With so many (SO MANY!) homeschool curriculums to choose from, it can be challenging to know which ones are going to work best for you and your family.
Should you go with something tried and tested for years? Or should you try something that’s new and exciting?
While there are benefits to both, we’ve realized that a mix of both is what has worked best for our kids. In fact, there are five homeschool curriculums that we think all homeschoolers should be using right now. Check them out below!
5 Must-Try Homeschool Curriculums
1. Mr. D Math
Don’t be fooled into thinking there are only math programs offered by Mr. D and his amazing staff! In fact, one of our favorite classes was the American Sign Language (ASL 1) class that we took earlier this year. And the SAT and ACT Prep courses have been a huge help for our older two sons who needed to sit for the exams.
We have loved Mr. D’s programs for years now not only for their high-quality content but also for the kindness and enthusiasm of the instructors. It can be hard to find live classes that are held to high standards and continuously deliver no matter what the subject matter.
If you haven’t tried a Mr. D class, now is the time to enroll!
2. Night Zookeeper
While I love writing, teaching writing is not always easy. Night Zookeeper is a lifesaver in that regard! It makes it easy and fun to teach elementary-age kids writing in a step-by-step systematic approach. It allows them to embrace their creativity and have fun with writing.
There is no red ink or crossed-out paragraphs. Instead, there’s encouragement, support, and excitement from both the program and the teachers who review the lessons. It’s truly one of my favorite new programs and I highly recommend it to families who want to make writing fun for their kids. (If you’re all about rigid, serious, uncreative lessons, Night Zookeeper won’t be for you.)
If you haven’t tried Night Zookeeper yet start your 7-day free trial!
3. CTC Math
While we love Mr. D for the older, higher math classes, CTC Math has been a huge help for our youngest. It provides fun, interactive, math lessons that can be tailored to your child’s level. It provides amazing reporting so that you can see where she is struggling and where she is excelling.
If you have a child who is ahead or behind the grade where she would be in public school and need a comprehensive math curriculum that can meet her where she is and help her progress, CTC is what you’re looking for. While there is no perfect math curriculum, I am confident in saying that CTC is really close.
Try it out for yourself with their free trial!
4. TalkBox.Mom
For foreign language instruction, TalkBox.Mom is a must-use curriculum. Now, before you get excited that your kids will be teaching you a foreign language after you get the program, it’s important to understand that with TalkBox.Mom the whole family is tasked with learning the language together!
Wait, what?! Yep, instead of your child learning the language on their own after listening to audio or watching a few videos, this program creates an opportunity for you to learn with your child. That means that you’ll be able to speak together in a foreign language – which means it will be practiced more and more practice leads to greater retention. See the difference?
The youngest and I embarked on learning some French and had a blast! So, whether you want to learn Russian, Romanian, Spanish, German, Italian, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, or another language, chances are that TalkBox.Mom is going to be a fabulous fit for your family.
5. PRIDE Reading Program
Let’s be real for a moment. Even for the most experienced homeschool parents, teaching reading can be a struggle. So, if you’re just starting your homeschool journey or find yourself struggling with reading this year, know that you’re not alone.
When my oldest was learning to read he couldn’t remember words from page to page let alone from day to day. It was only when he was in 3rd grade that he was officially diagnosed with dyslexia. That changed everything. From how we taught him to how he felt about his ability to read to how we continued on the homeschooling path, everything was different after that. Except my feelings of having failed him miserably. Those lingered.
I wish we had had PRIDE Reading back then, because I know it would have made such a difference in how we proceeded.
So, what is PRIDE? It’s an Orton-Gillingham based reading program that’s multisensory and systematic in nature. That means it’s exactly what children with dyslexia need.
Can it be used with children who don’t have dyslexia? Absolutely, without a doubt, yes!
Will they be stronger readers because of it? Yes, yes, yes.
Reading is such an important skill to teach and can be so very difficult – especially if your child struggles with it – but PRIDE Reading is hands-down, one of the very best Orton-Gillingham based reading curriculums I have found.
If you’re not using it to teach your child how to read, you need to.
Homeschool Curriculums That Work
Are there other homeschool curriculums that can and will work for your family? Yes, absolutely! But the five programs above are a fabulous place to start and, in our opinion, must-have programs for any homeschool family.
What are some of your favorite programs? Share them with us below!