It’s so easy to get overwhelmed quickly when choosing curriculum for your homeschool. Every homeschooling parent has felt this at some point. There are more options than ever before and you are probably thinking, “where do I even start?” It’s important to narrow down your search and what you’re looking for as much as possible. We’ve compiled a list of questions for you to ask yourself that will help you gain clarity on what might work well for your family. For more detailed information on this and more, be sure to grab our FREE Guide “The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling”.
Questions to Ask
- Do you want a Boxed Curriculum (All-in-one grade-level curricula such as Abeka, The Good & The Beautiful, My Father’s World, Sonlight, Timberdoodle, etc) or do you want to piece together your own curriculum from various sources (have a different company for Math & a different one for Language Arts)?
- Do you want Christian Curriculum or Secular Curriculum?
- Do you want to use an online/ virtual curriculum or a physical printed curriculum?
- Do you want a curriculum rich in Literature? Do you want there to be a lot of reading aloud? (Sonlight and Build Your Library are 2 great examples)
- Do you want a curriculum that is worksheet heavy?
- What method of homeschooling (if any) are you going to use/ try? (Charlotte Mason, Classical, Montessori, Waldorf, Unschooling Etc) – There is more information describing these various methods in our Free Guide, “The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling”.
- What is your child’s learning style? Auditory? Visual? Tactile?
- What is your teaching style and how much prep work do you desire or have the capacity for?
- What subjects are required in your state/ country?
- Is it important to you to choose a curriculum that meets “Common Core” Standards?
- What is your budget? How much do you want to spend per child each year?
- Do you have time constraints? (Example: Working Parents)
- Will you join a co-op or homeschool tutorial that will assign curriculum for you to use?
- Do you want to utilize Unit Studies?
Wrapping Up
Answering these questions will help you focus on what exactly it is you are looking for. You’ll gain the clarity you need to sort through the many options you’ll find on google and narrow in on what will truly align with your family’s needs. Be sure to not add too much pressure on yourself to “get it right” the first time.
I think every seasoned homeschool mom can agree that we have all purchased and used a curriculum that we quickly realized wasn’t the right fit. And guess what?! Because we homeschool we can switch it up, sell the curriculum that isn’t aligned, and purchase something else. It’s also helpful to borrow a friend’s copy to read through and see how you like the structure and content. You are never married to a curriculum and it’s ok to pivot.
We hope this blog post has been helpful! Have fun researching!
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