We’ve all been there. The promises of that “perfect” product that will meet our needs — which somehow implies allay our fears. We’re all too ready to grab it. But if you have spent any time at all educating your children at home, you already know that those promises fail pretty quickly. Ready for a solution? Here are 5 tips for making your curriculum choices easier!

1. Educate yourself.

Curriculum is simply a tool. It is not an solution. It can help you achieve a solution. By educating yourself, you will be better able to apply the correct tool to a situation.

Things to think about: What forms the foundation of your educational needs? What do you believe is important to focus on? What types of things do you want to include each day? What type of tutor are you? How do you prefer to have things laid out?

Making the Case for Educating Ourselves
Why we believe it is so important to educate ourselves.

Summer School for Mom: Choosing Materials
We walk you through the process.

6 Tips for Making Wise Curriculum Purchases
Part of educating yourself!

11 Tips: Choose Curriculum Without Becoming Overwhelmed!
More tips in the way of educating yourself.

Creating an Educational Bucket List
One way to help keep a solid focus!

Helps For New Homeschoolers: Find Your Own Way
If you are new (and/or uncertain) read this.

2. Determine needs.

No generic education. Each child has a different set of skills and a different set of weaknesses. And a different set of interests.

Dr. Mary Hood on Selecting the Right Curriculum
Tips for changing the focus.

10 Tips for Providing a Non-Generic Education
Keeping the needs of each child in mind.

Bending Education to Fit the Child
Ways to do it.

3. Simplify.

There are so many ways to make this task easier. Some thoughts include:

• Combine where appropriate.
• Understand skill vs. content needs.
• Allow projects.
• Go natural.

Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects {The Key to Simplifying}
And the key to curriculum freedom!

Helps for New Homeschoolers: The Role of Curriculum
Tips for simplifying.

14 Ways to Plan Studies Around an Interest
One way to simplify!

Beechick Basics
Dr. Ruth Beechick had a real knack for cutting through the fluff!

4. Set goals.

So. Now that you know where you are, where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish?

Summer School for Mom: Setting Goals
Tips.

5. Evaluate.

Evaluation can involve more than despair that everything falls short of perfect! Remove the emotional knee-jerk response. Instead, judge evaluations on how well the goals were met. Then, focus on areas that need attention…and praise those successes!

Evaluating for Excellence by Teresa M. Moon
Setting goals first…and then evaluating. Highly recommended! Read our entire review.

Don’t Expect Perfection — At First
Just a reminder….

It is all too easy to find ourselves fretting over the perceived failures of any curriculum choices we do make, the curriculum choices we have made, and the curriculum choices we will make. By keeping these decisions in their proper context (selecting tools, rather than determining the future fate of our children), we can move forward logically and with confidence!

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Additional Resources

102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy
This is our go-to resource when it comes to understanding the way we teach and the materials that will be a best fit for our family. Read our entire review.