Curriculum can be one of the hardest, or the easiest aspects of homeschool. For us, it is typically very simple. I have a general idea of what I like to use, but it may not be simple for everyone to decide what they like.
How to Choose Curriculum
I think there are three important things to consider when choosing curriculum
- Number of students you will be teaching
- Your children’s learning style
- Your teaching style
All of the above will equal your homeschool style or approach.
Number of Students
The number of students you have is going to help determine what type of curriculum you would like to use- if you have more than one or two students it is probably going to be beneficial to group students close in age together for the “core” of the lessons, and do individual lessons for math/reading/writing on each of their levels. For instance, we use Sonlight, which is literature based. I will group my oldest two together for their history/Bible/read alouds, and my younger two will be grouped together, while each student will get lessons on their own level for reading, math, and writing.
If you only have one or two students to school that are more than 3 years a part in age, you may look into a unit study curriculum where each student learns on their own level, while everyone focuses on the same topics.
Children’s Learning Style
Next you will consider your student’s learning styles. Do you have a student that learns easily, no matter how you teach, while another student needs lots of movement and hands on? Or do you have a student that is an auditory learner but a few others that needs hands on? These things will determine how you choose your math and reading curriculum.
My oldest daughter doesn’t “need” hands on; she can hear or see something once and pretty much have it memorized.. My second born, however, is very hands on and needs lots of movement. It looks like my third is turning out to be like big sister … So for us, I chose All About Reading for reading lesson- I know my oldest can learn with it and enjoy it, while my second child will need the hands on and movement involved in the lessons. For math, we chose Saxon, not to say we will always stick with Saxon, but for now it is simple, basic, includes manipulatives for hands on, and is easy for me to implement. For us, Saxon meets all our needs for everyone in the house, without taking up a bunch of my time with pre planning.
But for you and your family, you may want something that is video based, or literature based (like Life of Fred). You can find information on just about every kind of curriculum by using a simple google search.
Your Teaching Style
What kind of teacher are you? Do you love to read aloud to your students? Do you prefer video based lessons that you do not need to dictate to students? Or maybe you need a nice mix of all the above?
There are so many options for curriculum and there are some very thorough reviews out there- Check out The Old Schoolhouse Reviews and Cathy Duffy Reviews to get an idea of what will fit all your needs.
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