As a homeschooling parent you have the option to follow a homeschool curriculum from a formal source or make up one of your own based on what you feel is best. In case you choose to make up your own curriculum there may be this nagging little voice in the back of your head asking you, will this leave gaps in the education of my child? It is natural to wonder if you are covering everything of importance with your children as you are the sole person in charge of what they learn in the classroom.
What Should They Know?
Teaching children is a way to ensure that they have all the knowledge that they need to survive in the world that they inhabit. In the early days these were a set of survival skills without which the human race would perish, but as things are a whole lot more civilized today these skills are almost redundant. What each child needs to learn to survive in today’s world is different. More than survival it is a matter of interest, and picking what could be their future career.
Basic Skills to Follow Their Interests
While even formal educators,educators, curriculum publishers, authors of children’s books, and other educational thinkers are unable to agree on what all should be taught to a child, there are some basic skills that can not be ignored. These would include reading, writing, comprehension, and basic arithmetic calculations. With a foundation of these basic skills firmly in place it would be possible for the child to follow his own interests with ease.
The Popular Mixed With Classics
Another aspect of their education which homeschooled children may need guidance in is common knowledge. Whatever is popular in the world of television, movies, books, and music in the current day and time must be communicated to these children. In addition they should be given a basic understanding of the classics from the past as well. This will allow them a sense of history and pride in their own heritage. This done, there is little more to consider a gap in their education. They will learn what they require as per their interests and the time they have to spare.
