How many times have you added a curriculum to your virtual shopping cart only to second-guess your decision?

I get it! 

Taking the leap into homeschooling your little one wasn't an easy decision, nor is selecting the "perfect" curriculum.

Spoiler: There is no one, "PERFECT," one-size-fits all curriculum.

However, there are certain universal criteria to help make your decision more informed and a little more grounded in educational research.

The following matrix includes a handy checklist of criteria you can use to score your curriculum contenders to ensure you're making the best possible decision for YOU and YOUR child. For each curriculum you're considering, head to the FAQ section and browse through the headings. These sections are typically where the important information can be found.

Read on for my top eight criteria for choosing the "right" curriculum for your early learner.

Play-focused approach

 All the research points to the fact that paper-pencil...

Imagine you're teaching your child about plants. 

Now imagine the learning going one of two ways.

1. Worksheet style.

Paper, pencil, scissors, glue.

The lesson spans 20 minutes, and your child is done thinking about plants. They move onto the next thing rarely thinking or wondering about plants again.

2. Hands-on, Artful Approach.

soil
 trowel
 real flowers
 magnifying glass
 seeds
 watercolor paint
 paintbrush

The investigation and projects span days, even weeks. Your child is noticing, observing, predicting, labeling, creating, investigating, discussing and sharing their learning.

They are delighted, excited, motivated, engaged.

In which scenario would you rather be a participant? Where would YOU rather teach?

Now, I'm not saying "Toss out the workbooks!" 

I believe in a balanced, integrated approach that uses children's natural hundred languages of learning. The "sweet spot" that blends the wonder of childhood with more intentional teaching.

...

How to homeschool kids of different ages

Homeschooling your kids is a challenge in itself. Add kids of different ages, needs, learning styles and ALL.THE.HOUSEWORK. and it can go from feeling challenging to downright impossible!

Here to help you work through those challenges, and offer some practical tips on homeschooling multiples is ATJL alumna Kimmi Nguyen-Lehr, mom of 3 and full-time homeschooler.

In this 22 minute interview, Kimmi shares her insights, strategies and even some of her honest struggles as she homeschools 3 kids under 7. She talks about her kids' learning differences, how she plans for three different ages, what a typical day looks like, and the value of play-based learning.

Kimmi shares some excellent advice for parents, and I thought I'd offer up some ideas as well. While I'm not currently homeschooling our three girls, I have honed these tools from years of teaching in the classroom, and implementing these ideas in my early years of raising and...