How to Find the Best Christian Homeschool Curriculum
If you’re new here, welcome to Cheerfully Simple! I’ve worked to create a place where new mommas can come for all things motherhood from bump to birth and well beyond.
As my journey through motherhood has developed, I have found myself leaving my public school teaching career to be home with my kids, which has eventually brought me to a place of homeschooling our kids! It’s been a crazy journey of faith!
Diving into the world of homeschooling can be completely overwhelming, especially when trying to make the best decision for each of your kids. I have personally struggled when it comes to finding the best Christian homeschool curriculum because I not only want to make sure it’s aligned with the Bible but also because I want to make sure it’s an engaging homeschool curriculum that our kids enjoy.
My goal is to guide you through selecting a Christian homeschool curriculum while sharing some personal experiences along the way. Let’s jump in!
ONE MORE THING!!… Make sure you read all the way to the end because there is ONE Christian homeschool curriculum that is FREE and you don’t want to miss that!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. I only recommend products I love or would personally use.
Important Features of Homeschool Curriculum
Academic Content
One of the first things to consider is what subject areas you’re looking to cover. By selecting an all-in-one curriculum, all of your academic content should be covered, and sometimes even some fine arts material will be included. Core subjects are math, language, history/geography, and science.
Amount of Time Each Week
Some families like to homeschool 5 days a week like a traditional classroom. Others like to only do school 3-4 days each week. Also, you’ll want to think about how much time you’d like to dedicate to time on task. Take into consideration the age and maturity level of your kids when trying to figure this out. Also, keep in mind that the amount of time you plan for each of your kids will likely be different depending on their academic learning level.
Group vs. Independent
One great thing about choosing the best Christian homeschool curriculum for your family is that you choose what works best for YOUR family. If you want everyone to be working on the same material at their own level, then a group homeschool curriculum would likely be great for your family. If you’re OK with all of your kids working on their content, then finding independent work should be your priority.
Learning Styles
If you aren’t familiar with learning styles, you just want to consider how your kids learn best. For some kids, this is hands-on where they do most of their learning by doing. For others, it’s bookwork, where they’re going through a series of reading and questions. Some kids learn great by listening. And for others, they may learn best by reading and then applying. There are some great learning style assessments you can use to help you identify the way(s) your kids learn best.
Year-Round vs. School Year Schedule
Although this may seem trivial, it’s important to think about what you want your homeschool schedule to be. Do you want to start and end the school year with traditional schools? Is it important to you that your schedule matches up with your local school district? Or, do you prefer to do year-round schooling where the learning never stops and you take breaks throughout the year as needed? There is no wrong way to homeschool, it’s just good to have an idea of what you think will be best for your family.
Cost/Investment
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the cost of the curriculum as a factor when it comes to choosing the best Christian homeschool curriculum for your family. Every year, we have to evaluate our family budget and allot an amount of money we can spend on the investment of homeschool curriculum for each year, and ultimately each child. Buying a complete curriculum package can be beneficial because you have the peace of mind knowing all subjects are included. If you choose to purchase a complete curriculum, you can expect to see a financial investment of around $1,000. Always keep in mind that you have the option to pick and choose what subjects are most important for your children and start with that.
Christian Homeschool Curriculums
BJU Press
BJU Press, also known as Bob Jones University, is a very well-respected Christian homeschool curriculum. One convenience of BJU Press is the option to choose if you want to be the person teaching your child, or if you prefer to use their videos to teach your child. You can purchase the books independently and create your own “classroom”. BJU Press curriculum is available beginning with Pre-K through 12th grade.
Within each textbook set, you’ll find the following curriculum: Bible, Science, Heritage Studies, Math, English, Reading Spelling, Handwriting, and Phonics. For grades 7 and up, the coursework changes to meet the academic needs of each child. Each course does provide answer keys along with the teacher’s editions.
I know for many, cost is a HUGE factor when choosing the best homeschool curriculum. This is on the higher end of many of the homeschool curriculums I am sharing here. Always remember that you get what you pay for. If you need something that helps you teach your child, this may be a great option for you.
Abeka
Abeka is a very well-known Christian homeschool curriculum company. One great thing Abeka offers is an online school called Abeka Academy, where all of the teaching videos are accessible online. Again, this is a great option if there are subjects you feel may be better taught by someone else. Abeka’s curriculum starts at Pre-K and runs through 12th grade. Although Abeka is a Christian homeschool curriculum, it doesn’t offer a Bible teaching course. We have done some coursework through Abeka and it was very user-friendly.
The subject levels vary slightly by grade level, but you can expect to see a combination of the following subjects for each grade level: Reading, Language, Writing, Spelling and Poetry, Arithmetic, History, Science and Health, and Art. When you purchase a Student Kit, you’ll have everything you need for your child. One thing to be aware of with the Abeka curriculum set is that you also need to purchase the corresponding Parent Kit as well.
If you decide you don’t want to commit to the entire program, you can also buy each of the grade-level subjects individually.
Sonlight
Sonlight Christian homeschool curriculum is another great choice if you want options. I appreciate that Sonlight offers the option of a 4- or 5-day workweek with their curriculum sets. Sonlight curriculum is available beginning with Preschool and goes through 12th grade.
With each grade level curriculum set, you can expect to find a combination of some of these subjects: History/Geography, Math, Science, Bible Handwriting, Reading, and Spelling. You do get the Teacher’s Guide that will walk you through each lesson, as well as the answer keys.
Apologia
Apologia is another highly recognized Christian homeschool curriculum. You can buy Apologia curriculum beginning with preschool through 12th grade. For this curriculum, you decide which courses you want and then purchase those individually. There is not an entire grade level package like many of the other curriculum companies offer.
For each grade level, you will have a variety of these subjects: Math, Science, Language Arts, Bible, and Worldview. If you prefer online learning, you can also purchase their online classes in 2 options: self-paced or live classes. This would be a great option if your child learns best from someone else but you still desire for them to be home with you.
My Father’s World
My Father’s World Christian homeschool curriculum is a great choice if you need something that your family can do together with the Family Learning Cycle. The curriculum is separated into sections: Discover (preschool through 3rd), Investigate (4th to 8th), and Declare (9th to 12th). My Father’s World curriculum is available beginning with ages 2 and 3 and goes through 12th grade. Without a doubt, this is the program for you if you want to keep your family united in the same curriculum program but at their levels.
Subjects within the curriculum can include: Bible, Geography, Science, Reading, Art/Music, and Language Arts. You’ll need to add a Math curriculum after taking the provided assessment, and you can also choose to add a foreign language. This program is unique because you truly get to pick and choose what you want to study.
Master Books
One thing I appreciate about Master Books is that they’re very straightforward with their curriculum options. You can either do their all-in-one curriculum set, or you can purchase what you want individually. If you choose the set option, you will get Science, History, Math, and Language Arts. Honestly, for the price, you can’t go wrong. We have used different parts of the Master Books curriculum, but my kids flew through it. We may have just needed to move a grade level up so it was more challenging.
Masterbooks curriculum begins at Preschool and goes through 12th grade. There are also electives for each grade level you can purchase separately. Each grade level set comes with the teacher manual and all student materials for a 36-week course. I do like that you will find scripture spread throughout the lessons, and that is not the case with all the curricula I have shared here.
Memoria Press
Memoria Press follows the Classical Education model. When you purchase a full grade-level set, you’ll be getting varied subjects such as Latin, Phonics & Spelling, Literature & Poetry, Language Arts, English Grammar, Modern Studies, Math, Science, Writing, Christian Studies, and Cursive. This is a pretty affordable curriculum if you’re keeping your homeschool budget in mind.
If you choose to purchase the curriculum separately, each item is very reasonably priced. You can find samples of the curriculum online, which is always nice because you get to see the material before you purchase it. You can find material for little ones as young as 2 or 3, runs through 12th grade.
The Good and the Beautiful
The Good and the Beautiful of a lovely homeschool curriculum. The presentation is calming to look at, and the material is very manageable. You will find subjects like Language Arts, Handwriting, Math, Science, History, and various elective courses. This is another homeschool curriculum that can be purchased as sets for Math and language arts, and then you would need to purchase all other courses separately. I think this is a great starter curriculum if you’re unsure what to expect. It does a great job walking the parent and the student through the material.
You can begin with your little ones around age 3 and then complete the program in 12th grade.
Answers in Genesis
I wanted to put Answers in Genesis on here because even though they do not offer a full curriculum, their elementary Bible curriculum is top-notch. The Bible curriculum is broken into 4 years (Creation to Joseph, Moses to Hosea, Joshua to Jesus, and Jesus to Consummation). You get to choose the appropriate level(s) for your children: grade K-1, 2-3, or 4-5. I will say, that this curriculum can be tough the older kids get. You need to purchase a Teacher’s Book, but only 1 per year. I appreciate that we can sit down and do this bible course together and then they each have their material to work on throughout the week.
There are also some really great courses for older students you may enjoy for your family. I appreciate that each course is presented through the lens of the Bible.
Budget-Friendly Christian Homeschool Curriculum
AOP Horizon
Horizon homeschool curriculum is a great option if you’re looking for a budget-friendly Bible-based homeschool curriculum as part of the AOP homeschool curriculum. Although you won’t find scripture throughout the curriculum, it is a clean curriculum that is very user-friendly for kids and adults alike.
Some of the subjects you can expect to find in their curriculum sets are: Math, Spelling, Phonics, Penmanship, Health, and Reading. Horizon is for children beginning with PreK and going through 12th grade. Monarch is another of their curriculum brands as offers material for grades 3-12. LIFEPAC offers a curriculum for grades K-12 and has fantastic assessments to help you determine the best placement for your children by subject.
Christian Light Education
One other budget-friendly homeschool curriculum I want to mention is Christian Light Education. For this curriculum, you choose which subjects you would like to use. You can expect to find the following subjects: Reading, Bible, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
For the price, you’re getting a pretty great curriculum. There is nothing fancy, and no online components, but if you want to homeschool on a budget, this might be a great choice for your family.
There is one INCREDIBLE, FREE Christian homeschool curriculum and it’s one I’ve already shared. The Good and the Beautiful’s ENTIRE CURRICULUM can be downloaded and printed FOR FREE!!!! They believe everyone should have access to a homeschool curriculum that is both GOOD and BEAUTIFUL. How lovely is that!?!?
Regardless of what Christian homeschool curriculum you choose, you’ve already made the biggest decision- homeschooling your kids. There are a lot of free resources available to help you begin your homeschool journey if the cost of a homeschool curriculum is not in your budget. I hope the homeschool curriculum guide I have provided here has helped you create a plan to choose the best Christian homeschool curriculum for your family.
More Helpful Posts for Families!
The Best Outdoor Toys for Kids
Must-Know Indoor Activities for Kids
The owner of this website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties.