How to Find the Best Homeschool History Curriculum

Teaching homeschool history doesn’t have to be frustrating. Find out how to choose the best homeschool history curriculum for your kids.

Homeschool history curriculum is one of those things that leaves many homeschool families feeling confused, frustrated, and often with a long list of questions.

How does it fit in? Is it necessary? Will my elementary child fall behind if we don’t use a textbook curriculum? What should we use to teach it? How much is enough? How much is too much?

There are a lot of answers to these questions floating around out there, which makes it difficult for homeschool families to come to a simple and practical solution for social studies. Today I hope to help you make a clear, simple, and practical plan for teaching homeschool social studies from the beginning until graduation.

Let me start with a confession: I used to think social studies was just memorizing dates, capitals, and famous people. But I’ve come to realize it’s SO much more than that! It’s about understanding God’s work throughout history, developing compassion for different cultures, and preparing our children to be informed citizens in our diverse world.

But I also know that social studies can feel overwhelming. Maybe you’re one of those parents who would rather clean the bathroom than try to explain the Byzantine Empire. Perhaps you enjoy history but haven’t found resources that align with your Christian worldview. Sometimes we get so caught up in the timeline of events that we miss the bigger picture of what God was doing throughout history.

History is fascinating! In fact, it ought to be every Christian’s favorite subject, because in the study of HIS-STORY, we can truly see God’s hand working throughout time to fulfill His promises and purposes.

Keep First Things First

It’s difficult to know how much is needed and how much is too much. I can’t answer this question for you, but I can remind you to stay focused, especially with elementary-aged children. Elementary school has two essential purposes academically: to build fluent readers and develop strong math fact proficiency.

We can’t afford to lose sight of this while pursuing other academic content. It’s too crucial. If that means we can’t cover history or geography because we are spending too much time on reading and math, so be it. Our kids will be all the wiser as a result. I promise. All other subjects can wait.

That being said, it’s rare that you’d need to abandon social studies. In fact, elementary age is a great time to cultivate a love for all things on this topic. Children are naturally curious about the world around them, so capitalize on it when you can. There are really practical ways to weave this content into your day without needing an extra curriculum or feeling overwhelmed with the workload. (More on this below.)

Know Why You Should Teach History or Social Studies in Your Homeschool

According to the National Council for the Social Studies, “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.”

If that’s our purpose, our kids must be strong readers and thinkers, not merely memorizers of dates and people. In fact, the entire teaching of social studies needs to be much deeper. Just knowing where a country can be found or what year it last fought in a war won’t help our kids make decisions for the public good.

I’m thankful for my history teachers who helped us focus on the “why” behind events and helped us create a timeline that made sense as a whole. But personally, I think there is a much bigger purpose for social studies in the lives of Christians.

In our homeschool, the purpose of teaching social studies is first to understand how God created the world and how people have responded to Him since the beginning of time. Knowing this information is crucial to understanding religious rights and freedoms and helping us love the world around us.

For example, learning about the value of the Fertile Crescent helps us understand the turmoil both in the Old Testament and today, which is central to our faith. Also, learning about the Greek and Roman gods helps us understand the many biblical references to idol worship. These connections provide our kids with the context they need to understand God’s greater plan for His people throughout history. Understanding how all people came from one man helps us to understand race and how to love others with the love of Christ.

Tips for Teaching Social Studies

But wait, that all sounds great, you may be saying. However, I still don’t know HOW to teach social studies. No worries! Here are some tips for you to practically teach social studies and show God’s HIStory to your kids.

First, always keep first things first. Elementary school has two essential academic purposes: building fluent readers and developing strong math fact proficiency. We can’t afford to lose sight of this while pursuing other academic content. If you need to spend more time on reading and math, it’s okay to scale back on social studies. Your kids will be all the wiser for it, I promise.

Second, capitalize on natural curiosity. Children are naturally curious about the world around them! Use this to your advantage by incorporating maps, globes, and interesting stories into your daily life. You don’t need a formal curriculum to spark interest in history and geography.

Third, focus on the “why” behind historical events, not just the “what” and “when.” Dates and facts are important, but understanding the motivations, consequences, and connections between events is what helps our children develop critical thinking skills.

Fourth, be mindful of worldview when selecting resources. If your purpose is to understand God’s Word better, be careful that your curriculum isn’t written from the opposite perspective. Most of what you’ll find is written from a secular viewpoint, so read descriptions carefully and look for reviews from other Christian families.

Fifth, consider using literature and read-alouds as your primary teaching tools, especially in the elementary years. Great books bring history to life in a way that textbooks simply can’t. Plus, they help develop reading skills at the same time!

Homeschool History Curriculum for Elementary

This is the age to lay a great foundation that cultivates interest and excitement for the history of God’s world. Keep things simple and interest-driven. Remember that reading and math are your priorities in the early elementary years. Be careful about buying too much curriculum. It’s easy to weave social studies into your day using great read-alouds or short, simple lessons. I would also recommend the use of audiobooks. They are engaging and teach so much!

Our Favorites

For Pre-K, try All Around Town. It’s an all-in-one curriculum where kids adventure around town, learning about their community from the post office to the fire station. Early literacy and math skills are naturally woven into their adventures.

After that, we focus on great read-alouds about history, missionaries, and different cultures instead of a formal curriculum. Keep a simple notebook where your child can draw pictures or dictate what they learned. Take field trips (even virtual ones), study maps together, and explore topics as they arise naturally. Our family LOVES national parks. We find a lot of history and even science as we visit them.

One approach I love for elementary is using missionary biographies. Learning about heroes of the faith teaches geography, culture, historical events, and spiritual lessons all at once!  These missionary books kids love is truly my favorite way to foster a love for social studies. Learning about the lives of these heroes of the faith teaches us about geography, culture, events, and faith. There is so much good stuff in there that it’s hard not to love them!

My To Every Nation series is packed with studies of missionaries, countries, and biblical truth. I wrote these books to help us focus on the crucial elements of faith, as well as develop a compassion for the world. Each study covers the lives of 12 different missionaries using a Charlotte Mason approach. Each can be done in 12 weeks, or you can go deeper with the novels of each missionary and enjoy each volume for the whole year!

Homeschool History Curriculum for Middle School

There are two ways to approach history in middle school. Taking the more laid-back approach from elementary school is totally fine. At this age, it’s still very much about exposure to ideas and terms. I mean, let’s face it: can you still name the states and capitals? (I know I sure can’t.) Neither can my kids. But I didn’t waste a year on it, either. Instead, I taught them how to look them up and we learned about specific things we could relate to in each state.

Again, we really like to go to national parks and historical sites, so my kids are getting real-life learning. For example, one time, we went to Charleston and went on a horse-drawn carriage ride given from the perspective of a slave. My kids learned more about civil war history from that one-hour ride than they could have with the same amount of time in a textbook.
My goal here is to build bridges of knowledge. But it’s also okay to take a more serious approach at this stage. It’s up to you.

Our Favorites

For a more structured approach, The World’s Story by Master Books is a Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum with manageable lessons and engaging activities. The lessons aren’t too long and serve as a springboard to explore concepts as your child shows interest. Activity sheets are engaging and purposeful. 

We also love The Mystery of History is a four-volume comprehensive journey through all of time, focusing on a biblical worldview. The awesome thing about this curriculum is its flexibility. You can use it for all ages and make it a family affair. During middle school, you can stick with the recommendations for elementary kiddos or you can dig deeper using the lessons and tests in the book. The Mystery of History leans toward a classical approach to homeschooling.

As I mentioned above, To Every Nation and To Every Nation 2 are studies of missionaries, countries, and biblical truth. This study is great for multi-aged learning as it features “Make It Your Mission” activities for both elementary and upper grades. For middle schoolers, I have the kids read the novels themselves and write papers or complete projects on each of the missionaries.

Another great option is “Notgrass History,” which has a more textbook-based approach but with a strong emphasis on God’s Word. We loved that it covers language arts, Bible, and social studies all in one package—that’s a win for busy homeschool families!  From Adam to Us is the first in the series, followed by America the Beautiful. 

Homeschool History Curriculum for High School

At this point, you will need to be sure you are meeting your state’s requirements. Don’t guess at this. LOOK IT UP for yourself. Most states require three high school credits: world history, American history, and government/economics. You can do them in any order or style.

We prefer to match our history with English requirements. That means we take American literature and American history at the same time so everything we are learning fits together nicely. This kind of complementary learning encourages a life-long love for knowledge.

Plus, if you can get to those places, it would be really cool for your kids to have a hands-on experience as well. For example, take a trip to Washington, D.C., when you are learning about government. One great thing about DC, while the lodging is a bit expensive, all of the museums are totally free!

One of my children used Notgrass History because of its emphasis on God’s Word and the way it integrates language arts, the Bible, and social studies, meaning students can receive three high school credits with one purchase! . The lesson plan feature makes it great for independent learning—simple enough for teens to use and easy for parents to track.

Our Favorites

I’d say a fan favorite for history is definitely The Mystery of History a four-volume comprehensive journey through all of time, focusing on a biblical worldview. The awesome thing about this history curriculum is its flexibility. You can use it for all ages and make it a family affair. During high school, you can go deep with the lessons and tests included. You may also supplement with novels or extra suggested reading. It’s especially great for kids who are overwhelmed by reading because they can listen to audio CDs instead of having to read all of the words, taking away the frustration in at least one subject.

The cycle of history can be repeated even if you’ve done it before. Since the student is much older, the knowledge is much deeper when you cycle back.

Notgrass History is a great option for parents looking for a more in-depth approach to history. We love this curriculum for its emphasis on God’s Word. We also love that it covers language arts, the Bible, and social studies all in one. That’s a win for busy high schoolers, for sure. The lesson plan feature makes it great for independent learning. Simple enough for them to use and easy for parents to keep track.

Master Books promises the same Charlotte Mason-inspired, biblically sound curriculum for high schoolers from American history to civ​​ics. Most of my children prefer it because their approach covers topics in-depth without making them overwhelming or boring—a rare combination in high school curriculum!

I hope this post encouraged you and that you found a few tips and resources to help you as you seek to teach your children how God has worked throughout history.

Remember, social studies doesn’t have to be overwhelming or disconnected from your faith. Keep your priorities straight, focus on building connections between events and God’s Word, be mindful of worldview issues, and don’t be afraid to adjust your approach based on your child’s needs and interests.

More Christian Homeschool Curriculum

Need guidance on a curriculum for other subjects? Read more about our Christian homeschool curriculum tips and favorites.

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Your turn—> Do you have a favorite homeschool history curriculum or resource? Share it here!