How to choose the right homeschooling curriculum for your child?

Curriculum is merely a course of study comprising of a range of different books. There is no such thing as a “perfect curriculum”, but some materials and approaches will definitely work better for your child in comparison to others.

Which curriculum should you use?

If someone asked you for directions, what will you ask them first?—you’d want them to tell you where they are trying to go, and from which direction they are starting. To be able to get somewhere, it’s important to know your starting point and your destination. This helps you determine the best way to reach the target destination.

Let's use the same steps to help you take an informed decision about the materials and course to use.

Start by asking yourself where your child is now (figuratively) and where do you wish them to be in a year from now?
Why are you homeschooling? Once you know where you are heading, will you take the “scenic route” or the “shortcut”? Are you learning leisurely or are you catching up? This will impact your choice of curriculum.
Set targets: what are you preparing your child for? What skills, content knowledge or even relationships do you need to cultivate in them? Goals should always be attainable and measurable.
Research different approaches. This is basically the “mode of transportation” you wish to use in your family’s home education journey. Mentioned below is a basic listing of the some of the most popular approaches. One specific approach may fit well with your family or you may wish to use an eclectic approach—combining or mixing several different approaches. There is certainly no one “perfect” way to homeschool!

Some popular learning approaches

Classical
Traditional
Unit Studies
Living Books
Relaxed/Unschooling

Homeschooling does not just offer a greater opportunity to encourage a child to reach their academic potential, but it also helps them develop life skills and character.

Comments

How to create a positive learning enviroment in your house?

A nurturing and positive learning environment is very important irrespective of where the education of the child takes place. Here are a few practical tips that can help homeschoolers offer an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Set a specific area for classes While some children like to study in silence other like it when others are within their close vicinity. While some families have big houses that offer space for dedicated learning, others integrate their study area in the common living room of their house. No matter the size of the space, make sure the rooms are well lit, clean, orderly and distraction free. Have a positive attitude within the house Attitudes and moods can be infectious, so it is important that you keep any negativity aside – whether it is tension, anger or impatience – before entering the home classroom. Little children are expectedly perceptive and can pick up on attitudes easily. Establish daily goals that are practical and reali...

Fun Activities for Homeschool Curriculum

Have you ever experienced a shove when you were travelling in a vehicle and it suddenly turned? Or did you ever find out why water in a swinging bucket does not spill? The causes for both the incidences are the same. Here are a few activities you can include in your homeschool curriculum to make science interesting: Swirling Can : Take an empty soup can and tie a string to it. Hold some water in the can and suspend it from the attached string. Make sure you fill it up partly with water and twirl it around in a horizontal loop. Make a vertical loop, swirl it around. Do you see any water spilling while the soup can is in motion? Why does the water not spill? When swirling the soup can at a specific speed, you will never see the water spilling out. With the can swirling faster the water will start feeling heavier and may press against the can’s bottom. The quicker you swirl, the water will feel heavier and more it will press to the can’s bottom. As the can is swirled...

How to teach Math to a homeschooler?

From board games to computers, homeschooling parents can provide their children with a range of resources through which they can achieve the difficult tasks of teaching mathematics to their children. They do not have to solely rely on worksheets and textbooks when teaching the subject. With the availability of a range of different resources, parents are able to make their classes more fun and interactive than anyone in a typical classroom ever can. Math learning does not have to be boring in any setting. Here are some tips that can assist you with homeschooling , irrespective of how old your children are or what point of math your little one is currently on. Make Math fun - incorporating some fun in your Math lessons is a great way to make Math interesting. Games that are Math-based are normally the best way to make the subject more enjoyable for the teacher and the student. Consider making use of playing cards, bingo cards, and monopoly money, to add various differe...

Home schooling canada | Learning House CA

Search This Blog