Home school curriculum might be a scary phrase if you’re considering home schooling, or you’ve already made the decision to home school your child. Don’t let that phrase intimidate you. A curriculum is simply the activities you and your child will engage in that are intended to convey knowledge and allow your child to practice his or her skills. While your state government may have guidelines about the subjects that will need to be covered over a period of time, and the skills a child should learn in a certain amount of time, the specific curriculum you use to teach your child is generally up to you. This is one of the draws of home schooling for some parents.
While the specific tools you use (the curriculum) will be your choice, it’s important to make sure that your chosen curriculum gives your child a well-rounded education and allows him or her to practice certain skills that are necessary for good learning.
Your curriculum must have a heavy emphasis on reading. Good readers learn more quickly, find learning more fun, and retain more than children who struggle with reading. If your child has difficulty, then reading games and fun activities that teach reaching and reinforce what your child already knows are good parts of your curriculum. Once your child gets over those obstacles and becomes a better reader, all other subjects will typically improve.
Writing is as important as reading, and surprisingly, one doesn’t necessarily follow the other. A child may be an excellent reader, but still have trouble writing down complete thoughts or expressing themselves well. So your curriculum needs to have plenty of emphasis on the student’s writing. Speaking is important, as well. A good communicator is easy to understand, and the student will find confidence in his or her ability to express thoughts well.
Today’s education includes the ability to use a computer. How heavily this figures into a curriculum has a lot to do with the child’s age, of course, but no child is too young to start becoming familiar with a keyboard. There are programs for every age group. As a child gets older, learning to use the Internet, email, word processing, spreadsheets and becoming a good typist are key areas of learning.
Interpersonal relationships are as important as a child’s knowledge of fractions. The ability to relate to other people and skill in social situations is something that’s necessary. Home schooling eliminates the social interaction of daily school with other children, so you’ll need to include activities that allow for socialization with children and adults.
Don’t overlook the arts and your child’s creativity. While reading, writing and arithmetic are crucial, allowing your child to be creative is important, too. You can design a curriculum that includes art, music and any creative pursuits you feel are best for child.
You can purchase curriculum sets to make these choices easier for you, or you can choose individual items yourself.
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