How to Choose a Homeschool Program

Tips for Picking a Homeschool Program That’s Right For You

“What’s the right homeschool curriculum?” is probably the most asked question among home educators. What they’re really wondering is how to choose a homeschool program that best fits their approach to homeschooling and meets their needs and the needs of each student. 

When choosing a homeschool curriculum, home educators need to consider more than meeting the state’s subject requirements (if any). They also need to determine what curriculum most aligns with their child’s strengths and learning style, provides useful lesson planning and progress tracking tools, and takes into consideration important family dynamics.

The right curriculum for a homeschooling family caters to each student’s needs, builds a love of learning, supports the home educator, and enhances the overall homeschool experience for everyone involved. The right homeschool program makes homeschooling feel even more enjoyable and effective. 

There are four key areas to consider when choosing your homeschool program: 

• Provides multiple learning paths
• Meets your educational goals
• Meshes with your family dynamics
• Meets state requirements

Does the Program Provide Multiple Learning Paths?

When choosing a homeschool program, look closely at the various ways information and activities are presented to your child. Children learn in all different ways and have various interests. Topics should be presented in several ways to ensure the material connects with and engages your child.

For example, your homeschool program should include books that can be read or looked at quietly by the child or read aloud or listened to as an audiobook. Online reading programs should present books visually, offer a read aloud or read along option, and invite children to answer questions and tap on objects or pages. 

Along these same lines, science and social studies curriculum should include reading and listening, discussions, and hands-on activities, appealing to as many senses and routes of comprehension as possible. 

Your homeschool program should also allow you to share material online and offline so your child can experience and connect with it in different ways and you can further customize learning. 

To help create multiple opportunities for children to learn and connect with their homeschool program, Homeschool+ presents many subjects in a variety of ways and with online and offline options.

Does the Program Support Your Educational Goals?

Every homeschooling family has different educational values that drive the decision to homeschool and inform the choices of how the homeschool functions. 

For one family, there may be a deep drive to pursue academics in a way that’s more robust than in a regular classroom setting. Alternatively, another homeschool family may choose a homeschool approach that amplifies their curriculum by traveling the country or world. 

Before choosing a homeschool program, develop a clear sense of what your educational goals are for your students and what tools and resources will help you measure if those goals are being met. This simple act can help you narrow down what you’re looking for in a good homeschool program.

Homeschool+ integrates with various homeschooling methods to provide fun and engaging academic enhancement.

---

Does the Program Align With My Family Dynamics?

To find the answer to this question, consider asking yourself a few more questions, such as:

• Am I planning to homeschool full-time, or do I need to focus on a career as well?  
• How many children in various stages will I be homeschooling at one time? 
• Is homeschooling a temporary plan for my family?
• Will we be traveling or working on our property while homeschooling?

As you consider which homeschool program to choose, think about the day-to-day way in which your family lives and operates. If you can devote several uninterrupted hours a day to homeschooling or need to frequently stop and start and switch between learners, your homeschool program should support that.

Homeschool+ can easily be customized to fit various schedules and learners. 

Does the Program Help With State Homeschooling Requirements?

Every state has unique requirements for homeschooling. Whether you’re just starting out on your homeschooling journey or are a veteran homeschooler, it’s important to be familiar with your state’s homeschool protocols before choosing your homeschool program.

A common requirement across the country includes keeping homeschool records. In many states, homeschoolers must document instruction time and ensure they’re teaching mandated subjects. Make sure you choose a homeschool program that makes it easy to record how much time each student spends on the subjects they’re studying.

The Homeschool+ Progress Tracker helps you monitor your child’s journey through assigned lessons and records each child’s attendance in an easy-to-read report.