Many homeschool parents start with the question, "What's the best homeschool curriculum?" A more productive question is, "What homeschool curriculum is the best fit?"
Choosing the best homeschool curriculum is important to new and prospective homeschooling parents, as well as those who want to improve homeschooling or adjust to a new phase, such as kids starting high school.
In order to find the homeschool curriculum that is the best fit for your family, consider
- Your children
- Your self
- Your situation
You'll want to choose a homeschool curriculum that addresses all three. This guide will help you evaluate these considerations, as well as how to determine if a homeschool curriculum fits for your unique needs.
🔎 Choosing a Curriculum with Your Children in Mind
Children come in different ages, stages, levels of development, learning preferences, personality types, and activity levels, and they have different interests.
For example, if you have young children, you may wonder what to use for preschool curriculum or how to choose Kindergarten homeschool curriculum. Or you may be interested in what homeschool curriculum to use for an active, outdoorsy child. Or you may need a homeschool math curriculum for a struggling student.
Learning styles. Some children learn more by creating and making things; others through reading or talking to people. When you choose your homeschool curriculum, take these preferences into consideration by exploring learning styles like visual learning, auditory learning, and kinesthetic learning. You may also need to consider whether your child is a right-brain learner when choosing curriculum.
Interest-led learning. If your child has a strong interest or does not respond well to typical school work, you may want to try interest-led learning. You can choose resources that support the interest, and that might not include choosing a formal homeschool curriculum.
Grade levels. You may want to know what homeschoolers think about how a child's grade level affects curriculum choice, and when grade level may matter most. Homeschooled kids frequently learn at different grade levels for different subjects, and there is more freedom to help them at the level where they are rather than the level they should be.
Post-graduation plans. Your high schooler might be college bound or headed toward a vocation or entrepreneurship. Mary Ann's posts detailing her daughter's 10th and 11th grade plans can give you a look at what one college-bound homeschooler's course load looks like: Homeschool High School: Our 10th Grade Plan and Homeschool High School: Our 11th Grade Plan. You might even be just getting started with homeschooling a high schooler—there's bad news and good news!
If you have a struggling high schooler who is currently in public school, you might want to look at the ideas for choosing a homeschool curriculum for a potential dropout.
🔎 Choosing a Curriculum with Yourself in Mind
How much time do you have? Some people hope to outsource all or part of their children's learning because of time limitations, parental health issues, or other factors.
- Do you plan to homeschool and work outside the home?
- Will you be able to provide first-hand assistance to your children?
- Have you thought about a philosophy of education, or are you content to let that develop or just not worry about it?
- Are you oriented toward doing hands-on things?
- Are you highly interested in checking off lists for requirements?
- Do you prefer more open-ended holistic experiences for yourself and your children?
- Do you have the ability to help your child learn through the high school years?
- Are you open to personal growth and change?
🔎 Choosing a Curriculum with Your Situation in Mind
Families in all types of situations successfully homeschool, but success depends on recognizing and working with your circumstances. Consider what your situation will be when you are homeschooling as you choose your curriculum:
- You may have always wanted to homeschool, and your children have never been to school.
- You may be homeschooling to solve a particular problem at school. In fact, you might even be an accidental homeschooler, who never intended to homeschool, or a short-term homeschooler, who plans to return children to school after a stint of homeschooling.
- You may be homeschooling to accommodate a child who has been labeled as having ADD/ADHD, or because your child is considered behind or ahead by public education standards.
- You may be interested in homeschooling your large family while working.
- You may have limitations of time, money, technology, or your partner's expectations.
- You may be attempting to meet requirements or help your child prepare for future educational or career possibilities.
All of these situations play into your choice of curriculum (or choice to not use curriculum).
If money is in short supply, look at the ways people homeschool on a budget, including choosing free homeschool curriculum.
Many people are also concerned about whether homeschooling leads to a diploma.
Your child may be attending a co-op, taking homeschool classes, or attending a university model school, so you might only need to choose curriculum for specific subjects.
You might even explore why some parents use more than one homeschool curriculum for the same subject.
You can also learn what other homeschoolers think of curriculum by browsing TheHomeSchoolMom's homeschool curriculum reviews, which are arranged by subject and title. Parents have written these curriculum reviews based on their own experiences—they share the pros/cons, grades used, and what they think of the curriculum—with specific homeschool curricula for language arts, math, science, social studies, art, history, typing, technology and more.
We even have reviews of a book that reviews homeschool curriculum! That would be Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.
📚 What to Look for in a Curriculum
When you're trying to determine how a homeschool curriculum fits, look at
- the content
- the approach to learning
- the delivery
Content. What topics does the content cover? For example, does the content of the sixth-grade math curriculum you are considering cover topics that are usual for that level, or is there a reason why it does not?
Approach. Do you and your child like the structured approach of homeschool curriculum emphasizing learning from textbooks, or do you like the idea of homeschool curriculum consisting of living books as recommended in the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling?
Different homeschool styles go with different homeschool curricula, and reading about the approaches to homeschooling will help you choose a homeschool curriculum.
Delivery. Have you considered the pros and cons of a curriculum that is delivered online as an all-in-one program? What about the pros and cons of learning that is delivered through activities and projects? Are you familiar with the idea of learning delivered through the creation of lapbooks or notebooks?
A great way to learn more about homeschool curriculum is to visit with curriculum vendors at a homeschool convention. You can hold it in your hands, and show it to your children.
Competing Priorities
Sometimes determining the fit of a homeschool curriculum is difficult because there are competing priorities or constraints. The one you like the most costs too much. The one your child likes uses so many crafts that you know you will not like it. The one that covers all the bases is completely uninspiring to your child. The one done online turns out too much (or too little!) time.
And of course, there is always the question about homeschool curriculum for multiple children; what fits one child may not fit the others! Many people use unit studies as part of their homeschool curriculum if they have kids of different ages.
You may have to make changes in your curriculum choices as you recognize how these factors play out. In fact, this happens to homeschool parents with regularity just a month or two after homeschooling gets started, so we have proclaimed October 1 as "Curriculum's Not Working Day." Read about it, so you'll understand that many people are making changes to their homeschool curriculum, so homeschooling will work better.
💡 Alternatives to Formal Homeschool Curriculum
Did you know some people do not use a formal homeschool curriculum at all? Some people prefer to select and use multiple non-curricular resources instead of curriculum.
In fact, veteran homeschoolers recommend that new homeschoolers do something called deschooling before making a decision about homeschool curriculum.
Many homeschoolers also purposely delay formal academic lessons before introducing curriculum when their children are older.
There is even something called unschooling, which includes learning without a formal homeschool curriculum at all.
Homeschooling is Not School
As you pick your homeschool curriculum, it's important to keep in mind all the ways that homeschooling is not like school. You don't have to do things like school, even though that's the most familiar approach to education for many people.
Homeschoolers will tell you that picking a curriculum that's flexible has benefits.
You can even buy used homeschool curriculum. Here are some great sources for buying used homeschool curriculum.
But remember, choosing a homeschool curriculum is just one factor in homeschooling. Homeschooling 101 will walk you through the basic steps to getting started. Just a few more steps for your To Do list!
How do I get the resources to best teach and homeschool my autistic ninth grader? We need flexibility and resources unless we use the resources through school? Where do I find a free homeschool? I am signing him out officially today?
Parents are the free homeschool.
There are some free homeschool curricula, and many states also have public school at home that is taxpayer funded. In that case, the schools usually provide a curriculum such as K12. Some states also have parent partnerships with some days at school and some at home.
Check out our local and state homeschool resources to find your state homeschool organization, which should be able to tell you about the resources in your state.
In homeschooling, unless you are using a public school program, you select and pay for the resources yourself. There is no set of curriculum that is recommended for all autistic kids. Like all homeschooling parents, you research various curricula, make some choices, and give them a try. It's okay to start with one subject at a time.
Since you have a 9th grader, it is vitally important for you to understand the challenges of transferring credit from homeschool to public high school.
Happy homeschooling!
Jeanne
I am very new to "homeschooling" however, I will be homeschooling my 2 Autistic sons. Are there different ways to teach them, and does it take different textbook materials?
There are many different ways to support the learning of homeschooled kids, including autistic kids and others who have special needs. Because of the vast differences among individuals, there is no one way that is always best for all autistic children. Many people do not use textbooks per say, so yes, you should take a look at other materials.
Most homeschooling parents find the resources and approaches that work for their specific children by trial and error, by observing which activities and resources are engaging and help kids progress.
I suggest that in addition to looking at curriculum, you take a look at the various homeschooling styles to begin exploring what to try with your kids.
I'm a layperson with no direct experience with autistic children, but I observe there are also vastly different approaches to working with autistic children—and sometimes controversy about what is "best." My suggestion would be to make sure that your homeschool style and curriculum choices are in alignment with your approach to helping your autistic children in every day life.
A home educator I highly respect and who does have direct knowledge and experience recommends this book Uniquely Human: Updated and Expanded: A Different Way of Seeing Autism as a respectful guide.
Some autistic kids need certain kinds of assistance because they are nonverbal or have other specific challenges. Therapies and assistive devices therapists know about can be key in supporting your child's learning. Again, I recommend finding therapists who support the kind of approach you embrace in working with your child.
Check out our local and state homeschool resources to find information about resources near you. State homeschool organizations often have information about homeschooling children who have special needs.
Looking forward,
Jeanne
My daughter is academically delayed and gets bullied in public school. Is there a home school curriculum for delayed kids?
Hi Judy,
Homeschooling can be a great choice for kids who are academically delayed or who are experiencing bullying. Glad to see you looking into it.
Because you are working with each child individually when you are homeschooling, you can choose a curriculum at a level suitable for that specific child. For example, a child may be ten years old but may work on math that would be more typical for a second or third grader, if that's where they are. Homeschoolers often have a very different sense of grade level and of the concept of being ahead or delayed. You will choose a curriculum based on where your child is, and you may have to experiment with which curriculum works best. Some kids make more progress with hands-on projects; others make more progress with reading and writing or with videos. Homeschoolers also often pick curriculum for each subject separately, so they can customize for their child's ability in each area.
Seek curriculum that will cover the "next things" your child needs to know or that gives her practice on skills she is still firming up. If a curriculum is not working well, change it up to something that engages your child more thoroughly or that approaches learning from different angles.
Good luck!
Jeanne
My kids are now 3rd and 1st grade.Due to conflict conditions in my area, they can not join local schools for three years. We are now in civil war zone. So I have to teach them at home. Please suggest me the free or low cost curriculum that fits the admission of some international universities. Please suggest the education path without public schools or international schools. Although we are in conflict area, I want them to get oppotunities to join international universities. Thank you.
I'm so sorry to hear you and your family are in the midst of conflict.
Your children are in 3rd and 1st grades, and in the U.S., which curriculum you use for those ages would not impact admission to U.S. universities. Universities in the U.S. look at the transcripts for grades 9-12.
A couple of free curricula you might be able to use are Khan Academy and Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool.
Universities vary in their admissions criteria, especially internationally. You could look at the websites of universities you have in mind as a way to understand requirements for admission. Some have specific web pages describing requirements for homeschool graduates. Some may not admit students who did not attend a public or private school for high school—although that would not necessarily be a problem in the U.S.
My suggestion for these ages and in this situation would be to read as much as possible and discuss what you and the children are reading together. If you can use Khan Academy for math, that would have the basics covered.
Your children are fortunate to have you thinking of their education in the midst of your situation.
Sending best wishes,
Jeanne
Is there and option to do homeschooling program with some type of schedule or with a teacher. I'm afraid I will make my kids fall behind by not doing enough and also want a teacher for things I don't know.
Brooke, depending on your state law, there are many ways to "outsource" or schedule some of your homeschooling. Your child could
- attend a homeschool co-op near you
- take some online classes
- take classes at a community center, museum, science center, etc.
- use a curriculum (with you) that has a suggested schedule
- use a curriculum that has teacher videos
You can also model your own homeschool schedule after one of our templates.
Homeschooling can feel overwhelming when you are first getting started, but there is no magic schedule or specific curriculum that will make that feeling go away! Many homeschool parents do use tutors or classes when more expertise is needed (especially during the high school years), but I've also seen lots of parents enjoy learning alongside their kids, using good resources.
I recommend connecting with a state or local homeschool group to find out more about the types of outsourcing you can do where you live.
Welcome to homeschooling!
Looking forward,
Jeanne
Hello, I am new to Homeschooling and My daughter was on Access Points with modified curriculum. I tried Flvs Flex & they couldn't accommodate her learning needs. I don't really want to send her back to public school. So, I have been googling everything I can to find something suitable for her learning needs.
Do any of you have any ideas for me? Can I use any curriculum for her?
Any free websites for her learning needs?
Thank You
Hi Sharon,
Homeschooling is typically more flexible than virtual public school, so you should be able to find something suitable. It might just take a bit of time and not quite be as immediate as you might feel it needs to be.
My first suggestion is for you to take time to do some deschooling, which will give you opportunity to observe how your daughter learns and what really stokes her interests.
While deschooling, begin browsing our homeschool curriculum reviews and make contact with local and state homeschool organizations, so you can participate in the community and hear/see what curricula others are using. Watch curriculum flip throughs on YouTube and Instagram.
Know you can begin with curriculum for one or two subject areas and add other subjects in gradually. Also know that curriculum decisions are seldom permanent. There is a lot of trial and error, so do take advantage of samples and trials offered by curriculum publishers.
Best wishes as you support your child in her unique learning needs.
Looking forward,
Jeanne
A little overwhelming... I'm a single father looking for a Grade Nine Canadian Social Studies and Science curriculum only as my girl is doing math and English in the high school building then it's going to be allowed to come home at 12pm to do homeschool social studies and science and if she meets the outcomes stated in the school curriculum for these subjects they will pass her into grade 10... Any assistance will be appreciated... I work my own business from home so am set up to help her but she's is also a smart kid with high anxieties ADHD and ticking which is why she can't be in school fur long periods of time... And she's ready to quit school altogether so I am trying to get this in place.
Hi Scott,
Your daughter is fortunate to have you helping her.
In order to meet the outcomes for the school curriculum for the subjects she's learning at home, your daughter may want to use the curriculum the school uses. Ask if they can provide the books or resources to you. If they can't, ask for the titles, authors, and publishers of the books and resources and see if you can obtain them.
A homeschool curriculum is unlikely to cover the exact same things that would be covered in a school curriculum. If the "outcomes" that are expected are broad, using a homeschool curriculum might work out okay. If outcome expectations are specific, then you and she need to know what those expectations are.
For example, in the U.S., many kids would need to do a specific science in 9th grade if the intention were to "match up" with a specific curriculum in the school. That might be astronomy, geology, physical science, biology, etc. Learning a lot of astronomy would not help much if the outcome expectations are for biology.
You need guidance from the school as to what she should be learning in social studies and science and how they will assess that.
Even getting the tables of contents from books or resources that they are using would help you narrow your search for a helpful curriculum.
Sending you best wishes as you provide support for your daughter.
Looking forward,
Jeanne
My child attends a private college prep christian academy and is in 10th grade. For several reasons, we are leaning toward home schooling her fir 11th and 12th grades. We are hoping to find a homeschooling program that will allow her to work at her own pace - heavily on some days, and not at all, or minimally on others. She is a singer and is becoming quite busy in the studio and working toward live performances as well. Her education is equally important, but we are hoping for an accredited program that will allow for flexible time, rather than sitting in front of a screen for virtual classrooms all day. Can you please offer any guidance?
Hi Sandra,
Homeschooling can work well for teens who are immersed in their passions.
I recommend you read our articles on homeschooling high school. Of particular note is that accreditation is not at all relevant for homeschoolers in the ways you might think. Unless you need curriculum provided through a school division, accreditation may not have value for your teen.
For a teen who is highly motivated by an interest, you might actually consider designing interest-led learning together. A young singer could certainly learn business, English, social studies, a second language, and even some good STEM (sound waves, engineering of instruments, studios, mixers, and sound boards). You could supplement to cover individual subjects where her interests don't take her. (Commonly, advanced math).
Not only can another approach be more flexible than sitting in front of a screen for virtual classrooms, it can also be way more interesting and relevant for a teen!
Looking forward,
Jeanne
This has been so helpful! Thank you for all the information, perspective, and LINKS! 🙂
My daughter suffers from severe PTSD and I had her in FLVS but it did not work well for her , she currently did not complete sixth grade so I need to get her up to speed as she should be in seventh grade. I will also be have sent my letter of intent to homeschool but I have absolutely no idea where to begin. I also will be homeschooling my niece as well.
Best of luck to you and your fam! FLVS was not a good fit for us either. No worries, and onward/upward!
Hi Leah - Our guide to homeschooling gives the information you need to get started. It sounds like this will be a positive change for your daughter. Best wishes to all of you on your homeschool journey.
My autistic son will be starting soon and I really am leaning towards homeschooling especially because he doesn't talk yet, can u offer any suggestions
We love multisori!
I’m looking for a homeschool curriculum that has online classes or videos. I have been homeschooling my son since kindergarten he is going into the 2nd grade. I recently became sick and I can’t cover all the subjects by myself anymore. Could you recommend a few different second grade curriculums for us? Thank you so much!
I use to think Homeschooling wasn't a great choice until I saw it first hand when my mom pulled my 2 little brothers out of elementary school to homeschool them.
Seeing children blossom can be quite convincing!
I am reaching out to get started I have a 1st grader and preschooler. I have an in home day care and would like to start homeschooling. I do however find this a bit overwhelming and have read a lot of information on this. If anyone is interested in getting me started or offering some advice I would appreciate this a great deal. Please help.
I am just getting started myself and I reached out to the states department of education. They were more than willing to help with what the first steps are. I also looked for a homeschool hotline in my area. Hope that helps a bit.
Hi Krystal,
We have lots of information in our Homeschooling 101 section about getting started. If you would like more personalized guidance, try searching Google for "homeschool coach" or "homeschool consultant." There are many experienced homeschoolers offering those services (unfortunately we do not). You will also find support online in homeschool groups (Facebook has groups for homeschoolers by locality, by education style, by religious belief, and more). Best wishes to you as you begin homeschooling!
Hello. I am looking for a curriculum that encourages children to think for themselves and to love learning. Something that will encourage them in discovery of self and an intense interest in the world around them. Would you, perchance, have any recommendations?
Hi.Talitha!
I was homeschooled K-12. We used Sonlight and I highly recommend it. It's a literature-based curriculum, with definite Christian roots, but always with a goal of teaching kids and young adults to think for themselves, to reach their own conclusions, to successfully navigate the world. After high school I didn't have a specific path in mind, but I had an interest in photography so I did a lot of networking. As I had more and more conversations with entrepreneurs a lot of them would mention the importance of being a life long learner and it almost made me laugh the first couple times I heard it because it just felt so obvious to me. What else would you possibly be?! But that's Sonlight for you! (Both of my older sisters went to college and got work in their field straight out of college - graphic design and chemical engineering.)
I absolutely loved to doing school as a kid, and even as a late reader who struggled, I learned to love to read and would read 50+ books a year. Now, as a 21 year old, I still read upwards of 20 books a year. I'm always in the middle of multiple books and am always pursuing growth and opportunities.
Some of the best conversations I've ever had were sitting around the kitchen table with my mom and siblings discussing ideas, themes, characters, plots, dreams. I have wonderful connections to my siblings and my parents and I think that's in large part to the structure, freedom, and tools Sonlight provided.
Not sponsored, just want to share the love 🤩
Homeschool curricula vary widely and make frequent changes. In general, homeschoolers don't consider Common Core to be a necessary attribute of curriculum, and in fact, many homeschoolers actively avoid curriculum that is purposely aligned with Common Core. However, we know that parents have specific reasons why they may need a curriculum to have specific attributes, so I understand your asking this question!
We have a Curriculum Review section here at TheHomeSchoolMom, where you can read various opinions. You can check the websites of those that sound interesting to see if they are aligned with Common Core.
Find curriculum reviews here:
https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschool-curriculum-reviews/
You will also have some luck if you google "Common Core Homeschool Curriculum."
At THSM, we don't offer to "match" curricula to families or kids because there are so many factors involved - and since parents know their kids best. I know you can find something that will work well and meet your needs.
Good luck, Abby!
GREAT information on your site!
I have 3 children - 2nd, 6th, and 9th grade. As much as I do not like Common Core State Standard methods I need to find a curriculum that has CC methods integrated into it's teachings.
Could you please help to suggest options?
Thank you so much,
Abby DuBose
Abby, I hope you found some curriculum that works for you by now, but in case you are still looking, here is an option. I do not like CC either, but have enjoyed using Logic of English (LOE). It is a great program you could use for your younger child. Denise Eide (Author), did not create her books with the intention of common core, however they met all the CC standards naturally, and because of it she decided to add the CC reference outlines in her curriculum. (Mainly in order to make her products available to a larger range of clients.)