Documentation
A lot of people who are new to homeschooling are under the impression that they need to get a curriculum and then follow that curriculum. And there are many options from paid to free to Steiner based, Faith-based or child-led Unschooling curriculums. But there's another option, and that is to create your own curriculum or plan. When I wrote our first homeschool plan, I wasn't sure if it was enough. I had written 7 A4 pages, broken down by subject. We wanted to stay flexible, only plan the rough direction and topics. The homeschool rep liked it. She commented on the rich program we had planned for our son and how great it was that we had tailored it to his needs and interests.
Homeschool Plan vs. Homeschool Curriculum
Homeschool Plans
If you want to stay flexible with your homeschooling and keep everything a bit open, I highly recommend to write your own homeschool plan. This also has the advantage that you can tailor it to your child's needs and base it on their interests.
As an example, if your child's into cars and trucks, anything you read can be around cars and trucks. Maths can be around cars and trucks and a lot of science outcomes can be reached when looking at machines etc.
The other thing I like about writing your own plan is that you don't have to spend the same amount of time on each subject. Your child can spend as much time dancing or making music or digging holes. With a flexible homeschool plan, you can continue to support your child's hobbies and passions and spend a minimum amount of time on other subjects - as long as curriculum outcomes are reached.
If you're wondering what outcomes I'm talking about, the government has a website - which might be different for each state - where curriculum outcomes for each year or stage and each subject are specified. Just google 'curriculum outcomes year 1 in NSW' or similar and you should find the right page.
If outcomes are a bit vague, you can be vague with your plans too. If outcomes are hard to decipher, which I find is the case for many of them, use AI to "translate" them into normal English or ask AI to give you examples on how to reach these outcomes. I've been using chatGPT to help me with both, the planning and documenting or our son's homeschool year. Click the link to read more about how to use AI for homeschooling.
For the last 4 years, I ended up with 7 or 8 A4 pages and it was accepted by the homeschool department every single time.
Homeschool Curriculums
I haven't explored curriculums myself so the below is based on research I've done. I'd recommend you do your own research to see what suits you best:
Some homeschool curricula are “boxed” or “all-in-one”: they provide structured, grade-level curricula with textbooks/workbooks, teacher guides, lesson plans, and sometimes assessment tools.
Other curricula are more modular or “DIY”: parents may mix and match individual resources (e.g., a math program from one provider, a science book from another, use library books, free online resources) — which gives flexibility to adapt to a child’s interests, strengths, or different learning pace.
Paid (or premium) homeschool package often include:
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Textbooks and/or workbooks for each subject.
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Teacher guides or instructor manuals — helps parents (especially those new to homeschooling) know what to teach, when, and how.
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Lesson plans or a scope-and-sequence (i.e. a roadmap for the year or grade).
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Assessments or progress-reporting tools (some even supply quarterly reports).
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Digital resources: printable PDFs, online platforms or portals, downloadable materials — which can make it easier to use at home and even reuse for younger children.
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Optional extras depending on provider: access to educational consultants or support, guidance for parents, flexibility to mix subjects, electives (arts, physical education, languages), and sometimes community/parent support or forums.
If you don't fancy a school-like textbook style curriculum, you might want to build your own curriculum or choose an option that gives you more flexibility or doesn't rely solely on textbooks. We do use textbooks for English and Maths a lot but try to cover a lot of the other subjects by doing fun activities and excursions. This works especially well for primary school aged kids, where the outcomes are fairly easy to reach through exploration and play.
For those who are interested in looking into curriculum options, below's a list of the most popular curriculums (paid and free) in Australia:
Paid Homeschool Curriculums
Full K–12 online homeschool program, with weekly plans, all core subjects, and support for registration/reporting. Covers Australian Curriculum (or state variations) and offers flexible, self-paced learning.
Australian-designed curriculum with a large library of “Core Programs,” unit-studies and book-based curricula for all ages. Offers “Get Set Plans” (ready-made yearly plans), but allows mixing and matching for flexibility.
Homeschool curriculum from Foundation up to Year 10. Content inspired by the “Charlotte Mason”-style approach + aligned with the Australian Curriculum (or relevant state syllabus). Offers printable resources, learning plans and support with registration.
Steiner Home Education Australia
If you favour a Steiner / Waldorf-style approach: offers a primary curriculum with “main lesson” plans, story-based and holistic learning structure, suitable for homeschooling in Australia.
Australian curriculum-aligned, hands-on and flexible homeschool program, with a nature/play-based philosophy, aimed at making learning real-life and joyful. Offers paid programs for different age groups.
You Can Homeschool / Generations Curriculum (as offered in Australia)
Christian-based curriculum (Grades 1–12) now distributed locally in Australia, with full core curriculum packages (textbooks/manipulatives etc.), and registration documentation to meet state requirements.
Free Homeschool Curriculums
Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool
This is a fully free, “all-in-one” online homeschool curriculum (preschool through Grade 8, and there’s a related high-school site) — covering reading, writing/grammar, maths, history/social studies, science, art, music, PE/health, logic, etc. It comes with 180-day lesson plans and assignments.
Caveat: It was designed in the U.S., so doesn’t automatically align to Australian state/national curricula; if you’re homeschooling in Australia you may need to check compliance.
Wattle Gum Homeschool(partial)
For early years / primary (Foundation–Year 6), Wattle Gum offers a literature-based Australian curriculum tailored for homeschoolers. According to their site, they provide “ready-to-go” curriculum via their homeschool portal.
Caveat: Their “free access” seems limited to sample materials; full curriculum access involves subscription/payment.