Best Homeschool History Curriculum 2025

Notgrass History, Mystery of History, Wild World of History, and Story of the World consistently rank among the highest-rated homeschool history curricula. Wild World of History is often praised for its engaging, video-based content and structured approach to learning.

No single method suits every family. Some popular, successful methods include Classical, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, and eclectic approaches. Curricula like Wild World of History complement many methods effectively, providing structure and engaging video content.

Most homeschoolers typically spend 2–5 hours per day, depending on the child's age and chosen curriculum. Younger children (K–5) usually spend about 2–3 hours daily, while older students (grades 6+) average 4–6 hours.

Wild World of History stands out for its engaging lectures, structured format, and downloadable materials. It’s ideal for families looking for depth and ease of use.

The top Christian-based history curricula typically emphasize strong biblical integration, character-building narratives, and moral reflections on historical events. For instance, curricula like Mystery of History or Notgrass History incorporate faith perspectives deeply.

Meanwhile, Wild World of History introduces students to foundational Christian concepts through the four pillars of American Exceptionalism: Christian religion, common law, economic freedom, and citizen control of the military. This provides a flexible yet grounded approach that many Christian families appreciate.

Curricula like Beautiful Feet Books and Story of the World are noted for their narrative style. For families seeking highly engaging multimedia storytelling, Wild World of History nicely combines video-based narratives and compelling lessons that vividly capture American history.

Yes, several top-rated homeschool history curricula have a Christian emphasis, such as Mystery of History and Notgrass History. Wild World of History also introduces key Christian concepts through the four pillars of American Exceptionalism, making it popular among Christian homeschool families seeking balance and depth.

Yes, popular "living history" curricula include Beautiful Feet Books, Simply Charlotte Mason, and Sonlight. Many families complement these options with Wild World of History to enhance learning through structured video content and interactive activities.

Curricula like Notgrass History and Pandia Press are famous for incorporating critical thinking elements. Meanwhile. Wild World of History particularly emphasizes analysis of primary sources, cause-and-effect reasoning to sharpen critical thinking skills for advanced students.

History Odyssey by Pandia Press and Time Travelers History provide engaging hands-on activities suited to middle school learners.

Additionally, Wild World of History, designed for students in grades 9–12, enhances student engagement through interactive video lessons, structured discussions, and printable assignments.

Beautiful Feet Books and Simply Charlotte Mason focus on printed materials and physical books. These are great for limiting screen use. Many families start with them in the early years. For high school, Wild World of History is a good next step.

It includes printable PDFs like student texts, workbooks, and tests. This helps keep screen time low while staying on track.

Using living books and role-playing makes history lessons memorable, fosters empathy, and deepens understanding by bringing historical figures and events to life.

Curricula like Wild World of History support this approach through engaging narratives, interactive storytelling, and activities that naturally complement living books.

Enhance your curriculum by scheduling museum trips, historical site visits, and hands-on projects related to your current lessons.

Wild World of History provides a structured curriculum that naturally accommodates supplementary experiences, reinforcing learning through immersive activities and real-world exploration.

While curricula like Story of the World and Beautiful Feet Books are known for their narrative style, Wild World of History stands out for combining rich, vivid storytelling with engaging video lectures.

This multimedia approach helps students not only hear historical stories but also see history come to life, making lessons memorable and impactful.

Teaching homeschool history effectively involves using multiple types of resources like video lectures, primary sources, timelines, worksheets, and tests. That’s why Wild World of History offers a variety of resources.

They increase information retention and engagement.To help parents get started, Wild World of History offers a free ebook that provides valuable guidance, practical tips, and teaching strategies to make history come alive for your student.

Yes! Every unit features lectures by Larry Schweikart, providing students with a break from textbook-only instruction.

Yes. Wild World of History is not explicitly secular or religious. The focus is on factual history and primary source analysis, so it fits most educational philosophies.

Yes! Once you download it, you can use it year after year with siblings.

Yes, and here’s why. While not overtly religious, it introduces students to the four pillars of American Exceptionalism:

✝ Christian religion

⚖ Common law

💰 Economic freedom

🗳 Citizen control of military

Many Christian families find this framework aligns well with their values and use it as a strong academic core alongside their faith-based teachings. 

Yes. The Good and the Beautiful announced the discontinuation of their original history curriculum, although some materials may still be available in PDF format.

The Story of the World provides a generally accurate overview of history, though it simplifies content for younger learners.

Many families use it as an introduction in elementary and middle school grades, then transition to a more comprehensive high school homeschool history curriculum, such as Wild World of History, to support deeper analysis and college-preparatory study in the upper grades.

The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes "living books," nature study, narration, and short lessons. The goal is to foster a love of learning through literature and real-life experiences.

Curricula like Wild World of History complement this approach by providing engaging storytelling, primary source documents, and rich narratives. These align beautifully with Charlotte Mason’s focus on learning through authentic, meaningful texts rather than dry textbooks.

BookShark’s Eastern Hemisphere offers a literature-rich approach that's structured around engaging books and geography-focused lessons. It's somewhat similar to "living history" options like Simply Charlotte Mason or Beautiful Feet Books.

However, families who want a broader curriculum that includes American and World History, as well as interactive video elements, may find Wild World of History to be more comprehensive and versatile.

Beautiful Feet Books uses high-quality literature and beautifully illustrated books to teach history, making it a deeply memorable curriculum for younger readers.

Families often complement Beautiful Feet's literary approach with structured, video-based curricula like Wild World of History, especially as their students transition to more rigorous studies or broader historical coverage.

Simply Charlotte Mason’s curriculum design naturally supports teaching multiple ages at once, offering flexible lesson plans that adapt easily across grade levels.

Many large or multi-age families appreciate Wild World of History for its flexibility. The video lessons are structured but adaptable. The downloadable PDFs make it easy to customize instruction and manage different learning paces at the same time.

Mystery of History primarily focuses on world history through a Christian lens. While it does include some references to America, it does not provide comprehensive coverage of American history.

For families seeking a more comprehensive approach, Wild World of History offers a complete American history program featuring videos and printable lessons.