Is Choosing a Pre-Packaged Homeschool Curriculum Right for Your Family?

When a family decides to homeschool, one of the first decisions they face is what they will use for learning materials. Most families choose one of the many pre-written curricula now available for sale to families that homeschool. But a significant number of families choose to design their own course of study.

Whether families choose a pre-made curriculum, or design their own studies, it requires a significant commitment. There are great reasons to buy a course of study done by any number of companies that specialize in curriculum for homeschoolers.

Some of the advantages to buying a pre-made curriculum include:

1. Everything is done for you. It's undeniable that it takes much less time and effort to buy a packaged curriculum. The biggest time expense will be doing research to find the right curriculum for your child. Once you decide which curriculum to purchase, you only need to follow the directions that come in the course of study.
2. There is established structure. It's reassuring for kids to know in advance what they are going to study. Parents have a ready-made answer to the question, "What are we doing today?" The curriculum structure serves as a roadmap for the year's study.
3. Professionals put the curriculum together. The people who assemble curricula for most major homeschool publishers have education and homeschooling experience. This gives parents some confidence that what the kids learn is age appropriate and in keeping with educational standards.

There are some drawbacks to using a prepared curriculum. Some of the cons include:

1. There is a substantial up-front cost. A full curriculum from a major publisher will cost anywhere from $300 to $1000 (or more) every new year. While this is less than many private schools charge for tuition, it's still a concern for homeschooling families on a budget.
2. You are locked in for the school year. Even if the curriculum you purchase doesn't fit your needs, many families will be reluctant to stop using it because of the expense of buying it. You may be able to adapt the curriculum to better fit your needs, but that requires an extra preparation step you weren't expecting.
3. There's no assurance what you buy is right for your kid. Your child may not connect with a given curriculum, no matter how well it's put together. Your job as "head teacher" will be to make sure it works for your child. Again, that is an extra step that you didn't expect to go through.

Each family's individual needs will influence the decision whether or not to buy a packaged curriculum. There is no right answer for every family. Generally, packaged curricula offer more structure, less preparation time for the parents, and are assembled by people with an academic background in education.

Every family must choose whether a pre-packaged curriculum is right for them. Either way, the children benefit from the commitment the family makes to home-based education.

Author Info:

Richard and Jennifer Jarman are parents of 3 great kids and avid homeschoolers. They publish Wholehearted Parents, a free e-mail newsletter for parents. The newsletter features short articles on subjects that parents care about, and news about toy safety and other parental concerns. Subscribe today and receive a FREE report, "The Right Way to Discipline a Child," by going to http://wholeheartedparents.com/Newsletter.html