classes with a tutor happen at specific schedules
	Courses open for registration at specific times and fill up quickly

WriteShop homeschool writing curriculum

Age group: Grades 7-12

Best for: Families looking for parent-led self-paced writing practice. 

Next up, I want to talk about WriteShop, which offers a homeschool writing curriculum for middle school and high school that is solely self-paced. The main difference from the platforms I have discussed so far is that WriteShop doesn’t offer tutor-led or self-guided lessons, but rather provides comprehensive learning materials for at-home practice.

WriteShop: Features

• WriteShop is primarily parent-led, and in addition to educational materials, provides time frames for parents to organize the learning process from beginning to end.
• WriteShop’s method includes guiding books, new writing skills in each lesson, word banks, worksheets for brainstorming, and more.

WriteShop: Pricing

Depending on the book series, as well as whether you go for the set, activity pack, student workbooks, or the teacher’s guide, the prices are going to vary greatly, starting from $11.95 for the activity pack and going up to $150.95 for a set. 

WriteShop: Pros and cons

According to homeschooling parents on Reddit, WriteShop material is well-structured and engaging, but attention to grammar isn’t always sufficient. 

Pros	Cons
The programs contain a teacher’s guide to make sure parents can navigate the learning process at the right pace	No live lessons
A free and quick placement test is available	No feedback and instructor guidance are available

Written Out Loud creative writing homeschool curriculum

Age group: Grades 3-12

Best for: Parents and kids focusing on creative writing and storytelling

Written Out Loud is a very interesting writing curriculum for homeschool, which offers a collaborative platform for kids to learn to write by working together. Kids get to create characters, write stories, and even books under the guidance of published authors.

Written Out Loud: Features

• Written Out Loud mainly offers classes in small groups, which are led by storytelling coaches and published authors
• Children work together to develop characters, plots, and subplots, building stories and books together, one paragraph at a time
• Tutors and coaches provide regular feedback

Written Out Loud: Pricing

• $599.00 per course

*90-minute classes once a week, for 10 weeks per course

Written Out Loud: Pros and cons

Written Out Loud is a homeschool creative writing curriculum that focuses on helping kids learn creative writing and develop their imagination.

Pros	Cons
Collaboration opportunities with other children	Not enough attention on academic writing and grammar
Feedback from published authors	No one-on-one lesson opportunities
Engaging activities with a focus on creativity	Courses have fixed dates and schedules

Quill online homeschool writing curriculum

Age group: Grades 3-12

Best for: Students who need structured and skill-focused writing practice. 

Quill is one of the best homeschool writing curriculum available for free. The platform helps students strengthen their sentence construction, clarity, and grammar through AI-based prompts and real-time feedback.

Quill: Features

• Quill primarily offers AI-based interactive exercises that focus on grammar, sentence construction, tone, and writing mechanics at the same time as their main learning methodology
• Diagnostic assessments are available to understand the skill gaps of your child
• The AI-based system offers immediate feedback on each writing activity

Quill: Pricing

The platform is available for free for all students and teachers. The paid premium packages are for schools and districts. To start using the platform, you simply need to create a teacher account, and you can access most features at no cost.

Quill: Pros and cons

While not enough on its own, teachers who use Quill find it to be a good supplementary resource for writing practice, and they share it in their Common Sense Education reviews.

Pros	Cons
Real-time feedback from AI	No tutors are available for discussions and feedback
Free and easy to use	Drill-based learning can, over time, get repetitive

Essentials in Writing

Age group: Grades 1-12

Best for: Families looking for self-paced, structured learning with a focus on academic writing

Essentials in Writing is a well-known homeschool writing curriculum from elementary to high school. The platform offers in-depth self-paced ELA courses, including writing programs, for both homeschoolers and schools.

Essentials in Writing: Features

• Essentials in Writing offers thorough self-paced courses, which contain short video lessons with detailed instructions
• Courses contain textbooks and guides, both for students and parents, to make the learning process smooth and effective
• Optional scoring services are available, which can evaluate your child’s work

Essentials in Writing: Pricing

• Levels 1-6:

• • Writing – $99 for digital, $119 for digital + print

• • Writing and Assignments – $109 for digital, $139 for digital + print

• Levels 7 – 10

• • Writing – $99 for digital, $119 for digital + print

• • Writing and Assignments – $199 for digital, $229 for digital + print

• Levels 11 – 12

• • Writing – $69 for digital, $89 for digital + print

• • Writing and Assignments – $169 for digital, $189 for digital + print

*You can request free sample videos before buying the courses

Essentials in Writing: Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Free placement test	No live classes
Short videos make practicing daily easier	Tutor feedback is only available for additional pay (as part of scoring services)
Access to videos is available for 18 months, with free renewal possible

WriteAtHome writing homeschool curriculum

Age group: Grades 4-12

Best for: Families looking for structured learning and professional feedback, but don’t need private lessons

WriteAtHome is the last and one of the best writing homeschool curriculum on my list. It’s a platform that offers assignment-based learning. Students complete assignments every week and receive detailed feedback from their tutors.

WriteAtHome: Features

• WriteAtHome offers annual, semester, and workshop courses of writing for middle- and high-schoolers
• The courses are assignment-based, with children submitting assignments every week and receiving detailed feedback from tutors

WriteAtHome: Pricing

• Annual course – $579
• Semester course – $299
• 8-week writing workshops – $199

*Substantial discounts are available in case of purchasing bundles

WriteAtHome: Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Grade reporting in the platform	No one-on-one tutoring available
Detailed feedback on each assignment	No lesson recordings available
Communication with parents	The courses are primarily assignment-based

Best writing curriculum homeschool: Which one to choose?

As you can see, there is no single answer to what is the best writing homeschool curriculum, as it all depends on what you need.

If you want a fun, game-like experience for your young writer, Night Zookeeper can be a great option. If you want drill-based practice, Quill can be the best homeschool writing curriculum for middle school through high school, while for step-by-step and structured writing instruction, IEW or Essentials in Writing may be the way to go.

But if you are looking to help your child:

• develop strong foundations for writing,
• have structured and regular classes with a tutor,
• receive individual attention,

Brighterly reading program is a great choice. The friendly tutors work with your child to understand their needs, interests, and pain points. They then offer students personalized learning plans, guiding and supporting them every step of the way. You can book free reading lesson and see how the lessons progress for yourself.