If you ever want to see the equivalent of a deer caught in headlights, watch a new homeschooling parent as they learn how many curriculum choices there really are out there and then try to navigate through all those choices. With hundreds of providers (and that doesn't include the free or online programs) it is easy to get completely and utterly overwhelmed.
So how do you choose? Is it worth spending all that money? Do you piece together from different sources or buy an all inclusive program? Should you use a computer based program, an online only, or an offline only program? Do we go eclectic or take a classical approach? Yep… There it is….Your eyes are starting to glaze over!
Having so many options can be paralyzing.
The plethora of reviews doesn't help either. You can find great, good, mediocre, bad, and awful reviews for every single curriculum. How does that help? Fear of making the “wrong” choice, especially when you have a child with special needs or a learning disability, can be reason enough to put a hold on your homeschooling plans.
If this sounds like you, just know that you are not alone! Making curriculum choices can scare even the most veteran homeschooler.
Truthfully, there is no magical formula for picking the right curricula; but there are steps you can take to narrow down the choices.
- Do you know your child's learning style?
- What homeschooling method do you want to use?
With the answers to those questions, you now have the beginnings of your educational plan!
Hopefully at this point, eyes unglazed, you've realized that the once overwhelmingly huge list of providers has already started to narrow.
Our Curriculum Finder can help you further reduce the available options by letting you search and filter using:
- Provider Name
- Subject
- Material types utilized (Books, Audio, Video, Online, etc.)
- Secular or Faith-based
- Alignment with Common Core (if any)