7 Ways To Take The Overwhelm Out Of Choosing A Homeschool Curriculum

As a homeschool mom, you hold your child’s future in the palm of your hand. It’s your job to teach and train them so that when the times comes, they’ll launch well.

A quality education is a big part of who a child will grow to be and the success they’ll have when they get into the real world. Instead of trying to fill them with facts, we’re looking to ignite a spark that will help them kindle a lifetime’s love of learning.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

plutarch

Just like a blacksmith uses a forge to form metal into a masterpiece, so we, as parents, must find the right tools to mold the minds of our young learners.

For most of us, that starts with choosing the right homeschool curriculum. Unfortunately, that can also be one of the most overwhelming tasks we face.

There are so many choices, so many methods, so many learning styles. How do we choose?

After spending hours taking learning style tests, watching videos about teaching styles, and spending too much time and money on trial and error, I have finally figured out a method that will help you take the overwhelm out of choosing a homeschool curriculum.

These 7 steps will help you narrow down your choices as well as build in grace when what you’re doing isn’t working.

Step 1: Know Your Teaching Style

Most people would tell you that the first step in choosing a homeschool curriculum is to know your child’s learning style, and we will definitely get to that, but I think the most important step is to know your own teaching style. Because no matter how good the curriculum is, if you can’t teach it well, your child will never connect with the content.

This video from Simply Charlotte Mason is a good place to start when you’re trying to decide which homeschooling approach fits your style best. But I will walk you through a basic overview below.

There are 5 main homeschool styles:

1. Classical: Uses a 3 stage framework, called The Trivium, based on the age of your child. The Grammar Stage (6-10) basically teaches kids how to learn. It involves a lot of memorization in all the core subjects. The Dialectic Stage (10-12) focuses on reasoning and thinking analytically. It emphasizes discussion, debate, and discovering the “why.” The Rhetoric Stage (13-18) apples the rules of logic to everything learned thus far.
2. Charlotte Mason: Believed that children were born as whole people, capable of understanding the world they live in. Her method uses living books rather than textbooks to teach a wide variety of short, age-appropriate lessons, focusing on nurturing a love of learning and creating good habits though a mix of academic and beauty subjects such as nature study, fine arts, and handcrafts.
3. Unschooling: Is child-led learning. There is no set curriculum, but the parent facilitates learning through various means based on what the child is interested in.
4. Unit Studies: Take a topic and incorporate all (or most) subjects into that one theme. The subject is then explored through the lenses of history, science, math, etc. using hands-on and interactive activities,
5. Traditional School: Is basically classroom school done at home. It uses textbooks and workbooks for each subject, and uses a standard lecture/read then answer questions format.

A Note About Homeschool Styles:

Don’t get stuck trying to box yourself in here. Most families I know, including ours, end up as Eclectic Homeschoolers who utilize ideas from more than one homeschool style. The most important thing is to discover which style you resonate with most, so you can begin your search there.

Step 2: Know Your Child’s Learning Style

Everyone has a method by which they learn best. Knowing your child’s learning style will help you pick a curriculum that they’ll engage with rather than constantly fight against.

For example: if you were a visual learner and the only material you were ever given was on audio, you would have a very hard time retaining the information. As such, you would probably feel like you weren’t measuring up and want to quit. As adults, we understand the value of perseverance and stretching our limits, but children have a much harder time with this.

For years there were three main learning styles, but over time the VARK model has expanded this to four (there is another model that claims there are seven learning styles, but I find that most of those fit into these four like subcategories).

The 4 learning styles are:

1. Kinesthetic: They move a lot, and need a physically active role in their learning. They need short, hands-on lessons with breaks for movement.
2. Auditory: They need to hear information presented out loud, and in turn often like to process out loud. The need you to let them ask all their questions and may enjoy teaching others so they can process out loud.
3. Visual: They need to see the information, and usually want to see the whole picture rather than parts of it presented over time. They need summarizing charts and diagrams, and often love art other visually stimulating experiences.
4. Reading/Writing: They prefer the written word. They absorb information better when they can read it and takes notes. This helps them to both process and recall the information later.

Similarly to teaching methods, many people embrace more than one learning style. This is just a good reference point from which to start.

If you are interested in taking a quiz to determine your child’s learning style, there are many online. This one is direct from VARK.

3. Decided On Boxed Or Build Your Own

This may depend on the season you’re in or it may simply be a matter of preference, but each step here is designed to help you narrow down your choices so choosing a curriculum won’t be so overwhelming.

Pros of a Boxed Homeschool Curriculum:

1. Everything is done for you. It requires very little prep or planning.
2. You can feel confident that your core subjects are being covered thoroughly.
3. Easy way for a new homeschooler to get a handle on the ins and outs of homeschooling.

Cons of a Boxed Homeschool Curriculum:

1. Usually fairly expensive.
2. There isn’t much room for personalizing your subjects.

Pros of a Build Your Own Homeschool Curriculum:

1. You can choose your own subjects and the method by which you want to teach them.
2. You can mix and match teaching and learning styles.
3. You can utilize tech, workbooks, living books, hands-on, etc. whenever and wherever you like.
4. Usually less expensive than a done for you curriculum.

Cons of a Build Your Own Homeschool Curriculum:

1. More prep and planning involved.
2. Can be time consuming.
3. Can be confusing for those who are just starting out.

You can also mix and match, which sometimes provides the benefits of both worlds. There are boxed curricula that allow you to buy modules, and you can supplements with your own choices for electives.

Note: Even though choosing a homeschool curriculum is highly personalized to you and your family, I always get asked what we use. You can check out our curriculum choices here.

And my go to for our core curriculum is usually The Peaceful Press. Everything Jennifer Pepito puts out there is beautiful, simple, and engaging. As well as easy to tailor to your own learners!

4. Try Samples Before You Buy

Most reputable curricula vendors will let you try before you buy.

Download a sample. Check out the prep involved. How much extra you’d have to spend on crafts. And whether the subjects fit into your schedule for the year.

This is a big investment, and just because something looks like it’s a perfect fit, doesn’t mean that once you get your hands on it, it’s going to work with your schedule, goals, or lifestyle.

5. Keep It Simple

Whether you go with a boxed curriculum or build your own, keep it simple.

You don’t need to buy all the extras. You don’t have to do all the crafts, or even all the subjects.

Especially if you’re new to this, start with the basics and build from there once you’re comfortable and confident that what you’re doing is working.

You have an opportunity to give your children much more than an academic education, but if you overwhelm them right out the door, they will disengage and you will burn out.

6. Know That It’s Okay To Change Your Mind

One of the beautiful things about home education is that it is personal. When something isn’t working, we don’t have to put our kids in a remedial class or send them to summer school. We can pack it in and try something new until we find a way to make the right connections.

And it isn’t just about your kids. If you hate what you’re doing because it requires too much time and energy, change it up.

All these options that seem so overwhelming are really a blessing when you consider how many opportunities you have to find the perfect fit for you and your family.

The key is knowing how to navigate the sea of choices.

7. When All Else Fails, Read A Book

This is my fall back. When the kids can’t focus. When my best intentions fall flat. When I’m in a season of overwhelm or burnout.

Read a living book.

Kids learn so much though stories. You don’t have to have fancy gadgets, expensive workbooks, and time consuming handcrafts for your child to absorb something worth knowing.

When things aren’t working the way you need them to, sometimes the best option is to step back, let the formality go, and create connection with your little one by snuggling up with a good book.

Even after all of this, I don’t always get it right the first time. Sometimes I’ll start with a program that I think everyone will adore, and it turns out I’m the only connecting with it. But at least I know where to look when I go back to the drawing board.

At the end of the day, the best education is the one given in love. Even when both mom and child are struggling through lesson after lesson, take the time to connect. Read a book together and learn through someone else’s story for a while.

Every teacher and every learner is different. That’s the beauty of having so many curriculum choices. The trick to narrowing those down is to know yourself and know your child.

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