Choosing a curriculum
The best open-and-go curricula, for parents short on time
Open and go means you can start the lesson without preparing it first. Some of these are scripted for the parent, others are taught by video or online and need little more than a check that the work got done.
The short answer. 23 programs fit, listed alphabetically, not ranked. The best one is the one that fits your child's level and the way they learn, so find out where they are before you buy.
At a glance
| Curriculum | Grades | Style | Parent time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All About Reading | Pre-K to 4 | Orton-Gillingham, Mastery | Plenty | Mid price |
| All About Spelling | Levels, not grades | Orton-Gillingham, Mastery | Some | Low cost |
| BookShark Language Arts | K to 10 | Literature based, Open and go | Some | Mid price |
| CTCMath | K to 12 | Video lessons, Mastery | Little | Low cost |
| Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool (reading and language arts) | Pre-K to 8 | Open and go, Literature based | Little | Free |
| Essentials in Writing | 1 to 12 | Video lessons, Open and go | Little | Low cost |
| Explode the Code (2nd Edition) | Pre-K to 4 | Open and go | Little | Low cost |
| First Language Lessons and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind | 1 to 5 | Classical, Open and go | Plenty | Low cost |
| Fix It! Grammar | 3 to 12 | Open and go | Little | Low cost |
| IXL | Pre-K to 12 | Mastery | Little | Low cost |
| Khan Academy Math | 2 to 12 | Mastery, Video lessons | Little | Free |
| Language of God (Catholic Heritage Curricula language arts) | 2 to 8 | Textbook, Open and go | Little | Low cost |
| Life of Fred | K to 12 | Literature based, Problem solving | Little | Low cost |
| Lightning Literature & Composition | K to 12 | Literature based, Open and go | Some | Low cost |
| Math Lessons for a Living Education | 1 to 6 | Charlotte Mason, Open and go | Some | Low cost |
| Math Mammoth Light Blue Series | K to 8 | Mastery, Problem solving | Little | Low cost |
| Mr. D Math | 5 to 12 | Video lessons | Little | Mid price |
| Spelling You See | Levels, not grades | Open and go | Some | Low cost |
| Teaching Textbooks 4.0 | 3 to 12 | Spiral review, Video lessons | Little | Low cost |
| The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts | K to 8 | Literature based, Open and go | Some | Low cost |
| The Good and the Beautiful Math | K to 8 | Spiral review, Open and go | Some | Low cost |
| Thinkwell Homeschool Math | 6 to 12 | Video lessons | Little | Mid price |
| Zearn Math | K to 8 | Video lessons, Problem solving | Little | Free |
The programs, one by one
All About Reading
All About Learning Press · Language arts · grades Pre-K to 4 · Secular · parent time: Plenty
Teaching style: Orton-Gillingham, Mastery, Open and go. Often chosen for: children who are behind, dyslexia, hands-on learners.
- Fully scripted lessons
- Multisensory with letter tiles
- Short daily lessons
- Parent must sit with the child every lesson
- Costly across several levels
All About Spelling
All About Learning Press · Language arts · grades Levels, not grades · Secular · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Orton-Gillingham, Mastery, Open and go. Often chosen for: children who are behind, dyslexia, hands-on learners.
- Teaches the rules behind spelling
- Tiles make patterns visible
- Works for older remedial spellers
- Older kids may need to start at Level 1
- Parent-led lessons
BookShark Language Arts
BookShark · Language arts · grades K to 10 · Secular · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Literature based, Open and go. Often chosen for: children who like structure.
- Four-day schedule built in
- Literature-rich without religious content
- Daily plans spelled out
- Best value when paired with the full BookShark package
- Lots of reading for the parent
CTCMath
CTCMath · Math · grades K to 12 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Video lessons, Mastery. Often chosen for: short attention spans, independent workers, visual learners.
- Short video lessons
- One price for the whole family
- Easy to use as a gap-filler alongside another program
- Thin as a sole curriculum for some kids
- Little hands-on work
Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool (reading and language arts)
Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool (Lee Giles) · Language arts · grades Pre-K to 8 · Christian · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Open and go, Literature based. Often chosen for: independent workers.
- Completely free
- Daily lessons laid out online
- Levels set separately per subject
- Relies on outside links that can break
- Uneven depth across levels
Essentials in Writing
Essentials in Writing (Matthew Stephens) · Language arts · grades 1 to 12 · Not stated · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Video lessons, Open and go. Often chosen for: independent workers, children who like structure.
- Short video lessons, little parent prep
- Combines grammar and writing
- Steady incremental steps
- Can feel slow for strong writers
- Plain production style
Explode the Code (2nd Edition)
EPS Learning · Language arts · grades Pre-K to 4 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Open and go. Often chosen for: independent workers, children who are behind.
- Cheap, simple phonics practice
- Kids can do pages alone
- Good supplement to a teaching program
- Practice rather than full instruction
- Repetitive for some kids
First Language Lessons and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind
Well-Trained Mind Press · Language arts · grades 1 to 5 · Not stated · parent time: Plenty
Teaching style: Classical, Open and go. Often chosen for: children who like structure.
- Fully scripted, gentle oral lessons
- Memory work and narration build language
- Cheap
- Dry for some kids
- Parent reads every lesson aloud
Fix It! Grammar
Institute for Excellence in Writing · Language arts · grades 3 to 12 · Neutral, faith-friendly · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Open and go. Often chosen for: short attention spans, independent workers.
- A few minutes a day
- Grammar taught inside a real story
- Very inexpensive
- Not a full grammar course for some families
- Same format every day
IXL
IXL Learning · Math · grades Pre-K to 12 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Mastery. Often chosen for: independent workers.
- Huge practice bank by skill
- Detailed progress reports
- Good for targeted gap-filling
- Practice, not teaching
- Score drops on errors frustrate some kids
Khan Academy Math
Khan Academy · Math · grades 2 to 12 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Mastery, Video lessons. Often chosen for: independent workers, visual learners.
- Free and comprehensive
- Short videos plus practice for any gap
- Parent dashboard through a teacher account
- Needs adult oversight to stay on task
- Thin as a full curriculum for younger kids
Language of God (Catholic Heritage Curricula language arts)
Catholic Heritage Curricula (CHC) · Language arts · grades 2 to 8 · Catholic · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Textbook, Open and go. Often chosen for: independent workers, children who like structure.
- Self-contained worktexts, almost no prep
- Very low cost
- Catholic content woven into every lesson
- Little composition in the early levels
- Levels A-D repeat many concepts
- Fits only families wanting overt Catholic content
Life of Fred
Polka Dot Publishing (Stanley F. Schmidt) · Math · grades K to 12 · Neutral, faith-friendly · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Literature based, Problem solving. Often chosen for: advanced children, independent workers, math anxiety.
- Funny story keeps reluctant kids reading
- Shows why math matters
- Cheap and low-prep
- Too little practice to stand alone for most kids
- Quirky style does not suit everyone
Lightning Literature & Composition
Hewitt Learning (formerly Hewitt Homeschooling) · Language arts · grades K to 12 · Neutral, faith-friendly · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Literature based, Open and go. Often chosen for: children who like structure.
- Lesson plans laid out for 36 weeks, little prep
- Real children's books, classic and modern
- Literature, grammar and composition in one course
- Not complete: phonics, spelling and handwriting needed separately
- No placement test
- Several novels to buy or borrow each year
Math Lessons for a Living Education
Master Books · Math · grades 1 to 6 · Christian · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Charlotte Mason, Open and go. Often chosen for: math anxiety.
- Gentle story-based lessons
- All-in-one book, little prep
- Fits Charlotte Mason families
- Reviewers often find it behind grade level
- Light on practice for some kids
Math Mammoth Light Blue Series
Math Mammoth (Maria Miller) · Math · grades K to 8 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Mastery, Problem solving, Open and go. Often chosen for: independent workers, children who like structure, visual learners.
- Worktext explains concepts directly to the child
- Very affordable PDF option
- Clear mastery sequence with some review
- Text-heavy pages can tire reluctant readers
- Black-and-white look feels dry to some kids
Mr. D Math
Mr. D Math (Dennis DiNoia) · Math · grades 5 to 12 · Neutral, faith-friendly · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Video lessons. Often chosen for: independent workers, children who like structure.
- Live classes add accountability
- Teacher help sessions each week
- Middle and high school focus
- Price varies sharply by format
- Reviewers say grade labels run optimistic
Spelling You See
Demme Learning · Language arts · grades Levels, not grades · Secular · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Open and go. Often chosen for: visual learners, children who are behind.
- No rule memorization
- Copywork and dictation build visual memory
- Short daily routine
- Too passive for kids who need explicit rules
- Dictation requires parent time
Teaching Textbooks 4.0
Teaching Textbooks · Math · grades 3 to 12 · Neutral, faith-friendly · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Spiral review, Video lessons, Open and go. Often chosen for: independent workers, math anxiety, children who are behind.
- Automatic grading frees the parent
- Friendly step-by-step explanations
- Kids can work alone
- Reviewers often find it a grade behind other programs
- Easy to click through without real understanding
The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts
The Good and the Beautiful · Language arts · grades K to 8 · Christian · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Literature based, Open and go, Spiral review. Often chosen for: visual learners.
- Beautiful, open-and-go lessons
- Combines phonics, spelling, grammar and writing
- Free PDFs
- Parent-led through Level 3
- Content values-driven, not neutral
The Good and the Beautiful Math
The Good and the Beautiful · Math · grades K to 8 · Christian · parent time: Some
Teaching style: Spiral review, Open and go. Often chosen for: visual learners.
- Bright, attractive pages
- Free PDFs lower the risk of trying
- Short, varied lessons
- Publisher itself says it is not an advanced curriculum
- Parent-led in early levels
Thinkwell Homeschool Math
Thinkwell · Math · grades 6 to 12 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Video lessons. Often chosen for: independent workers, advanced children.
- Engaging lecture videos
- Auto-graded work
- Honors tracks for strong students
- Lecture style suits older or self-motivated kids
- Less practice than textbook programs
Zearn Math
Zearn · Math · grades K to 8 · Secular · parent time: Little
Teaching style: Video lessons, Problem solving. Often chosen for: independent workers, visual learners.
- Free and classroom-proven
- Visual models match many school programs
- Kids can work alone
- Built for classrooms, homeschool setup is roster-based
- Follows a fixed school sequence
Point of Progress in 20 seconds
Ready to see where your child stands?
See where they stand →Narrow it down for your child
The curriculum finder matches all 45 programs to your child's grade, needs and learning style, your faith and budget, and shows what your state asks of homeschoolers.
Questions parents ask
Which is the best open-and-go curricula?
There is no single best. The right program depends on your child's level, how they learn and how much time you have to teach. Start from where your child really is: a program that fits their level beats a better program at the wrong one.
How do I know which level to buy?
Use the publisher's placement test where there is one. If you are not sure where your child stands, an independent adaptive test such as Point of Progress (grades 3 to 10, about forty minutes at home) shows their level and the exact skills that need work before you choose.
Are these programs ranked?
No. They are listed alphabetically. No publisher pays to be listed and there are no affiliate links.
Keep reading
Curriculum finder
Match math and reading programs to your child, your faith and your state.
Free curricula worth using
Free math and reading programs, and what free leaves out.
Short lessons for busy minds
Programs with short lessons, games and quick wins.
Know where they stand before you buy the book.
About forty minutes at home, math and reading & writing, grades 3 to 10. The report is ready as soon as the test finishes.
Test your child, $9.99 →or with the ten-week workbook, $19.99This page is Point of Progress's own research, compiled in November 2026 from publishers' websites, placement materials and parent reviews. Publishers update their products, levels, placement tests and prices from time to time, so please verify all information with the provider before you buy. Point of Progress is independent and is not affiliated with any publisher named here.