Best Software and Apps for Home Schooling

Given the advances of technology these days, studying at home isn’t that big a problem like before. You don’t even get called fussy for preferring home schooling instead of the traditional way of doing it. Some people think they can save a lot of time and money, so why not do it?

There are various apps that make studying easier – they facilitate communication between students and professors, help you prepare for exams and so on. However, it’s not always easy to select those that are suitable for entirely studying at home. This is why you have us – we make a list of the most useful ones, just for you.

Homeschool Helper

This one is your typical tablet app, so if you have a smartphone, you’ll probably be sad about not being able to install it on your device. However, the good news is that it works perfectly fine with Android tablet, iPads, as well as Nooks and Kindle Fire.
If you’re not convinced, I should tell you that this tool gives you access to plenty of different features for just about $5. You will be able to plan your lessons, create book lists, track the progress and calculate your grades. There are no subscriptions to make, no additional fees have to be paid, and Homeschool Helper knows nothing about memberships.
If you’re a teacher, you can track an unlimited number of students, manage them over various years in school, duplicate profiles for similar ones, save their grades and design lessons adapted to each one of them. All you need is iOS 5.0 or Android 2.3.3 and, you’re ready to get started!

iPlanLessons

Available for the same price as the previous one, this is an app that’s been specially crafted for the iOS operating system. It only requires iOS 5.1, and it’s compatible with iPhones, as well as iPads and the iPod Touch.
Although its name indicates a tool that is only good for planning lessons, iPlanLessons is also great for creating student and class profiles, as well as to simply stay organized. There are various lessons already available in their database, so you can search for them by name or subject and use them as a source of inspiration.

Super Why!

Specifically designed for young kids, Super Why! Is a collection of interactive games that help children learn how to read. You can access it directly on your computer, as long as you have the latest version of Java installed. This tool can also be used on your iPad for only $2.99, and Android users can find it on Google Play for the same price. It comes in English and requires iOS 5.1 or Android 2.2 while the cool literacy games will allow children to identify letters in the phrase, get familiar with the way to pronounce them and so on.
To make it even more entertained, the developers at PBS Kids used famous characters that your kids are already familiar with. They come from TV series like Alpha Pig, Wonder Red, Princess Presto and many others. Learn more about it from the iTunes store, and get familiar with its features by reading the reviews.

SpellDown

Spelling is never easy. How often have you found yourself writing a word wrong, and then realizing it wasn’t spelled correctly yourself? It happens to the best of us, and it’s not just typical for children – adults do it, too.
Therefore, whether you need this app for learning purposes or you’d simply like to improve your spelling, Dr. Bee is there to help you. This tool works best on iPads, but it’s also suitable for all iOS devices, as long as they run on version 4.3 or a newer one.
It’s easy to learn SAT words, create your own spelling lists and manage your children’s or your own weekly list with this tool. It’s not free, but the good news is that you’ll only need to pay a unique fee of $1.99, and there are no memberships or subscriptions.

K12 Apps

In case you don’t know K12 yet, this is a system that allows various students to learn from home. This way, they have access to the individualized education they need while not lacking access to any of the challenges and learning activities other kids do in a traditional classroom.
To make things even easier, K12 came up with a series of apps. You can find out more about their offer by visiting the official website. However, two of the most relevant apps that can be used once you’ve subscribed to the online public school from K12 are the Attendance App and the one for Times Reading Practice.
The first one lets you plan lessons, and it’s available for free for both iOS and Android users. The second one, though, costs about $3.99 for the two operating systems. This one is a great helper for those trying to improve their reading level and fluency.

Evernote

You probably know Evernote already, and if you don’t, you should definitely get familiar with it. This is a tool that can be used for free on your computer, as well as most smartphones. It helps you take notes when you’re away, lets you keep track of your progress, makes learning a lot easier and is one of the best apps to use for brainstorming purposes.
It doesn’t provide classes, but it’s one of the best organizational apps, because it lets you create to-do lists, keep track of your research results, design student portfolios and simply write down your ideas. Evernote is definitely great for both work and studying purposes, and you can find out why by taking a look at their web page.

Motion Math

If you’re looking for help with mathematics, Motion Math makes studying this subject a lot easier. By turning it into a game, it helps users get familiar with decimals, fractions and many more. It works on both smartphones and tablets, and it’s been adapted to most operating systems.
Thanks to these clever developers, you can know install it on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, as well as Windows – both your phone and the PC. The app usually comes in English, but various other languages like Arabic, Italian, German and Chinese are also available.
It typically requires iOS 6.0, Android 2.2 or Windows 7, and the prices vary between $2 and $4. Just to make it clear, there isn’t only one Motion Math, but various games that are adapted to the various challenges of each child – simply take a look at the available options and choose the best one for you.

Netflix

It sounds weird, but it’s true – Netflix is much more educational that you would have thought. In case your children are watching too many movies on Netflix lately, you should stop criticizing them and see the good side of this – they learn a lot from doing this.
By watching various documentaries, as well as foreign movies and many of the educational cartoons, both you and your kids can make home schooling happen. Whether you’re entirely studying from home or you simply want to complete your studies in class, Netflix is here to help you.
Apart from being able to use it on your PC or Mac, this tool also comes with apps that can be used on most operating systems. There’s one for iOS that comes in Spanish, English, Swedish and other languages while it only needs iOS 6.0 to work. You can also get on for Android, Windows or BlackBerry, and they’re all free as long as you’ve subscribed for the yearly pass using your computer.

YouTube

Whatever we said about Netflix holds good for YouTube as well. There are some amazing self learning channels like Khan Academy and several others which can make Home schooling fun and effective.