Choosing a Curriculum
There are so many different curriculum options available to homeschoolers today! This is a blessing, but can be overwhelming when set to the task of choosing a curriculum that will fit best for your child/family. Where does a parent begin?
1. Pray for wisdom! God will be faithful to show you how to best meet the needs of your children.
2. Establish a vision for your child/homeschool. Answer the questions of; Why am I homeschooling? What are my goals for my children? And most importantly, What does God’s Word say about educating my children? Click here to find a complete vision worksheet to assist you in establishing a vision for your homeschool. This is a very important exercise to go through, as it will help you to narrow down what is important to you in homeschooling, and will have a great impact on what curriculum you choose to assist you in your homeschooling goals.
3. Consider what worldview you want your child to be educated in. In an age of relativism and humanistic philosophy we must seek the truth of God’s Word to establish an accurate worldview to teach to our children. Romans 12:1-2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." God is very concerned with how we train our children’s minds. All curriculum will presuppose a certain worldview and philosophy, so knowing your worldview will also help in choosing a curriculum that would be right for your family.
4. Understand the primary teaching approaches that are used in most curriculums. We have described these fully in our teaching approaches section, which include some questions to consider in order to evaluate if each approach would fit your teaching style and your child’s learning style. Many homeschoolers (and some curriculums) combine methods to fit their own family’s needs, but if you understand these basic approaches it will give you a reference point by which you can categorize many of the curriculum choices available. It will assist you in narrowing your focus when you are choosing curriculum.
5. Consider the learning style of your child. Again, we have a full section on our website about this. A true blessing of homeschooling is the ability to consider the way our child learns best, and any special learning needs he/she has, and to take this into consideration when choosing curriculum and teaching our child. Certain curriculums are geared towards certain types of learners, so it is important to consider this when choosing your curriculum.
6. Some other helpful tips concerning choosing curriculum:
- Consider how much time is required in preparation. Is it a reasonable amount in your current season of life?
- Is this curriculum conducive to teaching multiple children? Are there certain areas you could combine children and teach multiple ages at the same time?
- Does this curriculum look enjoyable for you and your child? Remember, learning can and should be enjoyable and there are many options that make this possible! Keep in mind that if you’re not excited about it, chances are very good that your children won’t be, either.
- If it’s not working, change it!! Most people will change their curriculum several times the first couple years of homeschooling. It is better to be flexible and keep your relationships with each other and homeschooling positive!
- Utilize used curriculum fairs. These are invaluable to the homeschooler! Try curriculum used whenever possible, so if you don’t like it you haven’t invested very much into it - and sell what didn’t work for you.
- Talk to other homeschool parents and find out what they’ve had success with and why. They can also let you know some of their mistakes and save you a few of your own!
- Be careful of the materials that tell you what your child should know, and when. There are some good resources which can be helpful guidelines, but keep in mind the worldview and differing educational philosophies. The Lord has given us as parents a lot more wisdom on what our child should know and when they are ready for it than a secular “educational expert.” A very good resource on what to cover and when is the ABeka scope and sequence, a free booklet put out by the ABeka curriculum.
- Before purchasing curriculum, establish what you’d like to cover for the year and what you need, otherwise a typical homeschool parent ends up trying to cram 6-7 hours worth of schooling into a 4-5 hour day because of all the great curriculum they discovered at the local curriculum fair. It’s ok to save some great things for next year!
- Keep in mind that you probably won’t thoroughly cover everything every year. It is a good idea to emphasize certain skills and/or content certain years and build on it. A benefit of homeschooling is the one-on-one progression that can be continued on each year as you homeschool, meeting the needs of the child. If they have something mastered you don’t have to do it again just because the curriculum says to.
- Curriculum is a tool to help and guide you, not a legality to burden or control you. You don’t have to do everything it says, nor do you have to complete everything it suggests! Be led by the Spirit and train and educate your children in the way God shows you is best.
