How to choose your curriculum wisely
There are lots of stressful aspects of a major life change, but for many new homeschooling families, how to choose homeschool curriculum tops the list. The options for families have expanded exponentially since I began homeschooling in 2003, and the internet will make sure you hear about all of them. There are all kinds of articles about recommended subjects and online v. textbooks. That is all fine and well, and I do talk about some of those concrete things here. What I want to focus on is really matching your family to the curriculum that fits you best. Let’s talk about how we discern what truly fits.
You are the expert on your child.
Our first consideration when choosing curriculum is your student. You are the expert on your child, so think about who they are. What does your child like? Are they active kids? Do they rival the Energizer bunny? Are they quiet and thoughtful? Is reading her favorite, or maybe math and science? Does she live to play sports? Is school her favorite? How does he play? Is it adventurous and imaginative? Does he prefer building with Legos and blocks? Are your children more introverted or extroverted? Do they need to know what the schedule is for the day, or do they like to do things on the spur of the moment? Do they like to read alone, or do they prefer to be read to? Do they like to work with their hands, taking things apart to see how they work?
After thinking through all that, now factor in any relevant academic background. How did he do in school? Which subjects were easier? Which subjects were more of a struggle? What areas are they more interested in- history? Science? Dinosaurs? Homeschooling should encourage the pursuit of areas of interest as much as possible, and sometimes a parent can get a child to work on reading by choosing books about a topic the child in interested in.
The next consideration for choosing a curriculum is the teacher. What makes YOU tick? Do you need a predictable schedule? Is a general “list of things we should do today” more your speed? Are you a math lover? Maybe you are more of a humanities person? Were you the kid in high school that was absent on the day frogs were dissected? Do you love to garden? What are your hobbies? Do you want to share them with your kids? Do you want to do a lot of hands on activities (and can deal with the tiny pieces that are part of that)? Do you like to read aloud?
As homeschoolers, we strive for learning be an organic part of our life.
That seems like a lot of touchy-feely nonsense, but as homeschoolers, we strive for learning be an organic part of our life. Choosing a curriculum that fits the life we live (or want to live) is really important. Since we are free to choose any curriculum, we want to use a program that plays to our strengths and needs, as well as those of our children. If you were inclined to google “homeschool philosophies”, you would find websites about Charlotte Mason, Montessori, unschooling, nature-based learning, child-led learning, classical education, and so on. You will also find those terms in connection with curriculum items or programs. Thinking about you and your child will lead you towards one or two general homeschooling philosophies, and then can help shorten your search for the right curriculum. Make sure that you choose a happy medium for you and your child- homeschool curriculum should work for both the teacher AND the student.
Other factors to consider
Here are my less philosophical considerations on how to choose your homeschool curriculum, which are also important to think about!
- Am I putting them back in school as soon as we are back to “normal”? If you are one and done (and that is OK), you may want to stick with common core aligned books and use a traditional approach that will mimic school and ease the transition back.
- Online, workbooks, or something else? There are many ways to skin the education cat. This is actually a fairly easy question for most parents, but that doesn’t make it less important.
- Do you want your children to have a secular curriculum, or do you want to incorporate your family’s faith tradition?
- What subjects do you need to/ want to teach? Some states have required subjects- usually reading, math, science, history, civics. PLEASE check your individual state requirements. You may not live in one of those states, or you may wish to cover other subjects- like geography, foreign language, or computers. For high schoolers, I recommend keeping an eye on your state’s graduation requirements. You may not be required by law to teach those exact classes, but if your child wants to go to college, you’ll want to make sure you have covered the basics.
- Do I want the support of lesson plans or guidance for parent/teachers? Some curriculums have teacher guides. There are also programs that families can enroll in, which provide lesson plans, grading, and record-keeping. Other books are divided into 36 chapters or 180 lessons, and expect parents to realize what that means. (Pro tip: 36 or 30 chapters means 1 lesson per week to make a whole school year. Many states require 180 days of school, making the 180 lessons -or 150 lessons with 30 tests- intuitive to use.)
- How long do I want my school day to last? Recommendations for Kindergarten are 30 minutes of seated book work per day! High schoolers are around 4 hours or so. Make sure you don’t pick too many books that will over work your kid (and you!). Some subjects, like electives for the older kids, can be done for only half a year, allowing you to maybe do both geography and music history.
- ASK FOR HELP. This one. ALL DAY. Even if you do not want to work with a homeschool coach like me, you can reach out to other homeschoolers you may know in your community. We are usually a pretty helpful bunch. Some communities are lucky enough to have big homeschool groups that have used curriculum sales, which are a great opportunity to look through books before you buy.
Remember, that the best curriculum is the one that your kid will do that doesn’t make you crazy.
It is a good thing I didn’t promise a simple way to choose your homeschool curriculum, because this is pretty long. My goal is to help you buy ONE curriculum (or set of items) that works for you, instead of you falling into the trap of “I bought this stuff and my kids and I HATE it.” It happens, and it can be an expensive lesson to learn. Remember that the “best curriculum” is the one your kid will do that doesn’t make you crazy, and ALWAYS feel free to reach out to me if you need support.