Choosing The Right Christian Homeschool Curriculum

As a Christian parent, you may have various reasons for deciding to homeschool. You may have already tried the public school system, and found yourself shocked by the effect the classes were having on your children, or at the inability of teachers to control undesirable elements in the class. On the other hand, you may have decided from the moment your children were born that you wanted to keep them within the influence of a Christian home. Whatever your reason, once you have made the decision, you find yourself faced with the problem of choosing the right Christian homeschool curriculum for your children.

Nowadays, parents looking for a Christian homeschool curriculum are confronted with a bewildering array of choices, far more than there were 20 years ago. However, this wide choice, far from helping, can make things more difficult. For a start, groups who are not totally Biblical in their emphasis provide some curriculums marketed as “Christian”. How much does this matter to you? If it does matter, how can you make sure you are choosing a curriculum with the right Biblical emphasis for your family?

When you are choosing a curriculum as a Christian, there are two criteria you need to use, and both are equally important. One criterion is the perspective from which the curriculum comes, that is, whether it comes from a truly Biblical perspective. One way of checking this is to use homeschool review sites, such as the “Choosy Homeschoolers” web site, where curricula are reviewed. When you read reviews that appeal to you, you are able to check the profile of the reviewers to ensure that they are reviewing from a sound Christian perspective. If so, you know that this is a curriculum you could consider. There are also Christian message boards and forums where Christian parents can share their experiences. If you use one of these forums to ask for recommendations for a curriculum, you will receive plenty of helpful suggestions.

The second criterion, of course, is the learning needs and learning styles of your children. Are they slow or fast learners? How do they learn best? Some children learn best through doing things and acting out, others by seeing things set out in front of them, others again by hearing the lessons and then reviewing them. Different curricula fit different learning styles, so you should not assume that a single program would be suitable for all your children. Once you have identified your family’s learning needs to the best of your ability, the best thing to do is to attend a homeschool curriculum fair, or convention, in your area. Here you can see the whole range of what is on offer, and talk to other parents and to the representatives of the different Christian providers, to find out the details of how each curriculum can best be used.

Almost every Christian homeschool curriculum will provide you with an amazing amount of resources and materials CDs, downloadable materials, books, or a combination of all of these. In addition, there should be plenty of ongoing support and help, and you should make sure you choose a program where this is available. Nevertheless, you must not underestimate the amount of time, effort and sheer hard work involved in schooling your children at home. You must certainly be prepared to treat it as a full-time job, and give it everything you have and more. Your reward, as thousands of Christian parents will testify, will be in your strengthened relationships with your children, and the oneness you experience as a Christian family.