How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum for your Family
One question that I often hear as a veteran homeschooler when I’m talking with new homeschoolers (or people interested in homeschooling) is: “What is the best homeschool curriculum?”
A better question might be: What is the best homeschool curriculum for our family? I can help you work through that issue with the 9 questions below to show you how to choose the best homeschool curriculum for your homeschool.
The short answer is: there is no one “best” homeschool curriculum. That’s because every family is different. Their goals are different. Beyond that, every child is different. They have different interests. Different needs. Different learning styles. There is no one-size- fits all curriculum that will work for every family or child. There are a huge number of homeschool curriculum choices out there and any one might end up being the “best” for your particular situation.
However, I do believe that every homeschool family can find (or put together) a curriculum that is best suited for their needs. Here are 9 questions to consider when choosing the best homeschool curriculum to help you find what will work in your family.
9 Questions to Consider When Choosing the Best Homeschool Curriculum
What are our family’s goals for this year?
This question can help you to narrow down your choices quite a bit. Trust me, there are a LOT of options out there, so narrowing things down can be a bit overwhelming – especially if you are just starting your homeschool journey. Knowing what your goals are can help you hone in on the curricula that would help you meet those goals, rather than detracting or distracting you from it.
Helpful resources in the Heart and Soul Homeschooling shop . . .
Does our family have any special needs that need to be considered?
Another thing to take into consideration is if your child has any special needs. If they have any needs that require special attention, you want to choose a curriculum that takes that into account. Read more about special needs homeschool for further important considerations when choosing curriculum.
What is my child’s primary learning style?
As we know, children all have different learning styles (kinesthetic, tactile, visual, and auditory).
In other words, they learn in different ways. Although they may not fit squarely into one category – chances are they have definite leanings toward one more than the others. Once you know your child’s learning style, you should choose a homeschool curriculum that fits. For example, if you have a child that is tactile or kinesthetic, you might want to avoid curricula that mainly consist of desk work and don’t provide any opportunities for hands-on activities or movement.
What is my primary teaching style?
It is also important to consider your natural teaching style. Think about what you enjoy about your role as a teacher and use this information to choose curricula that are most likely to align with that. Another thing to consider is whether you prefer a curriculum that is geared towards independent learning or one that is dependent on instruction from the parent/teacher.
What type of homeschool family are we?
There are a variety of homeschool methods that your family may fit. When choosing a homeschool curriculum, you definitely want to consider this. For example, someone who has leanings towards unschooling will likely not enjoy curricula that are very textbook-intensive.
What is my budget?
Another important consideration is the budget that you have for homeschool. If you are on a shoestring budget, then a curriculum that will cost you several hundred dollars is not likely to be a good fit for you. However, if your budget is pretty high, your options are going to be more open.
You can also save money by using digital homeschool curriculum and shopping annual sales.
Do I need an all-inclusive curriculum?
Do you need a curriculum that comes with every single thing that you need or are you okay with having to purchase supplementary materials? Some curricula will come with most of the materials that you need, while others will come with the bare bones.
What is our homeschool schedule like?
This really boils down to how much time you are able to dedicate to homeschooling. If you only have a few hours a day to dedicate to it, you probably shouldn’t choose a curriculum that requires you to put in several hours a day to get through. On the flip side, if you intend to devote several times a day to schooling, a ‘bare bones’ curriculum might not be the best fit for you. Read more about homeschool schedules: How To Create a Homeschool Schedule That Works for You and A Fresh Start: The Most Important Things to Do When Beginning a New Homeschool Year.
Read more in this post: How to Plan a Year-Round Homeschool Schedule in One Day
Do I need a curriculum that is reusable?
This is definitely something to consider if you have multiple children and are interested in saving money. Especially for those subjects that do not tend to have new information added every year, such as history or mathematics. If you can save money by reusing the same curriculum with all of your children, so much the better!
These are just some of the questions that you should ask when deciding on the best homeschool curriculum for your family. Hopefully, as you answer these questions, you can eliminate the options that are not a good fit until you find the ones that could be a winner!
More help for choosing the best homeschool curriculum
Our Nature Study Curriculum Choice
Life Skills Curriculum for your Homeschool
How to Choose the Best Math Curriculum for your Homeschool {with free printable}
5 Things to Consider When You’re Thinking of Changing Your Homeschool Curriculum
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These are good points! I think identifying the educational philosophy first really sorts through a lot of curriculum questions very quickly!
Thank you! Deciding our educational philosophy made a big difference for us. It helped me to pass up some curriculum we really didn’t need even though it sounded good. I have a hard time resisting any kind of books! 😉
Thanks for the great post! I think we need to figure out our goals this year.