If you teach your child to approach each subject with a good attitude, communicate with him about many topics to enrich your relationship, and teach him how to read with a love of history, science and mathematics, he will excel in life.
With all that said, most parents need help in breaking down each subject into lessons for their children. It is much different to know how to read rather than know how to teach someone how to read. However, before you choose a curriculum, you need to consider a few things first.
1. How does your child learn?
2. How do you like to teach?
Here are a few ideas of different approaches to homeschooling.
Curriculum-Centered
Structured, age-grade appropriate material, scope & sequence, textbooks, workbooks, completing assignments.
Bob Jones, A Beka, Alpha Omega, Rod & Staff, The Grace Academy, K12, A-Plus, Ron Paul Curriculum (K-5 free)
Content-Centered
Curriculum centered but focus on unique content.
Classical: The Well-Trained Mind, Tapestry of Grace, Veritas Press, Memoria Press
Unit Studies: KONOS, History Revealed, Five in a Row, Heart of Dakota, Steward Ship, The Mystery of History, Story of the World
Principle Approach: F.A.C.E., The Pilgrim Institute,
The Mayflower Institute, The Providence Foundation
Child-Centered
Informal, unstructured, focus on learning experiences, intellectual and character development.
Unschooling (John Holt), Montessori
Home-Centered
Home environment is the focus with learning done through living books, relationships and real life experiences.
Beautiful Feet Books, Cornerstone Curriculum, Five in a Row, Greenleaf Press, History Revealed, Ruth Beechick Books, SimplyCharlotteMason.com, Ambelside Online, Sonlight
Eclectic
A little bit of all the styles.
Just remember, that curriculum is NOT the main reason you homeschool. You homeschool to forge a relationship with your child.
Here’s what I did regarding curriculum. I bought the book, The Well Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer. This book outlines in detail what each school year should look like along with suggestions on various curriculum. I really like how she linked History with Science. For example, while you are learning about ancient civilizations you are learning about the human body; which goes well with Ancient Egypt and mummification. It’s just a great book to get you started on organizing your homeschool.