I have made a lot of mistakes over the years when it comes to choosing homeschool curriculum. My focus was always on finding curriculum that was in line with my child’s learning style and my philosophy of education. These are great things to consider (and I’ll address them below) but there is more to think about when it comes to picking the best curriculum for your family.
Here are nine things I believe are important to consider before you choose your homeschool curriculum. Scroll down to the bottom to watch a more detailed video about each of these.
#1 Philosophy of Education
When it comes to the philosophy of education, you want to think through what method of education would be best for your family. Not sure what the different types of education are? Read more about them and take a quiz here.
#2 Child’s Learning Style
It can be helpful to pick curriculum that fits with the way your child learns to help minimize frustration and maximize the learning experience. You can learn more about learning styles here.
#3 Can You Implement It?
If you choose a homeschool curriculum that is difficult to implement in your home then it doesn’t do you or your child any good. It will either stress you out as you attempt to use it or it will sit unused on your shelf. Watch more about this here.
#4 Can You Afford It?
The latest and greatest homeschool curriculum isn’t always the best for your family. You don’t want to spend the entire school year stressed over finances because you overspent on homeschool curriculum. Set a homeschool budget and try to find curriculum that fits within your budget.
#5 Individual or Group Learning
If you have more than one child to homeschool, then you should consider whether you want them to learn individually or if you want to gather them together for some subjects and learn as a group. Here is a great list of subjects and curriculum that work well for group learning.
#6 Time for Lesson Planning?
Do you have time or interest in lesson planning or would you prefer an open-and-go curriculum with everything planned out for you? Choosing curriculum that requires a lot of lesson planning when you don’t like spending hours preparing for the school week will quickly bring frustration. Likewise, if you enjoy creating lessons, then an open-and-go curriculum might be too constrictive for you.
#7 Secular versus Christian
Also, take some time to think through whether or not you want your curriculum to hold to a particular worldview. Do you want Christian curriculum for every subject? Are you okay with using secular curriculum for some or all of your subjects?
#8 Consider Your Goals
What goals do you have for your child and your family? Knowing what your goals are can help you pick curriculum that will assist you in accomplishing your goals.
#9 Structure or Flexibility
Finally, do you and your child need more structure or flexibility this year? Each season of homeschooling may need more or less structure or flexibility. Think about which one you need this coming school year and choose curriculum accordingly.
Watch this video about choosing homeschool curriculum…
What tips do you have for choosing homeschool curriculum? Share in the comments below.
Do you read the lessons out to your children or do they read it to them selves? I’m new to homeschooling and like the bju curriculum but it looks like a lot of reading. I only have 2 children and am thinking I’m going to have to read to both of them. That seem like it would take all day. I am looking for some curriculum that they can do independently only because I can’t split my self in two. (i’m kind of laughing as I type this.) I hope I am clear on my questions. Thank you, Rayna Maxey
Some curriculums requires a lot of parent instruction/reading/teaching. Other curriculum has been created for independent work by the student. Younger kids (especially kids who cannot read yet) will need help no matter what curriculum you use. You mentioned BJU. It does require the parent to teach the lessons to each child unless you use their Distance Learning videos. The videos have teachers that teach the lesson so the parent just has to be available to answer questions and help if the student gets stuck on a concept or assignment. A great resource to check out is Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. In that book, she goes through the top picks for curriculum and rates how much parent help the student will need. I hope that answers your question. 🙂