Caveats in Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum

When I decided to homeschool my child, one of the more daunting tasks was deciding which books to use. Thankfully, I had a lot of input from my local homeschooling support group. Unfortunately, it seemed that there was no consensus on which curriculum was best.

Choosing the right program for your child, or children, can mean the difference between a streamlined, productive year and a frustrating one. If you choose the wrong curriculum, you might find yourself  starting and stopping so often, you’ll wonder if your child is learning anything. After a disastrous first year, I identified the mistakes I had made and corrected them. The biggest mistake I made was buying curriculum without taking into account my daughter’s learning style. She is an auditory and tactile-kinesthetic learner.  Instead, I bought materials that looked interesting to me.

Identifying Your Child's Learning Style is the Key to Success

Determining how your child learns should be the first step. Observe him or her closely for several weeks as he or she works and plays. Does your child devour books or does reading make him antsy and whiny, causing you both to want to quit by the end of the first week? Does he or she enjoy completing workbook pages or sitting in front of the computer? Do your own explanations of how the world works engage him or her?

There are several learning style inventory tests that can help you identify your child's individual learning style, however, many of them require a large amount of self-reflection that elementary students are unlikely to possess. The Sensory Modality Preference Inventory can identify whether a child is a visual, auditory, or tactile-kinesthetic learner. Although pretty basic, the test provides a quick peek into which types of learning activities are likely to be most effective. 

What to Look for When Choosing Curriculum

The best curriculum provides options to address more than one learning style. This is especially helpful if you are homeschooling multiple children. However, it can also be beneficial to encourage your child to develop other learning styles as well. For example, you could focus on visual learning activities with the child who is a strong auditory learner.

After determining how you are going to teach, it is easier to pick what you are going to teach. There are traditional text and workbook approaches, computer programs, video programs, inquiry methods, thematic units, and combinations of the above. To get a better idea of what is out there, attend a curriculum fair. Check with your local homeschooling support group for the dates and locations of upcoming fairs. I don't recommend buying anything on the day that you attend. Make your choices when you are not being pressured by a salesperson. Curriculum is expensive, so do your homework. Check out the companies’ websites. Read independent reviews. Ask other homeschooling parents. This vital step takes patience and discipline.

Some of the major publishing houses, such as McGraw-Hill, Scholastic, and Pearson will take orders from the public.  My first year of homeschooling, I made the mistake of purchasing curriculum sold only on homeschooling websites. I was disappointed because some of it wasn’t based on my state's education standards. It is also wise to research the authors’ credentials.

Here are Some of My Favorite Programs

For math, I can't be swayed from using the Everyday Math Program which is published by the University of Chicago. People complain that it is confusing to teach. I think this is due to the unique vocabulary used in the program. After teaching a few units, my understanding of math improved and my daughter recently doubled her score on our state's standardized test.

For grammar, my daughter likes a visual approach. She learns about topics like prepositions and clauses by diagramming sentences. There are several workbooks available that use this strategy.

For writing,  I prefer to use the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) check-list method which helps those struggling with organization, sentence building, and vocabulary.

When trying to determine the quality of science and history books, I think it's helpful to check for a comprehensive index and glossary. After sending many books back, I finally decided on Harcourt-Brace science and The Mystery of History series. While both required supplemental materials, they provided a good base on which to build. For younger students, I like Real Science 4 Kids. It is a hands-on program with lessons that are easy to teach.

Getting a recommendation from knowledgeable friends is a good way to find the right curriculum. Just be sure to ask your friend why they liked a particular program and how it addressed their child’s learning style. Keep in mind that the best part of homeschooling is that you never get stuck teaching from a program that isn’t working.