Choosing the Right Homeschool Curriculum for *Your* Homeschool

There are so many things we think should dictate how & what curriculum we choose. Your state’s requirements. Educational philosophy. Special needs. Religious content (or not). Grade level.

Those are all important factors to be sure. But if you hop right into shopping with those details only, you’re setting your homeschool up for unnecessary stress. And that stress? It can lead to kids asking to go to school, moms thinking they’re a failure, buckets of tears, kids fighting schoolwork, etc, etc, etc.

The last thing I want for new homeschoolers is to feel those feelings. I’ve felt all of them & more.

The best homeschool curriculum is the one that fits your homeschool right now. But how do you know what your homeschool actually needs? Google is no help. So many different approaches, different needs, and different options fill your search results.

That’s what we’re going to do in this post. We’ll walk through the questions that really matter, the ones you should answer before you shop. I want you to save money, time, and frustration, so you’ll feel confident in the choices you make for your homeschool.

Step 1: Start with your big picture goals.

It’s too easy to convince yourself that *this* is the perfect curriculum, only to order it & realize that it’s not actually going to fit with the reasons you’re homeschooling.

• Do you want more family time?
• A slower childhood?
• Stronger academics?
• More freedom to travel?
• More time outdoors?
• A schedule you can adapt to the rest of your life?

Your goals should shape your homeschool curriculum choices more than anything else.

Don’t choose the ones “everyone” chooses. Choose curricula that support the homeschool life you’re trying to build.

This isn’t about some predefined learning style label. Or about who your kiddo was last school year. Look at who they are now.

Does your child love to read?
Given the choice, would your kiddo run off to read by themselves or curl up next to you as you read aloud?

Do they like hands-on activities?
Are they always moving or still as a statue?

Do they need lots of repetition, or are they quick to master new knowledge?

Do they get overwhelmed easily?

Do they prefer working independently?
Or do they prefer to work with you directly or at least have you nearby?

When & where you can, pick a program that reflects your child’s learning style. Remember: you can always tweak the curriculum if you need to.

Step 3: Be honest about how much time and energy you have.

Homeschooling parents, whether they’re new homeschoolers or veteran homeschoolers, often skip this step. It seems obvious to focus on what’s best for our kiddos. But moms? We play a h-u-g-e part in whether a curriculum actually works.

But you’ve got to be honest here.

Some programs require a lot of weekly prep work.
Some require a lot before school starts, but not much during the year.
Some require you to teach every lesson.
Some are mostly independent.
Some are open-and-go.
Some are entirely hands-off.

What is truly going to fit into your days?

If your days include multiple ages & stages, a spouse who travels frequently, or an otherwise on-the-go life, you’ll probably want to limit the curriculum pieces that require a lot of day-to-day from you. On the other hand, if your days are slower and you don’t have many things competing for your attention, then a multi-age or literature-based curriculum may be a perfect fit. If you never seem to get around to grading (raising my hand here!), then outsourcing some of your homeschool classes is probably a wise choice.

Choose a program that fits your real life. It isn’t compromising or otherwise “cheating” your kids; it’s setting everyone up for success.

Step 4: Decide what subjects matter most right now

Not every subject needs to be equally intense. And that focus will probably vary throughout your journey. While your homeschool day will always revolve around core subjects, how much time and effort you allot to different subjects will vary.

In the early years of homeschooling, language arts & math happened every day.
History & science didn’t.
And in those days, it was all about inspiring a love of learning and following their leads.

But now? I have a STEM-bound teenager who has doubled up on science this year and probably will for the rest of high school. And the courses are chosen based on future goals, not based on what he’s interested in now.

If you have a kiddo who struggles with math, next year might be a year of heavy parent involvement and a curriculum that is easy to speed up & slow down as needed.

Meanwhile, if another kiddo catches on to math quickly but struggles with reading, an independent math program + All About Reading may be a good choice.

Pick and choose where your focus needs to be this year for each kiddo. Trying to do everything at full speed is one of the fastest ways to burn out.

Step 5: Look at your strengths and weaknesses.

Just like steps 2 & 3, this one requires you to take a good look…and be honest. Most of us are not going to be good at every subject or every area of homeschooling. And you need to sort that out now.

If you enjoy reading aloud, a literature-based curriculum may warm your bibliophile heart.

If setting up, completing & putting away projects is a struggle for you, a Waldorf-style program or project-based learning are styles you should avoid. For me, RightStart Math was my first bust for this very reason.

If your math education left you feeling less than confident, a program with clear solutions & lessons is a necessity. (I also suggest that you brush up on your own skills using Khan Academy.)

If you love to find adventures on field trips, unit studies that you can build around your adventures may be the best thing that you could ever choose.

If your pile of grading grows quicker than dust bunnies, limit the curriculum that requires a lot of grading.

Some of this you won’t know until you’re in the trenches. I love Elemental Science, for example, but there’s something about the back-end work of it that I find hard to execute. It looked good online, and when it arrived. But when we actually used it? BUST.

Step 6: Budget strategically.

Curriculum can get expensive fast. And when you’re new, it’s easy to feel like you need a full program for every subject right away.

You don’t.

Most homeschool families mix and match. Some subjects may use a full curriculum. Some may use library books. Some may be free resources that you piece together yourself.

Look back at your answers from the earlier steps.

• What subjects matter most right now?
• Where do you need the most support?
• Where can you be flexible?

High school lab classes through Well-Trained Mind Academy were worth the money for us. Everything about executing labs is a weakness for me. I’m always willing to budget extra toward foreign language because I think it’s best learned through oral instruction and practice, something I sure can’t do at home. Creating custom history studies, though, is something I’m good at, so we keep that budget line small.

Spend your money where it matters most.

After 15+ years of homeschooling, I can promise you this: the most expensive curriculum doesn’t equal the best.

A big price tag doesn’t guarantee big results.

Step 7: Don’t expect to get it perfect.

The first time or the tenth time.

Every homeschool parent has purchased a curriculum that didn’t quite work perfectly.

The program looked great online, but didn’t fit your child.
It was a good fit for your child, but not your schedule.
Maybe it was awesome… until life changed halfway through November.

Choosing curricula gets easier because you & your kiddos start to see patterns. And you get more honest with yourself. You’ll also learn what can be adapted & what can’t.

This worked.
This didn’t.
We liked this style.
We hated that format.
This needed too much from me.
This kid needs more structure than that one.

Step 8: Write it down before you start shopping

Before you open another catalog, watch another review, or scroll another curriculum website, stop and write down your answers to the previous steps.

Your goals.
Your child’s needs.
Your time limits.
Your priorities.
Your strengths and weaknesses.
Your budget.

Write it down. When the answers are in front of your face, it’ll be easier to stay focused on your own homeschool.

tl;dr

• Be realistic.
• Be flexible.
• Be intentional.
• Be curious.