New to Homeschool: Choosing a Curriculum

It’s completely normal to not know what to teach your child when beginning your homeschool journey. Our recommendation is to find a guided curriculum to begin. As you learn more about homeschooling, you can change and modify your child’s learning material and curriculum. Consider a few things before selecting a curriculum:

State Curriculum Requirement: In the State of Texas, parents who homeschool must follow a course study that include education and courses on good citizenship. (Texas Education Agency, 2020) Be sure to research whether your state has specific laws, regulation and curriculum requirements before starting your homeschool journey.

Child’s Age, Grade and Style of Learning: Consider researching curriculums that are structured by grade and age. This could be benficial if you decided to transfer your student back into public school. Also think about your child’s learning style or learning disability. You’ll want to select a curriculum that accomodates their learning preference and needs.

Learning Objectives and Goals: Think about the subject matter you want your child to learn. For example, if you would like you child to learn general subject matter such as Language Arts, Arthmetic and Reading but also faith based subject matter, consider a faith based curriculum.

Accreditation: If accreditation is important to you, consider selecting accreditated curriculums that may be regonized by education institutions, such as Univeristies and Colleges.

If you are homeschooling more than one child, at different grade levels, opt for flexible curriculums that allow you to homeschool multiple children,.

Join homeschool groups, attend homedchool events like conferences and participate in online homeschool events. Getting suggestions from other parents can help you determine a curriculum best fit for your child.

Use free resources: Find free print outs, YouTube videos, free trials and sample material to either put together your own curriculum or test out curriculums to see what’s best for your child’s learning journey

The important thing is to research when selecting a curriculum for your child. This can save you time and money as well as meet your child’s learning needs.

Texas Education Agency. (2020, September 18). Home schooling. https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/general-information/finding-a-school-for-your-child/home-schooling