How to choose the best homeschool curriculum for your family, as well as how to let go of expectations about sticking with that one curriculum forever.
“We don’t go to homeschool conventions to buy our curriculum. We go to buy our next curriculum.”
~Voddie Baucham
We have been homeschooling from the beginning. Our oldest is now 22 and graduating from college this year. And he can attest to the fact that I changed curriculum constantly during his homeschooling years.
You could say I was (and still am, to an extent) a curriculum junkie who thrives on the high of getting that “next curriculum.” Yet, when I started homeschooling back in 2003, I only knew of one small homeschool catalog and I somehow managed to teach my son to read using only the resources from that one catalog. *gasp*
As I learned more about all the homeschooling resources out there (and there are so many more today!), I began a frantic search for the “perfect” curriculum – one that solve all my problems and last from Child #1 through Child #10.
But my frustration only grew as I realized no curriculum was perfect, and no curriculum was the best forever. At first, I thought it was ME. But as I plodded through the first 3 years of homeschooling going from curriculum to curriculum, I began to understand my family’s homeschooling needs better. I also began to see myself as the “master” of the curriculum and not the “slave” to it.
READ >> Homeschooling and the Three Year Learning Curve
This is MUST READ for new homeschool moms!
Many of you homeschool moms wonder why the curriculum you buy never seems to work the way you would like it to. You can’t seem to stick with the program or manage all the lessons or keep your children engaged. You wonder if you will ever find the perfect curriculum – the BEST curriculum for your family. And you feel alone in your plight.
But you’re not alone.
How to choose the best homeschool curriculum for your family
First of all, you need to get a grip on your family’s needs THIS YEAR. Maybe even THIS SEMESTER. Don’t get ahead of yourself, planning out years worth of homeschooling because things change (more on that in a moment…) Prayer is a good way to figure out the direction you need to head with your curriculum needs because God is reliable and faithful even when your brain is not.
Secondly, consider if the curriculum you already own can simply be tweaked to fit your needs. Don’t discount what is already on your shelves. It may just need some adjusting.
Need help learning how to tweak homeschool curriculum?
Get my book!
How To Make Any Curriculum Work for Your Family
Thirdly, try to get your hands ON the curriculum you are considering. This is sometimes difficult to do with so much of our ordering done online. But, try to attend a convention with a stocked vendor hall or check around in your local homeschooling groups (someone is bound to own what you are looking for!) and see if you can get your eyes inside the curriculum. Sometimes that is all you need to say yay or nay to a curriculum.
And lastly, give it a shot! It’s ok to take a risk. Check for money-back guarantees and take your time with a really big purchase, but recognize sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes it just doesn’t work out because…
No homeschool curriculum is the “best.”
and
No homeschool curriculum is perfect forever.
Here are three reasons why no curriculum is the “best,” and why even when it seems perfect for a while, it doesn’t always stay that way…
1 – Your children change.
They were little, now they are big. There were 2 of them, now there are 6. They used to be interested in dinosaurs, now they are interested in robots. And the list goes on and on and on.
This is the beauty of homeschooling. You don’t have to remain static and continue to teach from the box. You get to grow with their needs and interests!
READ >> What is Delight Directed Homeschooling? (series)
2 – You change.
Of course, a homeschool mom can have physical changes in her life that cause her to need to change things up in her homeschool day, but let’s talk about the spiritual changes a homeschool mom goes through.
I am not the same spiritually as I was 17 years ago when we began this homeschooling journey. Homeschooling causes you to dig deep and teaches you more than you ever realized you would learn. The biggest lessons you learn are the spiritual ones. You learn more about your Bible and your God and you learn how utterly dependent you are on Christ. You go from milk to meat, ever-growing and ever-changing.
Because of that, your ideas about curriculum change too. Often, you find yourself playing it safe and sticking close to the public school guidelines in the beginning, but as you mature spiritually, you find yourself less concerned with academics and more concerned with your children’s spiritual growth. You find you want to bring out different things in your homeschool day…things that lead your children to Christ. And sometimes this means a change in curriculum.
Now, I do want to caution you about a change in you that may not be so noble, and you will know right away if this is you or not…
Is your curriculum not working out because you are discontent?
One way you will know if this is your real issue is if you see discontentment in the rest of your life as well. Do you feel agitated in your marriage? Are your kids driving you nuts? Is your house feeling like a chaotic mess?
You may be looking for a change in your curriculum to compensate for a lack of control in other areas of your life. Curriculum is easily controlled. Life is not.
Changing curriculum isn’t going to fix everything else in your life, so consider if that shiny new curriculum is actually the issue.
READ >> Change Homeschool Curriculum (or just change how you use it?)
3 – Your family changes.
Circumstances change for families all the time. Rarely do family dynamics remain the same all throughout your homeschooling years. You have to accept these changes and do what needs to be done to work with these changes.
Perhaps you started homeschooling with one small child and now you have 10. Perhaps your husband doesn’t have a job right now or you are sending a child to college. Perhaps you are entering the foreign mission field or returning home after years away. Perhaps you have a child who needs some serious shepherding or a family member who must come to live with you. All of these things will effect your homeschooling and will possibly require you to adjust your curriculum.
Ultimately, only God is perfect.
Curriculum will disappoint. Circumstances will change. And your homeschool will need to adapt. And God is there guiding and directing the path for you, your children, and your family. God is growing you up. God is piercing little hearts and minds. God is revealing Himself to you each and every day.
You must be willing to say, “Where He leads, I will follow.”
No curriculum will ever be better than God. We aren’t searching for “perfect” or “best” because it doesn’t exist. We are seeking a God Who satisfies our every need and yes, sometimes He will lead us to a new curriculum…our next curriculum
How To Make Any Curriculum Work for Your Family
Originally published in 2012. Updated in 2020
Amy says
Thank you so much for your insight. Sometimes I just feel like I’m being wishy-washy!
Dana S. says
Amy–
First of all, I left a comment a few weeks ago on your 3-year-learning-curve–how that freed me to relax and know that it’s a process. Granted, we’re going to finish our second year in the next few months, but knowing I don’t have to have our entire school plan written in stone, and that it’s ok, even good, to tweak. I remind myself of it every day!
Secondly, this post is exactly what I needed to hear this morning! Our local homeschool group held our annual “Curriculum and Book Sale” yesterday. I was looking for the perfect thing to energize our science and history studies. Now I can stop searching for the perfect set of books, and start searching for what God wants us to learn, and how he wants us to learn it. I’m thinking I’ll start by going with my gut feeling and searching out some used books. That “gut feeling” that won’t go away–it’s probably God trying to get my attention!
Blessings–
Dana
Amy says
Perfect! 🙂
Rachel @ finding joy says
Wonderful post, Amy. Thank you for sharing this message with us today. It’s amazing – a curriculum that worked for one child won’t work for the next and so on. I’ve learned to be flexible and to give myself grace with regards to the curriculum.
Blessings friend!
Rachel
Amy says
Yes, we mamas need a lot of grace, don’t we? 😉
Rachel @ finding joy says
Yes, we do. And thankfully we have good friends that remind us of that grace and truth. 🙂
Kelly says
Saw you in passing this weekend at TTD, but not close enough through the swarm of people to get to you to say hello. Hope your time there was blessed. We surely were, though I’m still recuperating. LOL.
Amy says
I slept 12 hours straight when I got home! Phew! Fantastic conference. Hopefully, we’ll meet for real someday! 🙂
Peggy says
Exactly! 😀 We are in the midst of selling curriculum which we purchased and had planned to use for all 5 of my kids. Well, the using of it is causing us to stray from what our original intentions and plans and goals for our family are. So…we found a new one, but need to sell the old one to buy it! Breaking up is hard to do! 😉
Amy says
I’ll be praying it sells! 🙂
Rachel @ finding joy says
Yes, I’ll be praying it sells as well!
Dana S. says
What is it? Maybe it’s just what we’re looking for!
😉
Dana
Lori Lane says
Well said Amy! Have been thinking alot about this over the past few years. I’m so glad you posted on this topic.
Lori Lane
Amy says
Thanks, Lori! It is so easy to believe we are failing (in this area and many others) when it might actually be the Lord’s leading, which will never fail us!
Stacy says
When I first read that title, I totally thought it was saying that you don’t even need a “curriculum” to be good enough. Which I absolutely agree with, too! We learn so much just from doing, and you don’t necessarily get that from a book.
Amy says
Absolutely! Some of the best learning isn’t “book-learning.” 🙂
Carrie says
Thank you for this post – I needed to read it especially today. I’ve been struggling – with curriculum choices, with sticking to certain materials, with rigid guidelines and then a pendulum shift to delight-directed learning, and recently with thoughts about giving up. To say I’m overwhelmed is an understatement! Thank you for the link to your three-year post as well as the book by Gregg Harris. I started homeschooling in 2010 and heard that it takes several years to set a course and gain confidence. I’m praying that rings true for me! Blessings to you!
Sherri Barth (@sherribarth) says
Oh Amy this is EXACTLY what I needed to hear today! I literally spent hours at the various math curricula booths at the Teach Them Diligently Convention this weekend… and then poured my heart out to the gracious Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason about my agony over “switching curriculum.”
It just feels like big changes… like moving away from a package curriculum to one that I’ve piecemealed together… is a stepping away from something that I *should* be able to “make work” and a crossing over into trying to find an “easy way out.” Does that make sense at all??? LOL
Amy says
Totally makes sense, Sherri! Cover it in prayer and then move forward. It is ok to change things up! 🙂
Joyce says
This is so true, thank you for putting this in new light. We change curriculum on an ongoing basis to a certain degree. Some things remain the same yet other things change. One thing that never changes is seeking the Lord for wisdom and guidance, He is always faithful.
Amy says
I truly believe if you are seeking the Lord, you more than likely will find yourself changing things over the years because we do grow so much as Christians. Yes, He is faithful!
Suzann Smith says
This is so very true! Great insight!
Jarm says
You are right, Amy…we change through the years, and God changes us. Our lives are never stagnant! We must listen to His still soft voice. Thanks for your godly insights.
Stephanie says
Beautiful post. I’m in my 5th year of homeschooling and I couldn’t agree with you more. At first, I bought everything and compared myself to others. Now, it’s so much more about living and bringing God into our lives with all that we do. I want children who thirst for the Holy Spirit. I’m totally o.k. if they don’t know Latin or the parts of the circulatory system. I just want them to be in love with God.
Amy says
YES! 🙂
Mindy at Grateful for Grace says
So true. It’s hard to stop and think through what’s different in our lives, how our children have changed, and what I need to make things all work. 😉
Hey, I have a new link up I think you’d like. Starts today.
blessings!
Rebecca says
So true…and that three year learning curve….I just hit it….It’s a great place to be…and to be here with the words of wisdom from the weekend….it’s a masterpiece in the making, but I’m not the painter or the potter, but I am an instrument in His hands! Love you, Amy…and truly can not begin to tell you…how thankful I am to have met you this weekend!
Amy says
It was blessing here as well! I hope we meet again. 🙂