Things You'll Need:
- Patience
- Knowledge of your child's personality type and learning style.
- Time to do some research
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Step 1
Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks is Tops in my resource picks!Get the book. One of the best pieces of advice I received when I first started homeschooling, was to pick up a book called "100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum" by Cathy Duffy. This book is an invaluable resource that every home shooling parent should have at their fingertips. It really helps you hammer out what kind of homeschool YOU want to run. Each child is different and each parent is different. What works for one parent might not work for another and what works for one child, much to our dismay, does not always work for the other. This book can help you figure out what curriculum is more likely to work for both you and the child you are teaching.
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Step 2
Education is important. If you want it done right, do it yourself.Understand your child. One of the best things about teaching your own child is that no one knows that child better. If your child is active and does better with hands on type work then you know that you should use more manipulatives. If your child is an avid reader then unit studies might be more your style. Teach to the child not to the test. This is something that I hear people complain about all the time. The teachers in public school are only teaching the kids to pass the tests that the teachers are being graded on. If too many kids don't pass the standardized tests then that means the teacher is not doing the job. Not, if the child isn't learning what he/she is supposed to learn. Note I said learn and not memorize. So, think about your child's personality and look for a curriculum that will accommodate his/her learning style best.
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Step 3
Homeschooling takes time.Understand yourself. Are you the type of person who is super organized all of the time? You might be able to do some of your own curriculum. If you are as scattered brained as I can be then it is better for you to find a curriculum that is all laid out for you. Some parents enjoy a lot of structure, or need a lot of structure and some parents want more freedom. Whatever type of parent you are, you can find a curriculum to suit both your teaching style and your child’s learning style.
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Step 4
What is your homeschool curriculum budget?Know your budget. Just like everything else, teaching your child at home cost money. I have a cousin who spends very little and has some of the most well educated children I know. She is a whiz at finding free tools and coming up with her own curriculum. Most people spend anywhere between $200.00 to over $1000.00 on curriculum each year. That is something you need to think about before you make your final decision. There is so much out there that you CAN buy but only you know what you can really afford.
Comments
WaterSprite said
on 1/31/2009 Excellent advice. Thank you!
brantsbabe said
on 1/9/2009 That book looks great. I'm a homeschooling consultant and I'll recommend this to homeschooling families I work with. Thanks. 5*
lrecker said
on 1/7/2009 Nice article. Very important topic. Also, thanks for the link to my site. You've been a great eHow friend.
wordstock said
on 1/3/2009 This is a topic we discuss nearly every week. The only thing stopping us is the fact that he loves to be around other children. Thanks for the information.
Limowreck said
on 1/2/2009 Thank you for this great article. I am planning to home school my son, at least for preschool, and I had no idea it was so complicated to choose a home school curriculum. Thanks for this article. *****