Homeschooling program: should I use a planned homeschooling curriculum?

Homeschooling curricula can be a great homeschooling tool. If your child likes workbooks and textbooks, then it might be the right choice for you. Here are some guidelines to consider when choosing your homeschool program:

1. Do I want a teacher-led model or a self-directed model? I mean, do I want to dictate everything my son does and when he does it or do I want to work with him on what we both want him to achieve and let him work alone? A certain level of responsibility is necessary for both models. A kid doesn’t just go to his room with his work and play video games for hours and say he’s doing school work. If a child likes to work independently and can be accountable to you, you may want to save yourself some stress and let them work independently and let you know.

2. Do you want a textbook or literature-based form of education for your child? If you want to use literature, then it is quite easy to choose a period in history or an aspect of science and find literature that gives you information. You can avoid an expensive curriculum choice by gathering some literature and using it for homeschooling. Your children may enjoy listening to and reading stories more than they would like to read a textbook.

3. Am I willing to risk a high burnout rate and choose a planned curriculum? Sometimes a planned curriculum can become overwhelming and burdensome. If you use a planned curriculum, make sure you can make modifications to the program if necessary to meet your and your child’s needs.

4. How do my children learn best – filling out workbooks or creating books and writing about what they have learned? Some children like to fill out workbooks and can remember what they have learned. Other children find workbooks difficult and others complete them, but they do not remember what they have learned. Are you using workbooks just so you can make a check mark on your list or do your children really understand and learn the material they are reading?

These are all questions to ask yourself when considering purchasing a planned homeschooling curriculum. Most people are most successful when they can adapt a curriculum to their own educational needs and philosophy.