You Don't Need the Perfect Curriculum

The bright lights of the store illuminate rows and rows of books. Books of all sizes with shiny, decorative colors, each one more beautiful than the next. They all make promises to teach your child to read in 30 days or less, offer math strategies that will rock your socks, and some even offer a curriculum so easy to use that your child will be able to follow it without even needing you in the room. Then you pick them up to find that these all-inclusive curriculums have a price tag that rivals next month's car payment. So you begin to wonder, "Can I even afford to homeschool?" When it comes to the education of your child and what they need to succeed, you are the most qualified person on the planet!

Start With How Your Child Learns

Homeschooling your child doesn't require fancy, all-inclusive curriculums. It just takes a parent who is invested in their education, showing up each day, ready to teach them in the way that they learn best. Now before we start, I want to say that I have nothing against curriculum packages. For the most part, I think they are great and an awesome guide to those who want to use them. It is also okay if you want to mix and match these curriculum packages to meet your child's needs. What I am saying is that these curriculums aren't necessary. They can absolutely make our lives easier, but the price tag can often be steep. Being able to homeschool our children often means that we are a family living off one income, and that price can be daunting.

So how do you choose what is best for your child without breaking the bank? Take a look at how your child learns best. Is your child a visual learner? Do they work better when using technology, or is that a distraction to them? Are they better at retaining information when movement is involved, or when they write down what they have heard? What subjects are they strongest in? All these questions will help you determine how to choose or create a curriculum that is best for your child.

Think About What Your Homeschool Day Looks Like

The next question to ask yourself is what your homeschool day will look like. There is no right or wrong answer here, but it is something to consider when picking out the curriculum that is going to be the best fit for your child and your family. Some parents plan to homeschool for the entire day, breaking it up into subject areas like a traditional classroom setting, while others prefer to homeschool for a couple of hours per day and get everything done during that block of time. This decision is all about what fits the needs of your family best.

If homeschool in your house is more of a hybrid model, you can choose an online platform with self-paced guides to help you navigate the homeschool process. This is what my family does, and it has been great so far. It allows my children to take turns completing the "technology" portion of the day while I work with their sibling on other activities. These activities include experiments, learning games, activity pages, and reading aloud. Once we finish that activity, they switch. This allows me to focus on who needs more help at that time while allowing my other child to continue working and feel confident in what they are doing. Many of the online homeschooling platforms are monthly subscriptions, which is a more cost-efficient option for a lot of families. Large text-based curriculums can require hundreds of dollars, while enrolling online can mean smaller payments ranging from $20 to $50 per month depending on the website.

Or Build Your Own Curriculum From Free Resources

Another option is to choose no curriculum and create your own pacing guide at the beginning of the year. This option requires more work on the front end but saves a great deal of money. The first part of this is to plan out your year, what topics you plan to cover, and then pair those with activities. To do this, you can log into online freebie sites and check out homeschool blogs to get activities that follow your plan while also being engaging. There are multiple online platforms that are free to use, such as Splash Learn, PBS Kids, and even Teach Your Monster to Read. Incorporating these gives you a curriculum that is budget friendly and well rounded. This type of curriculum can be paired with trips to the library to find books that pair well with the subject or unit you are covering that week.

No matter what route you go, planning your curriculum does not have to be expensive, and it certainly does not have to be complicated. No one in the world is more equipped to teach your children than you are. Ask them what they enjoy learning about, figure out how they learn best, and go for it!