How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum

We are incredibly fortunate to live in a time when there are many homeschool curriculum choices. However, that can make the decision of what to use daunting. After deciding to homeschool, choosing a homeschool curriculum is the next step on your homeschool journey. Let’s walk through some questions to ask ourselves as we wade through the homeschool curriculum options.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure.

 

Digital vs. Books vs. Project Based vs. Hands-on Curriculum

Most curriculum programs can be divided into groups based on how the material is delivered. Some programs fall into more than one category, but they usually lean towards one delivery method. Take a moment and picture what you’d like your homeschool environment to look like.

• Do you need your kids to do most of their school work online so you can work from home or care for younger children?
• Would you like some of their school work to be online so you can free up some time to work with them individually on non-computer based work?
• Does the thought of curling up on the couch with a stack of books make you smile?
• Do science experiments make you cringe?
• Is it important that your kids learn primarily through experimentation and hands-on activities?
• Do you want a program that has a complete teacher’s guide that will walk you through each lesson?

 

Some Options to Consider

If you need most (or all) of their work to be done fairly independently online, look for an all-in-one online program such as Easy Peasy, Time4Learning, or Monarch. These programs can really help those families who need online programs, but some are often quite expensive.

If you’d like to have a combination of online and book based programs, consider picking programs for different subjects from different companies. Perhaps your kids can learn math, coding, typing, and foreign language with online programs, but use book based programs for language arts, history, and science. You can also use an online program to add enrichment or an extra layer to a book based curriculum. We use physical books for our math curriculum, but we love Thinkster for extra math practice. You can mix and match to have both online and book based homeschool experiences. This is a fantastic way to really customize your homeschool!

If you cringe at having your young kids sit in front of a computer every day, look for a literature-rich curriculum that focuses on quality books such as Build Your Library, Sonlight, or BookShark. Look for science programs that focus on hands-on experiments. Many science programs come with easy to follow instructions and supply kits to make science as painless as possible for adults while also being fun and engaging for the kids.

If you’re nervous about heading down the homeschool road, consider programs that have detailed teacher’s guides that will hold your hand through teaching each lesson. All About Reading and All About Spelling are fantastic programs that will do just that. Institute for Excellence in Writing has videos that help teach the lessons to the kids, plus “teach the teacher” videos.

Related Post – How to Homeschool – Tips to Get Started

 

 

Is the Homeschool Curriculum Teacher Intensive?

How much time you have to teach each subject to each child varies greatly from family to family. Are you homeschooling while working a regular job? Do you have kids that are spaced far enough apart that you can’t combine any of the subjects? Are you trying to homeschool while taking care of a baby or toddler?

All of these situations can limit the amount of time you’ll have to sit by each child to fully teach the lessons. If this is you, picking a program or two that comes with videos to teach the children, or instructions that are written to the child, will help free up some of your time and attention. That being said, it’s sometimes easier to find programs that children can do independently when they’re a bit older. Younger children will need more of your help. Most curriculum programs will include how much time it will take for you to prepare and teach the lessons. Ask yourself if that is a reasonable expectation for your family.

Related Post – When It’s Time to Change Curriculum

 

 

Can you reuse the curriculum with your younger kids?

Curriculum doesn’t have to be expensive, but it can quickly add up when you have more than one or two kids. Reusing curriculum with younger children is a fantastic way to save a lot of money! Even though we only have two kids, this is one of my top considerations when looking at curriculum. We tend to shy away from time based online subscriptions. I prefer to buy the program only once, and then use it for my kids for years to come.

If you’re looking to save money by reusing curriculum for younger kids, look to see how much of the program is consumable. These are usually workbooks and supplies that are meant to be consumed by one child. How much of the program will you need to repurchase for your younger kids?

I always purchase an extra copy of worksheets for my younger child at the same time I originally purchase them for my oldest. Many curriculum companies regularly update their programs, so this ensures that I’ll have worksheet pages that match the lessons in case the program is updated before my younger child does that level.

Related Post – Homeschool Routine – A Day in the Life of Our Homeschool

 

Can I use the library to save money on this curriculum? Can I sell the curriculum when I’m done?

If you’re going to choose a literature-rich curriculum, you may be able to find many of the books at your local library. This is a great way to save money. However, it will take some time for you to see which books you’ll be able to borrow and purchase those your library doesn’t carry. You’ll also have to make sure you request those library books in time to use them.

Many homeschool parents love to use the library to save money, but I’m just not that organized. Instead, I look at the resale value of the curriculum set. Since I use programs that don’t have a lot of consumables, I’m able to resell these programs and recoup a lot of my initial cost.

Do you want to use the library to save money? Or do you lack the time and organization to go through the process of finding those books? Will you be able to sell the curriculum package when you’re done with it? These questions will help you decide if using the library is a viable option for you.

Related Post – How to Create a Homeschool Budget

 

There are seemingly endless options to choose from for our homeschool journey. It can certainly be confusing, but these questions are important to considering when you’re thinking about how to choose homeschool curriculum. When you have a clearer picture of what you’re looking for, you can head on over to Cathy Duffy’s website to read her curriculum reviews. She has a preference for christian publishers, but she does do a fair job at reviewing secular homeschool curriculum. You’ll be able to see just how many options are out there and read more about every one.