If you are beginning homeschooling you might be feeling bewildered and overwhelmed. What do I teach? How do I teach it? How do I know if my child is making progress? These are important and worrisome questions, especially to someone just starting out. For many, purchasing a pre-made “curriculum” seems to offer a solution. However, like all things, pre-made study units have their pros and cons. We will discuss some of these pros and cons and I will offer some advise on choosing and using a curriculum that works for you and your child.

First, the pros. Pre-made curriculum is easy for you, the parent/teacher to use. Just follow the instructions, do the suggested activities, give the tests provided and make your way through the course. All the lessons are laid out for you. If you need other resources, you will be told which ones to get. Presumably, the material has been put together by an “expert” in the field. For some children and in some subjects (math, particularly), the step-by-step approach offered by these curricula can work very well. You can see your child’s progress by the number of pages they are covering and by their performance in the tests provided with the course. How and what to teach are no longer a worry and tracking progress is easy. If you are beginning homeschooling, this can be very comforting.

Now, the cons. Although commercial curricula make it easy for the teacher, they do not necessarily make it easy for the student. The quality of the material available varies wildly, from well laid out, child friendly units to poorly planned, barely comprehensible junk. Buyer beware. Second, by necessity, commercial curriculum is aimed at a general audience. Like the lessons taught in school, it is designed to work for most kids, most of the time. It may or may not work for your child. One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the ability to tailor what you do to meet the particular needs of your child. Pre-made curriculum, by definition, cannot do that. Third, and in my opinion, the most damning argument against commercial curricula, is that they propagate a school-like attitude towards learning. Anything not “on course” is implied to be unimportant. Learning is seen as simply something to get finished with. Progress is measured by the number of pages covered and the number of marks on a test. You know your child. You don’t need to be told whether or not they are learning.

If you decide to explore this option, here are a few tips. First, always try to get a sample lesson or two before you put your money down. Second, be wary of all-encompassing curricula that claim to cover everything a child should know. If you want your child to learn exactly what they learn in school, send them to school. Third, remember, just because you buy a set of lessons doesn’t mean you have to use them all or limit yourself to what is included. Although, as you can tell, I am not a fan of this kind of learning, we have taken parts of what is out there and used them successfully as supplementary material. Pick and choose. Use what you need and discard the rest. Don’t let “professional” educators get between you and your child.

Gordon Edwards has been homeschooling his 3 children for 19 years. Currently, one daughter is attending University on a scholarship and one will be starting University a year earlier than her “schooled” friends. His son would be in grade 7 but he has never attended a school.

Gordon’s interest is to help others get the most out of their homeschooling experience and to guide those just starting out.

If you are just starting with homeschooling, you might be interested in Beginning Homeschooling: Encouraging Curiosity in Children.

Or you might like some tips on choosing a microscope for your child.

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