8 Tips for Choosing a Homeschooling Curriculum

If you have taken the plunge and decided that homeschooling is for you and your family, the next step may be finding which curriculum to use.  Finding the right home school materials can be overwhelming for new homeschooelrs. Here are a 8 tips that helped me along the way to decide what to use.
1. Pray about a curriculum that God would have you use.
2. Consider your child (children). For example, if your child is a “hands-on” learner, then search for curriculum that will cater to his/her learning style.
3. Google “homeschool curriculum” – be warned that LOTS of info will come up! While I found this to be helpful, it CAN and DOES quickly become overwhelming because there is so much info.
4. Ask friends/family/church members which curriculum they used and why they did or didn’t like it.  I think this is probably your most helpful tool!
5. Look for used curriculum sales/stores that carry curriculum at cheaper prices.  You can also talk with people at these stores/sales to see which curriculums are most popular.
6. Try to get your hands on curriculum before you purchase it.  If this is not an option, there are websites that have sample pages on them.
7. Realize that you will have to spend some money!  I was under the impression that I could do it all on my own, and that homeschooling curriculum was cheap.  I think both are misconceptions.  Get a curriculum suited for you and your child and remember you get what you pay for!  This is an investment into your child’s future!
8. And once you’ve decided on a particular curriculum, understand that you might have to “step back and punt!”  Monitor and adjust if needed.  You may have to change curriculums altogether or alter it to the specific needs of your child.
If you’ve recently gone through this process please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear what homeschool curriculum you chose and why.