Best Homeschool History Curriculum for Every Grade Level

History is probably one of the most critical subjects children need to learn after math. Choosing the right curriculum is essential for parents who homeschool their children.

When choosing the best homeschool history curriculum, there are often two options. Most of the programs are divided into U.S. History and World History. Others provide a more comprehensive approach to learning history, incorporating other subjects for a more in-depth learning experience.

Here’s a list of the top picks for each category of the history curriculum.

Best Homeschool History Curriculum: U.S. and World History

Classical Historian

The Classical Historian program covers ancient, medieval, and American History. Classical Historian uses textbooks from other publishers and their own throughout the curriculum. For high school students, there are five courses available.

Students will learn how to gather and analyze information to discuss and write about each topic through the different courses. The educational methodology uses strategies such as Socratic discussions and analytical writing.

This program includes various additional sources of information. Students can access Classical Historian bundles available for free on the publisher’s site whenever research is needed on a particular topic. As the discussion is essential, a tutor or a parent’s support will be necessary during the courses. However, there are also online classes available.

Early American History: A Literature Approach

This history program goes from kindergarten through to third grade. Among the main choices of the best homeschool history curriculum, you’ll come across several Beautiful Feet Books publications focusing on a literature-based study of history. The guides are available in print with colorful illustrations and in PDF.

Each guide is grouped into units by common themes, including several discussion topics, writing answers to questions, and other activities. Each course is prepared for students to work on their own. However, the support of a parent or a tutor will be essential to encourage discussion.

Each course includes a guide for tutors where they’ll find suggested answers for discussions and Christian content for complicated passages such as stories of Native Americans and African Americans. The content is, however, appropriate for each designated age group.

The Giant American History Timeline

The Giant American History Timeline is a guide created for classrooms; however, they are convenient for homeschoolers. They provide a chronological order of events that offers excellent flexibility in choosing which activities to complete and how deep to delve into the research of every topic. The guide covers all the content required for U.S. history studies.

Students will have to do additional reading and research to complete the activities, as the books don’t contain much historical information. The activity sheets guide the students on what information they need to gather and organize to complete the activities.

The benefit of this approach is that students must search for the answers instead of having the information presented to them directly. Parents or tutors that have decided to start with more conventional textbooks may want to add this approach to reinforce the concepts learned.

Guerber History Series

The Guerber History Series is a set of seven books covering history through different eras with a literature-based approach. The author, Christine Miller, recommends using one overview book as part of the curriculum, which includes a series of events organized chronologically. Due to the difficulty of finding overview books written from a Christian perspective, the author has rewritten the original H. A. Guerber books.

These books are most appropriate for junior high students. However, they can be used with younger students if a parent or a tutor reads them out loud. This program has no activities or assignments related to every topic. Instead, a tutor or parent can encourage discussion topics, narrations, questions, or other activities.

The author also presents the religious perspective in a positive light, as she reasonably portrays both Protestant and Catholic positions well.

Moving Beyond the Page

The educational methodology used is based on constructivist theories, meaning learning is viewed as an active process in which the learners construct knowledge instead of memorizing facts. The Moving Beyond the Page program is not limited to history; it’s an integrated program covering every subject, including social studies, science, and language arts.

It is prepared to teach at a gifted level from kindergarten to seventh grade. The same program can be used with average students through 8th grade. The methodology used is interdisciplinary. As it is a program targeted at gifted students, children are presented with general concepts before moving toward specific skills.

Moving Beyond the Page incorporates many practical activities. The materials needed are included.

The teacher’s manual includes lesson plans, but parents will also need to do some preparation as the program requires parents’ supervision and interaction, especially at the initial levels.

From Adam to Us

The approach of the From Adam to Us curriculum covers grades five through eight. While the main topic of this curriculum is World History, it includes additional subjects such as geography, world cultures, and language arts.

The program is presented in 30 units with five lessons each. This provides one course per day for 150 days. The package includes two textbooks, a book of reading titles, and an answer key. The core textbooks are also available in downloadable MP3 file format. For additional reading, Notgrass offers an additional package with 10 literary works.

The “From Adam to Us” students’ workbook includes an activity page for every lesson, including multiple-choice questions, crossword puzzles, and word searches. These activities help students secure the concepts learned.

Heart of Dakota Program

The Heart of Dakota Program is a 12-volume curriculum that can be used from preschool to high school. It covers history and other primary subjects for homeschooled students. The program is also adaptable for older students, although this will require additional resources. The courses are all written from a Christian Protestant point of view.

Each volume is a one-year curriculum organized into 33 to 35 units. The large book provides daily lesson plans that cover everything you’ll need for that level. Each lesson starts with history, telling you which pages of the history book or the Bible storybook to read. You can use your own Bible as well.

Every volume has a specific plan provided at the lesson’s beginning. For the youngest levels, for example, you’ll have hands-on activities, while junior high levels drop the hands-on activities but continue to provide additional activities.

History of the World, MFW Edition

“History of the World,” My Father’s World Edition (MFW), uses many books for each course. It’s important to point out that these books are from secular publishers, which could lead to complicated topics for parents. This is a sizeable 378-page book that covers world history around the world. Each period starts with a color-coded timeline so you can see what was happening worldwide during a specific period.

The books have many illustration drawings and photos, which makes it easy to scan through the content. However, this shortens the topic coverage and does not come with lesson plans. The MFW edition is a great supplement to use alongside other books.

Medieval History: A Literature Approach

Studying medieval history is possible using real books with the two guides the publisher Beautiful Feet Books offers. Both books cover grades five through eight. They use six books plus additional material for complete coverage of every topic.

If you have two students at different levels and want to use these guides, remember that the topics rarely overlap. This means you’ll just occasionally be discussing the same subject matter.

Every lesson includes activities and hands-on projects that will require time and, in some cases, additional information. There are also other websites for different activities. With all these activities, students create a portfolio with their best work, which the guide suggests to be a website or blog.

Each guide consists of 35 lessons, which will take a school year to complete. Parents must choose assignments and organize their schedules because the lessons are presented in weeks rather than days.

For the younger level, reading out loud will be necessary for most lessons, while upper grades are prepared for more independent work. Discussion topics and questions are also included in each lesson. Parents can find the correct answer at the back of the book.

Modern American and World History: A Literature Approach

The Modern American and World History: A Literature Approach covers the world and U.S. history from 1860 to the present. These guides do not use a textbook like others. Instead, students read from 22 literary works and selective chapters of two “spine” books. The book selection covers many topics, while the “spine” books fill any gaps to ensure complete coverage.

The educational methodology of this curriculum is a combination of the Principle Approach’s method: Read, Reason, Relate, and Record; and the Charlotte Mason methodology, which uses literature rather than textbooks.

Every lesson provides general instructions, which include the books the student needs to read, discussion topics, and writing assignments. In some cases, related weblinks and movies are suggested as supplementary sources.

Choosing the Best Homeschool History Curriculum

Remember the education you want when choosing the best curriculum for your children. Several alternatives are secular, while many others are written from a Christian point of view.

Another factor to consider is if your child will have a tutor or if you’ll assist them through the program. Some will require a significant time investment, while others are prepared for the student to work more independently.