4 Ways to Pick the Right Homeschool Program for Multiple Kids

Sonlight's curriculum packages are ideal for combining students of multiple ages. In fact, Sonlight has produced materials on combining Cores for multiple students again and again and again and... well... again.

But you don't have time to listen to two hour long podcasts on the subject right now, do you? [Part 1, Part 2] If you don't, I've tried to synthesize the process of choosing the right Sonlight Core(s) for your students down to two simple steps with one of four approaches.

To begin, you could just grab the Core that has a level that corresponds to your student's grade. But over half of the people who responded to a recent query said they use a Core at least one level below their child's grade. Since Sonlight's Cores are robust and work for a span of ages, you may do well with a Core a level below your students' grade. So... how do you decide which program is right for your family?

It is important to remember, as you consider your options, that Sonlight's homeschool programs will take you through the span of history a full three times:

Sonlight's Cores Cover the Span of History 3 Times

With that in mind...

1. Decide what part of history you want to cover.

Did you just finish a year of American history? If so, you may not want to repeat that. So find a Core that covers World History.

2. Decide which of the following methods you want to use:

4 Ways to Pick the Right Sonlight Core for Your Students

1. Pick a Core that fits your Oldest student and supplement for the younger
2. Pick a Core that fits your Youngest student and supplement for the older
3. Pick a Core that falls toward the middle of your students and tweak where needed
4. Pick two "complementary" Cores which cover the same period of history but at different depths appropriate for your students

I know what you're thinking:

'Well, of course those are my options! My question is: Which is right for my family and how do I actually decide that?'

Since each family is different, I can't give you a more specific answer in a general blog post. But I can point you to those who can help you figure it out:

The Sonlight Choosing Forum is an excellent resource for finding the right homeschool program for your family. Glean the wisdom of families who have been there and done that.

And Sonlight Advisors are an incredible resource if you want to chat with someone one-on-one about the options you are considering.

If you've combined multiple students with Sonlight, how did you go about doing it?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester