Finding the Right Homeschool Curriculum

by The Varsity Tutors School@Home Team

If you’ve recently decided to homeschool your child and are preparing for the switch, an item that’s probably on the top of your to-do list is curriculum selection. Indeed, choosing a curriculum for your child is one of the most important preliminary steps in the homeschooling process.

But let’s take a step back first. It may not be totally clear to you what a curriculum even is, so let’s define it. The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) explains a curriculum_ _as “a standards-based sequence of planned experiences where students practice and achieve proficiency in content and applied learning skills.”

In the same source, RIDE describes a curriculum as “the central guide for all educators,” which, in this case, will be you. More specifically, a curriculum predetermines what academic content a student will learn and often recommends optimal ways of presenting information and activities for honing skills. As such, the terms curriculum _and _study plan are often used interchangeably.

Because a large chunk of homeschooling parents aren’t trained teachers, most homeschooling curriculums are intrinsically designed for layperson use. In other words, the majority consist of straightforward lesson plans with mostly everything spelled out for parents.

However, that doesn’t mean parents should bypass the processes of lesson perusal or planning. Parents should always be familiar with lesson content and meditate on the logistics of class activities. Since the suggestions in homeschool curriculums may not work well for every student, some may need to be adapted or even reimagined altogether due to certain learner needs, interests, and/or learning styles.

If you’re unsure how to start investigating curriculums, first find out what others in the homeschooling community have to say. Read blogs from seasoned homeschooling parents to get a feel for which curriculums are well-reputed and which family profiles they serve.

Then, explore specific product reviews from Cathy Duffy, Homeschool.com, The Homeschool Mom, and others. Amazon, which has its own product reviews, is also a great way to get a broader, unbiased perspective.

Finally, don’t forget to speak to any homeschooling families you might know. Sometimes you can get just as much valuable information by word of mouth as you can from reading.

Once you find yourself leaning towards certain curriculums, attend a few homeschooling conferences in your area. At these events, publishers are known to set up curriculum exhibit halls, so parents can look through samples of their resources and ask questions. Because you can examine curriculums yourself at homeschooling conferences, these events can be pivotal in helping you make a decision.

Maybe you’ve heard before that one curriculum isn’t always enough. Many homeschooling parents are loyal to a single curriculum, but others do prefer to consult two or more. The staff at Time4Learning write, “A non religious homeschool can utilize any homeschool style, any schedule, any resources, and any curriculum that works best. It is common, though, for secular homeschooling families to choose a mix of secular homeschool programs to create the ideal education for their children.”

Sometimes, using more than one curriculum may be more of a necessity than a commodity. Rebecca Capuano of the Homeschool Mom lists several instances where this is the case, including when you’re still discovering your kid’s learning style, you want to explore a subject more deeply, or you have multiple homeschoolers in different age groups.

However, since consulting multiple programs can be harder to manage and incurs additional costs, parents who are brand new to homeschooling may benefit from sticking to one curriculum initially. Later, as they gain experience and become more comfortable playing the role of educator, they can consider changing curriculums altogether or using a few simultaneously.

Universally, one factor to consider in the research process is whether you want to incorporate religious instruction into your child’s routine. If so, don’t worry; there are endless homeschool curricula you can choose from whose lessons cover core religious knowledge, character education, and more.

In fact, because Christian families constitute approximately two-thirds of homeschoolers in America, there are more religious than secular options on the market. Christian families who need assistance selecting a study plan may benefit from browsing The Growing Creative’s list of the best Christian homeschool curriculums.

Nonetheless, there’s no shortage of study material geared toward other religions. Jewish families can learn about some of their options here, and Muslim families can discover more here. For curriculums centered around other religions not mentioned here, simply perform an online search with the relevant keywords and see what turns up. You’ll be surprised by the breadth of resources you find.

Even with the array of religious curriculums in existence, some families opt to design some of their own lessons. The Shakirs, a Muslim family living in Michigan, is one such example. As per her daughter’s request, attorney and mother Sadia Shakir regularly incorporates readings from the Quran into their lessons.

However, religious families can and sometimes do defer to secular homeschooling materials for certain lessons or subjects. They may just opt to supplement them with spiritual lessons, which can either be tailor-made or borrowed from religious curriculums.

The sky's the limit in terms of potential combinations, and often, a patchwork approach works best for our children’s complex and diverse profiles.

Varsity Tutors School @ Home offers something for every homeschooler, whether it's customizable complementary instruction in both academic and elective subjects or a digital app that makes daily homeschooling logistics easier for parents. Learn more here: https://www.varsitytutors.com/school-at-home.