Finding language arts lesson plans for your homeschool that actually fit your family and approach doesn’t have to be complicated. This complete guide has everything you need to find exactly what you’re looking for, school year after school year.

When my kids were young, it felt natural to curl up on the couch and read books together. So when we decided to homeschool, “language arts,” didn’t initially seem too intimidating.

But … language arts encompasses many topics. First, we have teaching kids to read, then handwriting, and then the mechanics of writing, like grammar and spelling. 

For older kids, we need to teach more advanced skills to help them understand literature and poetry and how to write everything from emails to essays.

It can feel a little complicated and hard to figure out all the separate pieces.

Add that many of us feel a lot of pressure to raise kids who love reading, and so we want to approach language arts with care. Here’s the good news: It is definitely possible to create language arts lesson plans that will help your kids learn all aspects of language and still enjoy reading and writing.

It just takes a bit of research and planning.

Choosing A Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum

Language arts is a general heading that includes reading, writing and other elements of what is sometimes called English.

Because language arts involves helping our homeschoolers learn so many skills, there are a lot of curricula and programs available.

So how do you choose a language arts program? And do you need one curriculum that teaches all aspects of language arts, or is it ok to pick and choose?

The “best” language arts curriculum option is the one that your family will use.

So that may mean purchasing one program that teaches all aspects of language learning, or choosing separate resources for various skills like grammar, spelling and reading.

Keep in mind too, that many language arts programs will only offer options for one “branch” of language arts. It’s common to find curriculum providers that focus on handwriting, for instance, or spelling.

So some good questions to ask when exploring language arts curriculum include:

• Are my kids naturally drawn to books and reading or are they a little more hesitant? 
• Would it work for our family to teach other subjects (like history, or science) through a literature-based curriculum?
• Do I want to do a lot of reading aloud, or would I prefer for my kids to read more independently?
• How confident do I feel about teaching subjects like grammar and spelling?
• Do we need a separate spelling curriculum, or would it work better to use a program that combines handwriting with grammar and spelling?
• Do I want to incorporate workbooks into language arts?
• Do I have a child who is drawn to writing? Or, with an older child, do they want to pursue a career that will require a lot of writing skills?
• What is manageable in this season? Do we need to emphasize resources like audiobooks, online classes or in-person or virtual book clubs?
• How comfortable do I feel with a child learning to read on their own timeline?
• Do any of my children have learning differences that impact reading or writing like dyslexia or dysgraphia, or do I suspect learning challenges?

Keep in mind that many families homeschool language arts effectively by reading together, and practicing handwriting and language mechanics through other subjects.

So choose resources that meet the needs of your unique family and each child.

Lesson Planning Options for Language Arts

Language arts learning can feel a bit ambiguous, because it encompasses lots of sub-topics, and it has a lot of cross-over with other subjects.

For instance, you may read a novel with your kids that is set during World War II, and so that covers language arts and history. Or, your child may write an essay about their favorite animal that naturally includes some science.

And so, it can feel hard sometimes to “plan” language arts.

So a good planning system that provides structure and flexibility is key. Using the online homeschool planner from Homeschool Planet allows parents to create individual profiles for each of their children, and integrate many language arts curriculum plans seamlessly.

Parents can add lessons directly to their child’s schedule through its homeschool lesson plan library. With just a few clicks, a language arts program of your choice can be added right to their individual schedule.

This process is easy and automatically integrates many of the most popular language arts programs available.

That means parents can schedule language arts easily, whether they choose one comprehensive language arts curriculum or make use of more than one program.

Language Arts Lesson Plans For Your Homeschool Planet Planner

Take a look at all of the language arts lesson plans available to integrate directly into your homeschool planner:

General Language Arts Lesson Plans

• Language Lessons for a Living Education
• IXL Language Arts
• Touch-type Read and Spell
• Lightning Literature
• IEW Poetry Memorization
• Master Books Language Arts
• Horizons Language Arts
• Language Lessons for Today
• Learning L. A. through Literature
• IEW: PAL Primary Arts of Language
• BJU Press English
• Lifepac LA
• Shurley English
• Language Smarts
• Spectrum LA
• Young Scholar’s Guide to Poetry
• EM Daily Language Review
• EM Read & Understand Poetry
• EM Language Fundamentals
• DK Workbooks- L. Arts
• Voyages in English

Reading and Literature Lesson Plans

• All About Reading
• Reading Eggs
• Essentials in Literature
• Literary Adventures for Kids
• Explode the Code
• Foundations Phonics
• Jim Hodges Audiobooks
• Tapestry of Grace: Literature
• BJU Press Reading & Literature
• CLP Adventures in Phonics
• CTC Novel Thinking
• CTC Reading Detective
• Modern Curriculum Press: Comprehension Plus
• WTM Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading
• Rod and Staff Phonics
• Rod and Staff Reading
• Spectrum Reading Workbooks
• Spectrum Phonics & Word Study
• EM Phonics & Reading Series
• Why Shakespeare…Indeed
• Plaid Phonics

Composition and Grammar Lesson Plans

• IEW Structure & Style
• IEW Theme Based Writing
• IEW Fix-It Grammar
• Easy Grammar
• Essentials in Writing
• Write Shop
• Analytical Grammar
• Saxon Grammar & Writing
• First Language Lessons
• Grammar for the WTM
• BJU Press Writing & Grammar
• Building Writers
• Writing & Rhetoric
• Fitting Words
• Grammar Galaxy
• Grammar for Writers
• Growing with Grammar
• CLP Applications of Grammar
• G.U.M. drops
• Jensen’s Format Writing & Grammar
• Life of Fred Grammar
• Rod and Staff English
• Spectrum Writing
• Well Ordered Language and Rhetoric
• WTM Expository Writing
• Winning with Writing
• Write by Number
• Winston Grammar
• Zaner-Bloser GUM: Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics
• EM: Skill Sharpeners
• EM Daily Editing and 6-Trait Writing Series

Spelling and Vocabulary Lesson Plans

• Spelling You See
• All About Spelling
• IEW Phonetic Zoo
• Daily Skill Building Spelling
• Daily Skill Building Vocabulary
• A Reason for Spelling
• Jensen’s Vocabulary
• Wordly Wise 3000 Book Series
• ACSI Spelling
• BJU Press Spelling
• BJU Press Vocabulary
• Building Spelling Skills
• CTC: Vocabulary Virtuoso
• CTC Word Roots
• DK Workbooks Spelling
• EM Spelling & Vocab Series
• Horizons Spell & Vocab
• Rod and Staff Spelling
• Spelling Workout
• Spectrum Spelling
• Soaring with Spelling
• Spellwell
• Vocaulary from Classical Roots
• WordUp!
• Word Build Online

Handwriting Lesson Plans

• Handwriting Without Tears
• A Reason for Handwriting
• Getty-Dubay
• Catch on to Cursive
• IEW: Cursive Knowledge
• BJU Press Penmanship
• CLP Handwriting
• D’Nealian Handwriting
• DrawWriteNow
• Horizons Penmanship
• Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting
• New American Cursive
• Rod and Staff Penmanship
• Spectrum Handwriting
• Universal Handwriting
• Zaner-Bloser Handwriting

As you can see, we have lesson plans for every aspect of language arts learning!

Lesson Planning With Homeschool Planet

Teaching language arts is an opportunity to embrace the freedom of homeschooling, and enjoy language learning with your kids.

And scheduling language arts lessons doesn’t have to feel complicated. Homeschool Planet provides free resources to help you get started.

Families can quickly add favorite language arts resources right to their schedule, and can even receive a language arts lesson plan for free.

To get started, head here for a free 30-day trial of Homeschool Planet’s online planning system. 

Setup is quick and easy and allows parents to schedule everything in one place – lessons, family events, to-do lists, work schedules, online classes and even shopping lists.

Homeschool Planet’s free trial also allows families to choose one free lesson plan that can be added directly to your children’s individual profiles. Just choose from the drop-down menu.

Language arts is an expansive and beautiful subject and provides children with many building blocks they will need throughout their education.

So head over now to try Homeschool Planet’s online homeschool planner for 30-day days AND integrate a language arts program of your choice for free.