Many families choose to homeschool so they can instill their Christian beliefs to their children. Instead of receiving a solely secular education, Christian homeschooled families have the opportunity to show how God is incorporated in every aspect of education.
While most Christian families are excited to include their faith, they also want to have a strong academic program. So what are the best Christian homeschool programs available? We’ve lined up five of the highest ranking programs available so you can get started planning your next school year.
COMPLETE PROGRAMS
When you’re looking for Christian curricula you can select a complete program, or you can search for specific subjects. For complete programs, read below.
Abeka
In 1954, Dr. Arlin Horton and his wife, Beka, started a Christian school in Pensacola, Florida. They soon began their mission to create Christian alternatives to secular curriculum programs, when they realized the apparent lack of Christian material available. Other Christian schools soon realized the value of the material they created and asked if they could buy their curriculum.
Today, Abeka offers materials for ages 18 months through 12th grade. Shop by subject, or by grade, for materials that will give your kids a strong foundation in academics and faith.
Sonlight
Sonlight began in 1989 when John and Sarita Holzmann chose homeschooling when they could not afford to send their kids to a Christian private school. Many homeschooling parents at that time created homeschooling programs by piecing together separate pieces of curriculum.
Sarita soon discovered that as difficult as it was to put together a comprehensive program in the United States, it was even more difficult overseas. Without the internet available, it was challenging to produce a complete set of materials for each student.
To try to alleviate this problem, Sarita decided to put together educational programs for her missionary friends overseas, and also for families in the states who wanted to educate at home.
Sonlight allows you to choose one subject at a time or a complete program. They offer materials from preschool through 12th grade. Sonlight is considered to be a highly academic and easy to use program.
Should you choose to opt for the complete program, it will give you a schedule for your children that can be completed in a four or five day a week plan.
Apologia
Apologia was created in the 1990’s by Dr. Wile, a professor of Chemistry and Physics.
While teaching at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, he soon realized that many of his homeschooled students were excelling in his classes. He offered to speak to the Indiana state homeschool association about ways their children could get into college (something that was difficult to do in the early 90’s).
After his presentation, many parents approached him and asked what his top choices for curriculum were. He soon realized that there weren’t a lot of programs available for parents who weren’t specifically trained in the fields of science. He decided to correct this problem by creating his own educational materials that could be self-taught. That was how Apologia was born.
Today, Apologia offers all the basic subjects, though they are best known for their science programs. They have programs for preschool through senior high, and they are all rooted in Christian beliefs. According to their website, Apologia offers, “creation-based science curriculum for grades K–12, Bible worldview curriculum for six to fourteen year olds, Apologetics for high school students, language arts curriculum, Constitutional Literacy for high school students, and practical resources for homeschooling families including the Ultimate Planners for moms, teens, and students.”
BY SUBJECT
If you’re looking for Christian programs by subject, there are a lot of great options. A few of those great options include LifePac Science and Mystery of History.
LifePac Science
LifePac Science Homeschool Curriculum can be used for grades 1-12. It’s created with a Christian worldview and is completed through a series of colorful worktexts. The program includes handouts and experiments as well.
Grades 1st through 9th study science through various areas of scientific study, but grades 10th through 12th study specific areas of study that include Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
The idea is for the curriculum to be student-led as opposed to teacher-led, but it’s easy to teach and includes a Teacher’s Guide with teaching tips and an answer key. Ten Life-Pacs is about the equivalent of one year’s worth of study, and you can mix and match subjects or grade levels as needed.
Mystery of History
Mystery of History was created in the early 2000’s by a woman named Linda Lacour Hobar. She believed that God was calling her to create a history program and so she decided to put together Mystery of History.
What sets Mystery of History apart from some other curriculum programs is that it blends secular and biblical histories. Instead of setting the two history types apart, this program shows how they work together.
Mystery of History is presented as a story, much like people did thousands of years ago through oral tradition. While it does at times make this curriculum program more time consuming, it also makes it more memorable.
Just the Beginning
We’ve hand-picked some of the most notable Christian curriculum programs available, but there are plenty more to choose from. When it comes to picking homeschooling programs it primarily comes down to choosing something that fits your family. Thankfully, for those who want to blend their faith with their education, there are a lot of resources.