20+ of the Best World War 1 Resources for Your Homeschool

Finding quality World War 1 resources is surprisingly tricky. This list — for elementary through high school — will get you started.

Name five things you learned about World War 1 in school.

For me?

1. It was called the Great War.
2. Battle of the Somme
3. The War to End All Wars
4. Franz Ferdinand assassination
5. Triple Alliance & Central Powers

And that about sums up what I knew about WW1 when I came out of high school. And it seems my knowledge is pretty on par with what most of us learn.

I adore Story of the World just as it is written. That’s a big compliment coming from me. I can only say that about a few programs. Even still, sometimes we pause & I beef it up.

World War 1 was one of those places. Selfishly, I wanted to know more about it! But I also wanted my kids to know more, too.

But finding World War 1 resources was not as easy as expected.   I had no shortage of resources for our in-depth studies of the American Revolution & the Civil War, so I thought there would be ample ones for WWI. Wrong.

(No surprise, but World War 2 resources would prove to be much easier.)

I’ve gathered up a list of resources we used & some we didn’t, but they look great. And now you’ll have an easier time with it than I did.

If you’re looking specifically for shows to watch, there are some ideas at the bottom. There are even more ideas for you in the History on TV & Getting Started with PBS guides.

Younger Books for World War 1

I reviewed Stubby the War Dog in my September Book Haul post, so I won’t go into detail here. If you can get ahold of it, it’s worth a read.

In that post, I also discussed Christmas in the Trenches, the story of the Christmas 1914 truce.

Everything World War 1 by National Geographic was an excellent resource for my second grader to read independently. The book includes topics about battles and soldiers, issues on the home front, entertainment for the soldiers, etc.

World War 1 Books for Older Kids

War Horse, the story of Joey the war horse & his owner, young Albert, brought all of us to (happy) tears. We listened to the audiobook as a family read-aloud. Sometimes an English accent is difficult for my children to understand, but the narration in this book was not a problem.

And a Few More WWI Resources

This collection of articles from the Imperial War Museums is fantastic. There are over 200 articles showcasing images from the homefront, in the trenches, on transportation, and more. (IMW is a wealth of information from World War 1 through now. Don’t miss it for World Wars I & II.)

The National Parks Service is, as usual, a wealth of information about the United States & World War I. This collection is really approachable for older kiddos to explore on their own.

Play an interactive game, Over the Top, to get a sense of life in WW1 trenches.

Museums are often a fantastic place for lesson plans & other educational materials. The National World War 1 Museum & Memorial. is no exception. Filter by topics, grades & materials to find a thing or two for your homeschool.

Made in the Trenches is a ‘magazine’ of sorts, created by British soldiers. It’s an incredible look at their POV told through comics, stories, articles and sketches.

The use of war posters exploded in World War 1. This collection of posters from the Library of Congress is fantastic to explore & discuss with your kiddos. Since neither radio nor film were used to share information about the war, posters were quite popular.

A few more resources from the Library of Congress: Echoes of the Great War, WW1-era sheet music, and lesson plans/classroom materials

The LOC isn’t the only national treasures. The National Archives is also a great source for primary materials.

Keep Reading Big List of Resources for World War 2

World War 1 Documentaries

• Age of Tanks (Netflix)
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI (Smithsonian)
• Blood & Oil, The Middle East in World War 1 (Amazon)
• The Christmas Truce (Smithsonian)
• The First World War (Amazon)
• The Great War (Amazon, Kanopy)
• The Harlem Hellfighters (6min, YouTube)
• The Last Day of World War I (Smithsonian)
• Paris 1919: Negotiating Peace After WWI (Kanopy)
• The Soldier Behind ‘In Flanders Field’ (7min, YouTube)
• Winning World War I (Kanopy)