If you’re unsure whether to use homeschool curriculum or not, you’re in the right place! Here, you’ll find all you need to know when deciding if you’re going to homeschool with or without using curriculum.
Finding the best homeschool curriculum seems to be one of the FIRST things all homeschool parents look for when starting to homeschool. Even veteran homeschool parents will often turn to a curriculum to help accomplish their goals.
And there’s nothing wrong with that at all, in fact, I myself am a homeschool curriculum user! However, not all homeschoolers use a boxed curriculum. Some homeschool families choose to do things such as:
- Create their own curriculum
- Only use curriculum if it supports a specific topic they want to learn about
- Opt for online homeschool curriculum for all/specific subjects
- Never use ANY formal curriculum at all
There is NO right or wrong when comes to choosing how to homeschool your children, or which curriculum to use (IF you plan to use one). This is because with homeschooling, you are able to completely tailor your child’s education to their own personal needs, and the needs/preferences of your family.
If you’re a brand new homeschooler and you want some additional information on how to get started, click here to get all the best tips on how to get going on your homeschooling journey.
Know your local laws
Whether using a complete curriculum is your thing or not, you need to know what the local laws are in your area regarding homeschooling.
Depending on where you live, there may be some requirements set out by your local government that you need to meet each year. Know them, and abide by them. But beyond that, you choose HOW you abide by them.
If you are required to keep detailed records of your child’s work, sometimes using a boxed curriculum makes that a bit easier. But there are lots of different options available to you, so don’t feel stuck if your local laws are more strict.
Unschooling
If you are feeling like curriculum just doesn’t fit your family, perhaps a better choice for you would be unschooling.
Unschooling can be easily misrepresented as parents simply not doing ANYTHING to educate their kids, and letting them run wild each and every day. However, that is NOT what true unschooling is.
One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is being able to do things differently than traditional schools. Homeschooled children have the freedom to dive deeper into the things that interest them, spend more time reading great books, take part in online classes, and more! They aren’t restricted to learning ONLY what their school is teaching them.
Because of this, many families allow their children to direct their own learning, by encouraging them in their passions, and letting them learn things at their own pace. Unschooling parents have a great responsibility to listen to and support their children in their interests as they grow.
And the secret that many unschooling parents discover is that so much of their children’s “learning”, just happens organically. They don’t NEED a science curriculum to learn science, or a language arts curriculum to gain a passion for great literature. Pretty much everything in life can be turned into a learning experience, and for unschoolers, their homeschooling journey doesn’t require a curriculum. This doesn’t mean they don’t utilize educational materials, it simply means they don’t depend upon any specific curriculum.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Curriculum
If unschooling isn’t for you, and you do want to use a formal curriculum, there are a few things to consider when choosing which one to purchase:
- Your child’s learning style
- Your child’s grade level
- How many children you have (some curriculums allow you to teach ALL your children from one main teacher’s guide)
- Lesson plans/how much prep time you can commit to
- Your current school year/season of life
- How much time you spend on extracurricular activities
All of these considerations will help you narrow down which curriculum will best suit the needs and demands of your individual family.
Some homeschooling curriculum requires multiple hours each day to complete, so if your child is really active with outside extracurricular activities, then those ones may not be the right choice for your family.
Some lean heavily towards worksheets and assignments, but if your child’s learning style requires more hands on activities, you will want to find one that best suits those needs.
The beauty of homeschooling is that as homeschool parents, we CAN customize our child’s learning. So take a bit of extra time to research the different options available to you before jumping into something too quickly.
Christian Homeschool Curriculum
If you are a Christian homeschooling family, you may feel that the best thing for your children is to use a Christian homeschool curriculum that incorporates Biblical perspectives and values into each subject. There are SO MANY wonderful Christian curriculums out there, so if this is what you’re leaning towards, I’m sure you’ll find one that works for your family!
If you are a Christian family, then you would agree that one of the most important things is helping your children to understand and choose Jesus. And the reality is, there are multiple spiritual benefits to homeschooling that will absolutely bless your socks off!
If you’d like to read more on that, click here to check out my article all about how homeschooling can bless both the children AND the parents.
Different Approaches To Homeschooling
Another element to consider when looking at whether to use homeschool curriculum or not, is all the different approaches to homeschooling. Some examples are:
- School At Home
- Unit Studies
- Classical
- Montessori
- Waldorf
- Moore Formula
- Charlotte Mason
- Unschooling
- Relaxed
- Outsourcing
I won’t be going into each of these approaches here, but if you want a quick overview of what those are, click here to read more about them.
The approach or homeschool style that you feel is right for your family will be a key factor in deciding two main things:
- Whether or not you will use a formal homeschool curriculum
- If so, which one is the best choice for your family
Career Goals/University Requirements
In the early years of homeschooling, (meaning when your children are still very young), you do not have to spend too much time thinking about this point. However, if you have older children, perhaps upper middle school/high school aged kids, you will want to start considering a few things.
Depending on what your child wants to pursue, there may be some required subjects they need to take. If that’s the case, there are various different options for this, including online classes.
Don’t worry that you can’t homeschool your child straight through to the completion of high school. You absolutely can! You just need to make sure that whatever avenue they want to pursue is considered, and all appropriate course requirements are met.
This is no different than choosing which courses to take within traditional schools. Based on what credits are needed to be accepted into a university or college course, those are the subjects you would have your child focus on in their high school years.
If you’ve chosen NOT to use curriculum prior to this, that’s okay! There are so many different subjects offered as online courses for university credits. Just use what you need, when you need it.
Don’t Be Afraid To Change It Up
Above all else, don’t ever feel TIED to one thing. If you’ve decided not to use curriculum, don’t feel as though you never can. And if you’ve always used curriculum, don’t feel like you can’t take a break from it.
The good news is – you can homeschool with AND without formal homeschool curriculum!
The best way to homeschool your children, is the way that works for them and makes their education enjoyable and effective. If you’re still considering whether to homeschool or not, click here to read some of the top reasons why you SHOULD homeschool your child.
So, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the freedom and beauty of homeschooling!
Blessings!
~Maryann
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