Traditional Method

The traditional approach to homeschooling focuses on a similar structure to that found in traditional schools. Families replicate the conventional school approach within the home. Traditional curriculum abounds, and many families begin their homeschool journey armed with the security of standards-based textbooks, workbooks, and manipulatives, wanting the assurance that their children will receive the same quality of education as their peers in regular school. Traditional curriculum offers the security of a thorough foundation,  but it can impinge on the freedom to explore. Its main drawback is probably the temptation to look to numbers, grades, and documentation for assurance, rather than on the less concrete observation of a child’s internalization of the information and nurtured ability to think for himself.

I began homeschooling the traditional way, stringing an Abeka alphabet around my son’s bedroom. I spent hours snipping out colorful Abeka pictures to place on charts so my son could learn to read and count. It truly was the most time-consuming curriculum that I have ever used. But it worked. Except for breaks to eat, my son has barely stopped reading since!

For More Information

A great resource for planning your entire curriculum, grades K-12: