Homeschooling is children’s education inside the home and is also known as home education. Home education is usually conducted by home tutors, parents, or online teachers. Recently, stellar Indian institutions including the IITs accepted a few homeschooled children and made a splash. Media reports in India suggest that almost 15,000 parents are choosing homeschooling for their children. After you decide to homeschool, the next big decision is which homeschool curriculum is best for your child. Again, you will need familiarity with the options available and consider your child’s needs and self-awareness.
There are many fantastic online homeschooling options available for your child. In addition, there are a lot of different styles of homeschooling, but before choosing a curriculum, you should consider yourself, your children, and your situation.
This article will help you choose the best homeschool curriculum to reap the best from the system.
14 Factors to Help You Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum
The following factors are given below, which will help you choose the best homeschool curriculum:
1. Your child’s learning style
A parent must know how their child learns best because every child has a different learning capacity. As a homeschool parent, it’s your job to teach in a way that suits your child the best.
Firstly, you should know about your child’s learning style, like auditory, kinesthetic, visual, etc., best suited for them. It’s a good idea to analyse your child’s learning style to understand how and where to start.
2. Assess your teaching capacity
Assess your teaching capacity before choosing the homeschool curriculum. For instance, you can consider your time availability, teaching style, weaknesses, strengths in various subjects, and other responsibilities.
3. Consider your child’s personality
Consider your child’s personality, interests, and skills when picking a curriculum. You might want to evaluate your child’s sitting tolerance, attention span and the ability to grasp and retain concepts.
Some questions should be clear in advance like:
- What does your child like to read?
- In which subject is your child interested?
- Which subjects does your child naturally excel in?
Knowing answers to these questions will help you choose the best curriculum for your child. For example, if your child is interested in science, you can choose subjects related to Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, etc.
4. Know your state’s requirements
Different states set different criteria for homeschooling, like subject, grade level, age, etc. So everyone who wants to continue homeschooling should be aware of these criteria and fulfill their State’s requirement.
5. Set your priorities
If you don’t have the time or desire to work out a detailed teaching plan, pick a packaged curriculum. Pre-made curriculums tell what your kids should accomplish daily and include the materials you need.
6. Traditional method
The traditional method used in public schools is a classical approach that emphasizes language and art, and unit studies, which organise lessons around a common topic. The traditional method instructs through fanfiction and nonfiction, and unschooling which lets the child lead the curriculum.
7. Child’s grade level in different subjects
For choosing a homeschool curriculum, you should know your child’s grade level in different subjects. Every child has their strengths and weaknesses in different subjects. Analysing their strengths and weaknesses will help you properly select the course curriculum.
8. Consider a computer program
Consider using computer-based homeschooling software that takes all the guesswork out and may be ideal for the tech-loving, self-starting child. In this continuously changing world, things are getting automated, and we are getting more and more dependent on computers, so choosing a computer-based curriculum will create more options for the child in the future.
9. How secure is this program?
It is important to assess the demand of the curriculum that you are choosing and whether the curriculum will secure the child’s future or not. For this, you should do a brief research on the current courses in demand.
10. Safe learning environment
You should provide a safe environment for your child for homeschooling. For example, you should prefer to create a separate space for them.
11. Read reviews
Before choosing a homeschool curriculum, it will be helpful to read reviews from different sources. Reading reviews will help you understand the pros and cons of a curriculum.
Sometimes reading reviews gives you new ideas to explore, and it also helps in comparing the various curriculums for a better understanding of the course.
12. Consult your kids
When you choose your child’s homeschool curriculum, you should consult your child. Show the curriculum sample to your child, discuss it with them, and then decide. Involving them in the curriculum selection will create a sense of responsibility, and they will become more interested in the learning process.
13. Take your budget into your account
Money is one of the critical factors in choosing the best homeschool curriculum. Before choosing the best homeschool curriculum, you should decide on the budget and choose one that fits the budget.
14. Accredited program
You need an accredited program to fit national education standards. Iit is critical to ensure the credibility of the homeschooling curriculum for the future of your child. For example, some colleges do not accept homeschooled students.
Considering the above points will help you select a homeschooling curriculum for your child that will help their overall growth and development. Homeschooling is an established concept in developed countries and is now gaining momentum in India.
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