Starting to homeschool can feel so overwhelming, especially when you're staring at hundreds of curriculum options. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How do I know what will actually work for my child?”, you’re not alone. While there isn’t a straightforward answer on how to find the curriculum that is best for your child, the secret to finding the right one often lies in understanding your child’s learning style. Once you know how your child learns best, choosing curriculum becomes less stressful and more successful.

1: Observe How Your Child Learns Naturally 

Before you buy anything, take a few weeks to simply observe. Watch how your child engages with the world. Here are some prompts to consider:

• Do they love listening to audiobooks or songs? They may be an auditory learner.
• Do they need to see pictures, charts, or read instructions to understand? Likely a visual learner.
• Do they learn best by building, moving, or doing things hands-on? That's a kinesthetic learner.

Understanding this can help you avoid buying a curriculum that doesn’t match their strengths.

2: Match Curriculum to Learning Style

Once you’ve identified your child’s learning style, look for curriculum that aligns with it:

• Visual Learners: Look for colorful textbooks, graphic organizers, video lessons, and illustrated stories. Picking a curriculum that is more book style versus being online.
• Auditory Learners: Choose programs with strong read-aloud components, audiobooks, and songs. This is where an on-line program may be more beneficial to your child.
• Kinesthetic Learners: Seek out hands-on projects, experiments, unit studies, and curricula that integrate movement. There are some fantastic nature-based curriculums out there that encourage movement and outdoors to benefit this type of learner. 

Pro Tip: Many kids are a mix of these! Don’t be afraid to blend resources. Seriously almost every curriculum company allows you to buy products a-la carte and MANY homeschool families do this.

3: Set Realistic Expectations (For You and Your Child)

Even the “perfect” curriculum will need adjusting. Your child may love one subject and resist another. That’s normal. Instead of looking for a one-size-fits-all program, focus on flexibility.
How to do that is:

• Is it easy to modify?
• Can I skip or substitute parts?
• Does it allow room for creativity and pacing?

Your confidence in knowing you find the right tools will grow as you learn to adapt the curriculum to your child—not the other way around.

4: Try Before You Buy (If Possible)

Many homeschool publishers offer samples, free trials, or YouTube reviews. Use them! This gives you a sneak peek at how your child might respond.

• Have your child watch a sample video or read a short lesson.
• Ask how they felt: Was it boring? Fun? Confusing?
• Watch their body language—sometimes that tells you more than words!

5: Trust Yourself

You don’t need a teaching degree to choose the right curriculum—you need a willing heart and a watchful eye. You know your child better than anyone else.

If something isn’t working, you can change it. That’s the beauty of homeschooling.

Choosing the right homeschool curriculum isn’t about finding the most expensive or most popular one. It’s about choosing what works for your child. By understanding their learning style and starting with their strengths, you’re setting up your homeschool for success.
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Was this helpful but you want a more in-depth look into figuring out how to homeschool? Check out my eBook How to Start Homeschooling With the End in Mind. Click below to get your copy today!

And remember: you’re doing a great job, just remember to keeping one step at a time.

Lori
To Know God and to Make Him Known

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I think 20-30 years ago, this question was not on any parents' radar. What does worldview matter? The world did not seem so topsy-turvey and it felt like everyone was on the same page, more or less, about reality.

It does not seem that way today.

One of the things that has happened is the worldview of our society has shifted. What we thought was not important before actually was. 

What is a worldview? A worldview is a philosophy that guides and informs our decisions and judgements in life. Depending on who you ask, there are many worldviews. 

What are these different worldviews? Here is a very quick, overview of 5 of them:

Naturalism- This is the view that there are only natural laws and forces. There is nothing supernatural.

Pantheism- This is the view that the world and universe around us IS god. All of reality is god. It is all supernatural.

Theism- This is the belief that the world exists because of one god being. You find the manifestation of the worldview in the different world religions. Each religion has its own set of rules and constructs on reality and who god is. (Biblical worldview falls in this category. I have placed little g's within the definitions due to my statements also encompassing the gods of other religions.)

Post-Modernism- This view believes there are multiple truths, everyone can see reality their own way. We can create reality into what we want it to be because each of us holds our own truth. The only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths. (This is the worldview that runs rampant through our society today. There are statistics coming out showing it affects everyone, even Christians who proclaim to hold a biblical worldview.)

Modernism- This one could be called humanism. It sees the world in a scientific, empirical way. The truth of reality can only be seen in the physical world around us, in humans themselves, in the data that we create. (This is the worldview that got us to post-modernism.)

    Incorporating worldview education into curriculum

Worldviews are going to be built into the curriculum that you are using. This is why children are coming out of the public-school systems with a post-modern worldview. They are being taught there isn’t just one truth, we all hold our truth. 

As you look into the different companies, check out the belief statements of the companies. They will tell you what they believe in, where they stand, and what they hope the student will believe by the end of schooling. 

On my website, as you are searching through the different curriculums, I have labeled which curriculums are secular to help make some parents searching a little easier.


    Nurturing critical thinking and open-mindedness

Now one thing that is very important, we can’t teach kids in a bubble. They must know what the different beliefs are so that they can make informed choices as adults and converse with others who think differently than them well. It is simply not enough to tell children that others just think different than us and that's ok. Thats post-modern thought.

While picking a well-rounded curriculum is important (one that teaches an appropriate worldview) remember it is just a tool. It is also up to us parents to ensure our children are thinking through tough subjects and thoughts critically and well. Lead by example, allow them to observe and engage them in hard conversations that give them a chance to think critically and apply their developing worldview.

If you found any of this helpful, let me know!

Lori

To Know God and To Make Him Known

Nature learning has emerged from the growth of homeschooling as a whole. At first glance it can be hard to see the depth of knowledge and value that this style of learning can offer. This is especially true if your family doesn't place much value or desire being outdoors. But whole curriculums have been created that teach ALL the subjects. Like these exist guys! And they can completely shape the dynamic of your family.

Being out in nature doesn't seem to be the norm anymore. But I say this as a city person. With the rise of electronics and lack of access for some to be outside, a lot of us need to relearn how to do just be outdoors. Kids who grow up in rural or country settings probably aren't having the same experience. 

Outdoor play and learning help:

• Your child understands their bodies more, they are engaging in significantly more vigorous activity.
• It helps immensely with their eye development. recent research is showing that more and more kids are dealing with near sightedness.
• It helps kids learn to socialize better. Studies are showing kids are growing their social- emotional intelligence. Being in nature levels the playing field between children.
• Kids engage in more risky play. This is so important in learning where their limits and informs their imaginative play.

There are vast benefits to having our children play and learn outside. Even if you just have your kids go outside for unstructured play, there is immense learning and connection that is going to happen. And with these curriculums taking the classroom outdoors, it's hard to ignore the benefits that will come.  

For curriculums and nature led activity ideas go to this page here on the website.

If using a nature curriculum just seems like too much and you need much smaller steps to start learning outdoors, here are some suggestions:

• Take a book outside to read aloud while your children play. Even if they are just playing on the sidewalk. You guys don't have to have grass to be outside.
• Buy a cool nature book with vibrant colors to capture your child's attention. (We did that with a neat bird book Samue got. He even took the book to Walmart to pick out bird seed.)
• Go to a park to play. If you can find a park that also has a creek, this would be ideal. Don't be nervous if you don't see others playing in the creek. Unless there are specific signs up saying no trespassing, you guys are allowed to be there. (Also, as a side note, your kids shoes ARE washable. Don't let having shoes ON stop your kids from playing in nature. See picture above.)
• Let your kids play in the dirt piles they see. (Lol unless it's an ant hill of course.) But playing in the dirt is going to make a HUGE spark in their imagination and curiosity. 

​What do you think? What are your families' favorite things to do outside? We actually went and bought some creek toys so the boys could have their own things to play with. It should really level up their play time! 

Lori
To Know God and to make Him Known

Kids Nature Book Recommendations:

* These are affiliate links but do not add any extra cost to you!*

This is homeschool that looks the most like going to “regular” public school. You can use this curriculum the easiest to manage and set your days up in a certain way. Curriculum is characterized by textbooks, standardized tests, and grade levels. *Also, a super important note, we consider traditional to be hands-on curriculum, not on-line. There are great on-line options that follow the traditional method, but that's not what we are talking about here today.*

Why homeschool this way?

Honestly, this is the way of schooling that most of us are familiar with. You know, being at school with your textbooks and worksheets and tests at the end of every chapter. And for a lot of families there isn’t a need to break away from this tradition. People are going to go with what's familiar and that's cool. I know for me, my sticking point with public school is necessarily the structure of the educational material, it's the content that's being taught.

One word of advice if this is the education path for your family. No curriculum is permanent. Meaning, that if you get into that really awesome curriculum you bought and EVERYONE is jiving with it, except for ONE thing. Get rid of that one thing and find something else to fill its spot.

For example: 

You don't have to do that boring science unit. Or you don't HAVE to take all those tests. Or you don't have to follow that days schedule exactly the way they wrote. Make this curriculum fit for your family's rhythm. 

Ultimately homeschooling is you controlling how you educate your child, not someone else. You get to choose the content your child learns, that's ultimately more important than the style its being delivered in.

 Check out this webpage here that talks about the traditional curriculums that are out there.

Lori 

To know God and to make Him known

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Here are 10 companies that allow you to just go to their website and buy curriculum packages by grade level. This avoids the deep rabbit hole you get into when shopping for curriculum a la carte. It is interesting, though, buying a curriculum this way. Buying a full curriculum this way will not work for everyone. 

First things first, here's the list!

• My Fathers World
• Memoria Press
• Masterbooks
• Oak Meadow (Secular)
• Abeka
• AOP- (Use Horizons for complete sets)
• Rod & Staff
• BookShark (Secular)
• Calvert Homeschool (Secular) *Pre-K-5th only
• Sonight

So what do I mean by full package curriculum? 
I mean a curriculum that offers all the subjects in one package. You should only need to make one purchase per child per grade level. Some of these companies even offer packages beyond just the basic subjects. They also offer packages with all the extras that give you all the tools they require to effectively deliver the education they are selling. 

What are some of the pros and cons to buying curriculum this way?
Full package curriculums create efficiency for busy families. They also work well for parents who are teaching children in multiple grades and want consistency in their children's learning.

A downside to full package curriculums are you could feel stuck with everything if you find the curriculum is not a good fit for your family due to the high investment cost. Another downside is that you may still find yourself shopping subjects a la carte if one isn't working well from your package.

​Have you tried any of these curriculums yet? What did you think of them? Any I missed?

Lori

To Know God and to make Him know.

If you ended up here from Instagram where I was talking about Apologias science fair, sign your children up! It really looks super neat! Sams not doing it but if he were I already have several ideas of what he could do. 

Guys, Samuel loves doing sink or float experiments. Although I think he actually likes the water play more but he still goes along with our sink or float guesses. Another idea would be having him talk about the human body. Like all the veins or the skeleton system. Ok so a third idea would be something with wind. Like how kites fly or something like that. 

Anyways...

Apologia is a Christian based curriculum company specializing in science, math, bible, and worldview curriculums. They are a solid, award-winning business that has taken the time and care to create a curriculum that provides a well-rounded education, one that you can trust. 

One super important thing about Apologia is it is adaptable to the teaching methods within your homeschool. You can either teach from books that you can buy from Amazon or you can sign up for one of their on-line programs. For the on-line programs, btw, there is a self-paced option, or your child can actually sign up for a live class.

Go over and check out Apologia now. Get signed up for that science fair too. Just fill out their form and follow the rest of the instructions. It'll be a fun opportunity for you guys.

Lori

To Know God and To Make Him Known

*This post has affiliate links BUT they do not pass on an extra cost to you!​*

Quite frankly, you will probably have several responses to this question. And the answers can vary depending by child. It sure does in my house. These answers can also maybe feel inconsequential. 

But it is an important question. Because depending on how much you want your children on electronics or not WILL dictate which type of curriculum you decide on. Like, if you dont want your child watching a ton of television for fun, then you may not want a curriculum that requires a lot of teaching videos. It could send a super confusing and contradictory message.

However, I know that there are some of you that don't have the same concerns with electronics and those forms of media. Or have a family dynamic that necessitates using an online curriculum. In my home, we do rely heavily on tv time, especially in the mornings. Especially when I worked full time, it was the best way to manage our mornings. Full stop, it just was. We still do tv time every morning...

Check out this page on my website. You will find a list of dedicated online programs. Keep in mind though, there are a whole lot of additional companies that offer online options. Like Memoria Press. They offer plenty of curriculums that are hands on, non electronic, but now offer an online option.

​Compass Classroom offers a different way of adding video and online education. They offer videos by subject. It's a little bit more like a unit study education versus what you think of as a traditional curriculum, whether it's online or not.

Take a look around Journey2Homeschool, see what you can find!

​Lori

*This page contains affiliate links but do not cost you anything extra!

You are probably wondering what this website is all about right? This is your place to find the most comprehensive list of resources for your homeschool needs. There are just so many different curriculum options out there. And while I can't get location specific for your homeschool community, I can help give you a starting point for your journey.

Sometimes the hardest part of starting is just knowing where to start. That is why, here, we spend so much time talking about what you as the parent want homeschooling to look like. Just think about it:

What worldview do you want your kids to have when they are done with their education through these young years?

Do you want to raise life-long learners or are you just helping them to graduate? 

Where does technology fit into all of this? Because, let's be super honest, technology for us growing up is not the same now.

Once you have your answers to these questions, our website helps you navigate how to find a curriculum that fits into your vision of homeschool. You will find curriculums that fit your worldview. You will find curriculums that are either very technology based or absolutely not at all. You will find resources that guide your family through its individual homeschool journey.

Start here to start reviewing curriculums! Check out my Instagram page as well to be able to better sift through different curriculum ideas. 

You are not alone in this walk. There are hundreds of other families sitting right where you are, trying to figure out what homeschooling looks like. 

You are doing a great job and you are not going to ruin your kids!

​Lori

If you are looking for some books to work on reading with your beginner readers check out BOB books. 

So far we have been using them for a month and Sam still is into reading them. They are short and build on themselves in a way that makes sense for learning phonics while reading. The books start with 4 sounds in the very first book and then slowly build on these sounds through each book that follows. This is perfect for kids who get bored with the same story but are still getting that repetitive practice. And since the books are short and written intentionally, children get win with reading. Which is huge for their confidence!

One big thing I love about the books is that the books avoid sight words, but the pictures are cute and still help tell the story. They still force my son to read the words not just guess the words based off what the picture is showing. 

For us, these books have not had a negative yet. I will surely update this post though if something comes up. Especially, if they don't click with my youngest when it's his turn to start learning to read. 

​Until next time friends!