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Writer's pictureNiki Lavin

How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum



Picking curriculum to use in your homeschool can be intimidating. Especially now when there are so many options to choose from. If you keep a few things in mind, it can help you slim down your choices and make the process much easier.


Following these steps can help set you up for success:


Step 1: What is your homeschool style?


While you don't need to stick exclusively to one homeschool style, it can be helpful to know which way you lean. It can help you greatly narrow down curriculums that are not even worth your time to look into. If it doesn't align with how you guys like to do things, then you aren't going to use it. Plain and simple.


If you don't know what your homeschool style is (or even what they are), check out this blog post (click the button) or video:



Step 2: Determine your Child's Learning Style and Needs


How does your child learn best? There is so much information out there on learning styles, so I'm not going to go into much detail here. But keeping in mind how your child learns best, or even having them take one of the learning style tests, can really help when choosing curriculum. If you know your child cannot sit still and listen to you read a textbook, then getting a curriculum with a lot of reading out loud to your student might not be the way to go. If you know your child learns best by doing, you are going to want to look for curriculum that includes lots of hands on projects.



Another thing to keep in mind is any unique learning abilities your child may have. For example, if your child is dyslexic, you may want to look for curriculum that is designed with that in mind when searching out a learn to read curriculum.


Step 3: Think about You the Instructor


This is a very important step to remember to look at when thinking about choosing curriculum. If you overlook this step, you might end up with curriculum that never gets used. Because let's face it, if it is too much for you to implement, it's not going to happen! You might find the perfect curriculum for your hand-on learner. However, if you don't have the time in your day to set up and clean up tons of projects, then you are not going to use the curriculum and you wasted your time and money.


Thinking about if this curriculum is something you can really implement is vital. And really be honest with yourself. Even if you love the idea of child-led learning projects, they are a lot of work for the parent. Are you truly willing to invest the time it is going to take to prepare the lessons your child will need?


Do you need something fully laid out for your to follow, or do you like to have a little more say in how you approach learning the topic? Do you need added support for yourself because you are not sure how to teach the subject area? Do you have a good feel for what to teach, but just need ideas for activities? Really think about what your needs are as well as your child's.


Step 4: What is your Situation Like


What is your homeschooling situation like? Do you have a small space that you are going to be homeschooling in? If so, then you may need to look at more online or pdf-based programs so that you are not having to find storage for lots of curriculum pieces. Or may you have a room dedicated to homeschool, so you can afford to pick up some of those extras.


Another factor to consider is your time. How much time will you have to homeschool each day? If you have limited time, then you may need to look for curriculum that can be done quickly. Also, what kind of time can you as the instructor commit to planning. Are you going to need more of an open and go type of curriculum, or are you able to use a curriculum that provides lots of hands-on activities that you need to set up?


Step 5: What Topics Do You Want to Cover


There are so many things to learn about! You need to cover the basics... read, writing, and arithmetic. But what else do you want to include in your homeschool? Does your family love art or history? Do you want to try to cover a little of everything? Or do you want to dive deep into just one or two subject areas each year? Do you have requirements set out by your state that you need to meet?


Something that is very important here... repeat after me:


You. Can. Not. Cover. Everything.


Again! You cannot cover everything! It cannot be done. You are going to cause a lot of stress and frustration within your homeschool if you try to cover everything in depth each and every year. Your children are not going to have the attention span to cover topic after topic each day. And you are going to feel overwhelmed and frustrated if you are not able to live up to your goals.


If you want to cover a little bit of everything within a single school year, consider spending a few weeks on one or two topics and then switching gears and covering something else for a few weeks. This is a great way to cover more content areas each year without making your learning environment stressful.


Step 6: Set Your Priorities


So you have taken a look at all the things:

  • Your Homeschool Style

  • Your Student's Learning Style

  • Your Instructor's Style

  • What Topics to Cover


Now it's time to set your priorities. Which aspect is more important to you. Are you willing to work a little outside of your instructor style if a curriculum really meets your child's learning style? What is your budge? Do you need to focus on free or inexpensive curriculum? Which content areas are you willing to spend more on?


Knowing what is most important to you can help you narrow down your choices for curriculums. If you know you cannot spend $400 on one curriculum, then don't even bother looking at it. If writing curriculum is important to you, then you might consider spending a little more in that area and saving in another.


Step 7: Do Your Research


Now it is time to start looking at what curriculum is out there that fits into your requirements. Key tip: Don't look at it if it does not meet your requirements! If you know that you can't afford it, don't look at it. If you know your child hates workbooks, don't look at it. Trust me... it's not worth the heartache to fall in love with a curriculum that isn't going to work for you.


What to look for when you are looking into a curriculum:

  • Content

    • Does it cover what you feel is important for a curriculum to cover?

    • Is it secular or religious?

  • Approach to Learning

    • How are they going to teach the lessons?

  • Delivery Method

    • Is it web based? Is there a textbook or workbooks?

  • Time Commitment

    • How much time is a lesson going to take?

  • Cost

    • How much is the curriculum?

    • Can you save by using a PDF version?

    • Can you find it used?


Narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 curriculums per subject. Then move on to the next step.


Step 8: Make A Plan


Now that you have a few choices for each subject, start putting them together to see what is going to work best. Think of it like a puzzle!


If you are looking at a math curriculum that is going to take your students an hour to complete, you make need to choose a grammar curriculum that can be completed in 15 minutes. If your ELA curriculum has a lot of writing, you may want to pick a history curriculum that is more project based. Try find some balance in the curriculum pieces you are choosing.


What is each day of your homeschool going to look like? Are you going to alternate doing history and science? Are you going to front load your week with things they need mom for, or would you rather spread that out throughout the week?


We use weekly flows around here to help us keep track of what we are going to do each day. We know that some days we have activities outside of the home, so we schedule less work on those days. Plugging in the curriculums you are looking at into a flow can help you get a picture of what your week will look like.


If you would like a free, editable copy of our flow chart you can find them in our shop by clicking the button below:


Another plan to make during this step is your Purchase Plan. Y'all some of these curriculum be expensive! Do you need to spread the cost out over a period of time? You can absolutely do that! Start by purchasing your ELA and Math curriculums. Then you can purchase something else and add it in the following month. Starting slow is a good idea anyways!


Step 9: Make your Choices


Whew! You finally made it! Now the fun begins. Get to ordering and get to setting your homeschool year. This can be a really exciting time. Help get your kiddos excited by getting them involved. Let them help you unbox your new curriculum and set it up in your homeschool space.


One last tip for you... and probably the most important tip you will read here!

Curriculum is a TOOL!


This means that you do not have to stick exactly to a curriculum as it is laid out. You can skip steps. You can rearrange steps. You can even cut out whole sections. Make the curriculum work for you, don't be a slave to it. And you don't have to finish it either!


I hope this helps you feel less overwhelmed by the process of picking curriculum. If you would like to hear me chat more about this process, check out the YouTube video here:


If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them down in the comments. If you are a more seasoned homeschool mom, what tips do you have for picking homeschool curriculum?



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