Curriculum is just a Tool, Not the Whole Education in Homeschooling

Years ago, when I first started to research homeschooling, I thought if I didn’t pick the right curriculum then it was the end of the world. Dramatic yes, but I thought everything hinged on the fact that the curriculum WAS homeschool. I’m here to tell you that while the curriculum is important, it is not the whole thing when it comes to your child’s education. It is a tool that you should absolutely put some time and attention into choosing, but it is not everything.

Understand the Role of Curriculum

Curriculum is a structured set of learning materials and guidelines. While it provides a great foundation, it is not the entirety of a child’s education.

The flexibility that homeschooling provides allows for using the curriculum as a guide rather than a strict plan.

The Limitations of Relying on Curriculum

There are definitely pitfalls of over-relying on a curriculum. Some of them being lack of adaptability, stifling creativity, and stress for both parent and child.

The very first year I homeschooled, we followed the curriculum I choose to a T. Literally not skipping one thing. I was so stressed out that year let me tell you! And if I was stressed out, I know my kids were too! I remember my children wanting to have genuine conversations about something they were learning and all I could think about was that we needed to get through what was assigned for the day. I missed out on so many opportunities to pour into them all because I thought we HAD to do every single piece of material the curriculum said.

The importance of Life Skills and Practical Learning

There is so much value in teaching life skills like cooking, budgeting, and time management just to name a few. Homeschooling lends itself to be the perfect place to get these things taught in real world situations. Want to teach your child about a budget?  Have them make the grocery list and then have them shop for those items all while keeping it within the budget amount. Want them to learn how to garden? Have them make one right in your back yard and care for it every day. The opportunities are endless because living is school. There is a lesson in everything we do in a day no matter how mundane it is. Keeping a home, stewarding our money well, knowing how to care for oneself are all things that we all grow up and must do. Don’t discredit the importance of life skills and practical learning.

I overlooked this for many years. I ran an in-home childcare when my kids were homeschooling, and my children helped me every single day with the childcare kids. And some days our school time wasn’t as long as it needed to be, and I would have so much guilt thinking they were missing out on their learning. But really, the life skills they were acquiring while they helped me care for these children was so valuable! Take it from me, not everything they need to learn comes from a book 🙂

Encouraging Passion Driven Learning

To me, alongside the flexibility homeschooling offers, encouraging passion driven learning is one of the best things about homeschooling. Allowing children to pursue their interest and passions fosters a love for education and can lead to deeper understanding and retention of knowledge.

The Role of Experiences and Exploration

Field trips, museum visits, nature walks, and hands on experiments are all important to incorporate. These activities can enhance and contextualize academic learning.

This can easily be incorporated into the homeschool day (or even on the weekend like I did it so it could be a whole family event 🙂) by using just a little planning. If there is something that the child is learning about and you have an opportunity in your area to give them a closer look at that, this would be a great time for a field trip. And the possibilities can be endless depending on where you live. Any way that you can give them even more context is a great way to solidify the information.

Creating a Well-Rounded Education

It’s so important to make sure that it’s not just about academics. Making sure you have a balanced approach with academics, arts, physical education, and social activities is important to try to maintain as well.

Embarking on the homeschooling journey can initially seem daunting, especially with the weight of choosing the perfect curriculum. However, remember that while curriculum is an essential tool, it is not the entirety of your child’s education. The true beauty of homeschooling lies in its flexibility, allowing you to adapt and enrich your child’s learning experience beyond textbooks. Embrace life skills, practical learning, passion-driven pursuits, and experiential activities to create a well-rounded education. Homeschooling is a dynamic process, and it’s perfectly okay to tweak your approach as you discover what works best for your family. Trust in your ability to provide a rich and balanced education and take joy in the countless opportunities to foster a love for learning in your child.