How to Identify Good Homeschool Curriculum

Picking a curriculum is one of the most important pieces of homeschooling. Most of us choose our curriculum (or at least start making our wishlists) well before the previous school year ends. We want our children to have the best possible education that they can get, and that starts with curriculum.

HHM How to Identify Good Homeschool Curriculum

However, there are so many choices out there, it gets overwhelming fast. I bet you haven’t even heard of about three-quarters of the options out there. So how do you know what to choose for your kids?

Other than following recommendations of local homeschool parents and your favorite homeschooling bloggers (Hello!), what can you do to pick the right curriculum for your family?

 How to Identify Good Homeschool Curriculum

Over the years (I started picking curriculum when I attended homeschool book fairs with my mom at age 10- over 20 years ago), I’ve found a simple formula that makes it easy to identify good homeschool curriculum that will work for your family. It’s not completely foolproof, but it helps.

Consider Learning Style

The first step in any curriculum pick is to only look at curriculum that matches your children’s learning styles. If you have a house of hands-on learners, don’t waste your time with traditional workbooks.

Investigate Level of Involvement

I don’t have time to spend 8 hours a day teaching my kids, as much as I would like to. I know I need a curriculum that works with our shorter schedule as a work-at-home parent. Don’t look at curriculum that takes 8 hours of one-on-one teaching time if you really need a computer or video-based curriculum.

Identify Topics Covered

Every state has specific requirements for each grade level. It is our job to make sure what we select meets those requirements, particularly if you live in a state that requires detailed records.

Examine Interest Level

We’ve all been there. You’re at the homeschool bookfair and you see the curriculum for teaching your preschooler Sanskrit that you Have To Have. And that dissection kit that contains a completely preserved kangaroo in mummy form? Take my credit card.

I get sucked into buying stuff we don’t need way too often. But if your kids aren’t interested in dissecting a mummified kangaroo, then it is a waste of money. Stick to extras that are of interest to your kids.

Evaluate Price

Every family has a curriculum budget, and sticking to it is of utmost importance. Divide your total budget by child and number of subjects, and decide from there if a particular subject is worth splurging on. We typically spend more on core curriculum, like math and science.

Confirm Author Credentials

A curriculum author doesn’t have to have a PhD in the subject she writes about, but she should have a background in what she published (a homeschooling mom with years of teaching experience does count). I tend to be more wary of traditional school publishers trying to market to homeschoolers.

I’ve found that these tips really help us identify good homeschool curriculum. These criteria combined with reviews and advice from homeschooling friends is how we choose our curriculum every year.

How do you choose curriculum? Please share your tips in the comments!

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One Comment

  1. It does indeed take some time to learn your child’s learning style. Once you can figure that out, it makes the decision making process a little easier.

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