Benefits of Online Homeschool Curriculum for New Homeschoolers

I have to admit, I didn’t use online homeschool curriculum for new homeschoolers when I started homeschooling. That’s because there really wasn’t any. Hey, at that time, Google wasn’t even a thing! I used educational CD-ROMs like Reader Rabbit and Where is Carmen San Diego?  to spice things up a bit now and then. But, as my oldest two reached middle school, more was available, and I did use some online homeschool curriculum, especially since my older son struggled with severe dyslexia. The online options allowed him to learn at his grade level and improve his reading skills.  

There were many benefits to using online curriculum, especially for new homeschoolers. Let’s take a look at them.

Benefits of Using Online Homeschool Curriculum for New Homeschoolers

There are a lot of options available online, that’s for sure. These include live online classes, self-paced recorded video courses, interactive curricula, hybrid formats in which the lessons are self-paced but the student can get real feedback, and more. Most are offered by independent, small companies such as Spanish or coding. But some are offered in an online school or membership program. It’s overwhelming and dizzying! However, with so many options, you’re bound to find something that works for you and your child.

First Benefit: Expert Instruction

With all of these different possible formats and options, online homeschool curriculum for new homeschoolers offers the advantage of expert instruction from all over the world. You are no longer limited to whatever is offered in your area. If your daughter wants to learn how to code and no one in your co-op or even at the local school teaches it, no problem. You can find several courses online taught by computer programmers. Or, what if your son wants to learn Mandarin Chinese? Again, the internet offers many options. In this way, your child can learn whatever he wants to and from the best teachers, others who are passionate about their work.

Second Benefit: No Hassles

I love books, but I hate waiting around for boxes of books and then trying to figure out what to do with them after I am done using them. You see, my youngest is now in high school, and I still have curriculum from grade school filling up my shelves! And don’t get me started on curriculum I purchased that didn’t work out after two weeks. I can’t return it, and no one will buy it because the first twenty pages are filled in. What a waste, right?

Online homeschool curriculum eliminates this problem. No stacks of partially used curriculum workbooks and no bookshelves filled with old curriculum teacher’s manuals to sell. And of course, no waiting around for delayed shipments, especially now. (Not to mention the hassle of trying to return curriculum books. Uggh!) It’s so much easier to use online homeschool curriculum for new homeschoolers. You just pay and start. And most folks let you try at least the first lesson, and if you decide you don’t like it, you get a refund. Simple.

The Best Benefit of Online Homeschool Curriculum for New Homeschoolers

As I mentioned in the last point, online homeschool curriculum allows you to just pay and start and, of course, easily switch to something else if it doesn’t work. That is the best benefit of all, especially when you’re just starting out. Being able to easily get a refund and try something else takes some of the fear out of homeschooling. It makes it easier on the pocketbook. And if you use something like SchoolhouseTeachers.com, it is especially easy. The price is very family-friendly as you pay only one monthly fee no matter how many students you have. In addition, they have 400+ courses so you can switch from one to another without even having to change schools or platforms. That’s really easy!

So, if you’re a new homeschooler, online homeschool curriculum could be the best way for you to go when it comes to choosing how to educate your children. There are certainly even more benefits than what I’ve mentioned here, including making it easier to homeschool multiple children and work from home.  It certainly is worth trying.