Curriculum

Homeschool curriculums are geared to different ages, skills, and learning styles. Comprehensive curriculum includes all subjects per grade level. I preferred individual curriculums for each subject and customized some. Finding a curriculum that is tailored to your child’s needs is essential. The infinite number of curriculums available can be overwhelming.

 

Before choosing a curriculum, consider the following:

1. Do you prefer curriculums that require a great amount of interaction?

2. Curriculums should be geared to each child’s learning style (visual, kinesthetic, or auditory).

3. Curriculums should be chosen based on what level your children are at, not what grade they should be in. Just because a student is in a specific grade, does not mean the curriculum should be for that grade level.

4. Do you prefer textbooks, living books (Charlotte Mason), or unit studies?

5. Would a teacher’s guide or detailed instructor’s guide with easy to follow steps be helpful?

6. Do you want a curriculum complete with supply kit that is planned and scheduled for you?

Not everyone buys curriculums. Some homeschoolers create their own lessons from online resources. I personally preferred to have curriculum for core classes.

I found that most homeschool curriculums were not in-depth enough. For that reason, I used some off-the-shelf curriculums and built some from scratch. Online high school-level classes were a great addition to our curriculum. 

Homeschooling gives parents the freedom to make educational decisions, always keeping their children’s welfare in mind. I preferred curriculums where children were able to do a significant amount of work on their own. It is imperative to learn to be independent at a young age. You will find that some curriculums are versatile and work for all different learning styles. For writing, I combined standard curriculums with homemade lessons, since no single writing curriculum was academically rigorous. My younger son, who learned by observing, loved videos. My elder son, who was an auditory learner, recalled what he heard and did not have to take notes.

If you are on a tight budget, virtual schools offer free classes and the curriculum is included. You also can borrow books and DVDs from the library. Before purchasing my chosen curriculums, I revised material already owned by a homeschool friend and shopped at homeschool curriculum fairs. In summary, learning can be complex. It can, however, be simplified and successful if parents or teachers evaluate a child’s learning style and use different techniques when teaching.