Choosing a History Homeschool Curriculum

History Homeschool Curriculum

When it comes to choosing a history homeschool curriculum, you have many options to choose from. Some history curricula are laid out like a textbook, while others are literature-based or use living books to teach history. Others are multi-subject programs that cover a wide range of subjects such as language arts, math, science, art, music and even geography along with history. Finally, some programs are faith-based and incorporate historical facts with religious values and beliefs.

If your child is a visual learner, a video history program might be the right fit for them. These videos usually present a subject in short clips and often have interactive elements that help students learn more about the topic. They can be especially helpful for introducing history to younger children and students who are learning English.

One of the best ways to make history come alive is to focus on culture. This involves looking at the way people in a time period lived and express themselves through things they created, like art, food and clothing. Kids will love to explore this angle of history when it is done through hands-on activities, cooking time-period recipes and tracing the origins of family customs such as holiday traditions, family names or even folk sayings.

Another great way to engage students is to introduce them to the people who shaped history. There are a lot of resources available online that will let you introduce your kids to famous historical figures such as Attila the Hun, King Tut, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Moses. They will also love exploring the lives of ancient people who left behind wonders of the world, such as the seven wonders of the ancient world, the acropolis in Greece, the Great Wall of China and ancient temples.

Then there is the fun of learning history through a book or movie. For younger kids, there is the American Girl Historical Characters series and the Horrible History books which are full of British humor. For older kids, there is the Crash Course series of videos online which have lots of different topics including history.

Choosing a History Homeschool Curriculum

Another great approach to teaching history is using a literature-based program such as Beautiful Feet Books which integrates all aspects of learning a subject together rather than just studying it in isolation. Sonlight has a history curriculum for all ages, grades and learning styles and is a favorite of many homeschoolers. Notgrass History is a Christian-based history curriculum that uses narrative histories and non-fiction.

Memoria Press has history guides for first grade through high school, and uses a classical approach. Finally, EyeWitness to History is an award-winning website that presents history through the eyes of those who lived it. With proper supervision, this is an amazing resource for teaching kids to think critically about history and how it affects us today. You can also look for unit studies, lapbooks and other resources here that will help you make your history lessons fun and memorable.

A few different companies offer complete secular unit study history programs. Notgrass History offers a Christian literature-based program with a wide variety of options for each grade level. Blossom and Root has a complete secular history curriculum for elementary and middle school. Memoria Press has guides for each grade level that follow a classical approach to U.S. history. Heritage History is a history curriculum that uses a number of Yesterday’s Classics books with study guides for each subject and era. TruthQuest History is a literature-based curriculum that can be used for multiple grades and uses real books. They pair the history guide with the appropriate book for that era which can save you from going down bunny trails and can be a good choice for students who don’t enjoy sitting through a textbook.