3 Ways to Spot Bad Homeschool Curriculum

Just because a curriculum markets itself as “Christian” doesn’t mean it truly is or that it will build your child up in their faith or help them establish a truly biblical worldview.

First of all, what do I mean by this warning? Well, just because a curriculum markets itself as “Christian” doesn’t mean it truly is or that it will build your child up in their faith or help them establish a truly biblical worldview. Many “Christian” curricula are shallow and “fluffy” or just sprinkle a few Bible verses on top of what amounts to a secular curriculum. Others seem Christian because they mention God and even the Bible but are really written by Mormons or other groups that don’t teach the true gospel and the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word. Many don’t take the stand on Genesis they should but are written in subtle ways so many won’t realize what they are really teaching. These curricula can be dangerous because they are discipling your child—but discipling them how?

Curriculum should be a tool the parent uses to disciple their child in a biblical worldview. So how can you weed out the shallow, fluffy stuff from truly biblical-worldview curricula? Here are three suggestions:

1. Don’t fall for just the aesthetics. Many curricula look really beautiful but are shallow academically and, more importantly, spiritually. Look past the beautiful artwork and typography and look at the actual content. How substantive is it? Will it help you disciple your child, pointing them to Christ, or is it just pretty on the outside but doesn’t actually start with God’s Word?
2. Look for more than just Bible verses. A biology curriculum may begin with a chapter that says, “In the beginning, God created. . .” (Genesis 1:1) or, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6), but where does it go after that? Does it just state that God created and then proceed to teach evolution and millions of years? Does it begin with a verse but not actually use God’s Word as the framework through which to interpret the evidence (e.g., a global flood or variety within kinds)? You want a curriculum where God’s Word is the foundation, not a mere introduction, that teaches a true worldview based on God’s Word. And this is true of every subject, not just science!
3. Don’t trust the buzzwords. Words like “biblical worldview” have somewhat become buzzwords, used in marketing because advertisers know that’s what parents want to see, but the actual curriculum may lack the substance to back up the claims. Don’t simply trust the marketing materials. Look through the material yourself (if you can) and look for the biblical-worldview content. Is God’s Word the foundation of the curriculum? Is Scripture used throughout the curriculum and then tied in with the content? What are the author or publisher’s presuppositions about the truth and authority of Scripture? All of that should quickly become obvious as you flip through the book or read the free sample online.

We want to help you with the task of finding trustworthy homeschool curriculum that will disciple your children in a biblical worldview, so we’ve curated some of our own and others from trusted sources on our online store. I encourage you to check it out, especially our Bible curriculum—it’s so deep, filled with biblical-worldview teaching, apologetics, theology, doctrine, the gospel, and more.

And, if you’re out in the Washington state area, you’ll want to make plans to attend the Firmly Planted Family conference, August 16, 2025, in Vancouver, WA, at the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center (my good friend Heidi St. John’s ministry). During this free event, enjoy educational workshops and interactive sessions from AiG’s Bryan Osborne, Patricia Engler, Dr. Jennifer Rivera, Dr. Dana Sneed, and Roger Patterson (“Mr. P”); shopping new and used homeschool resources; and so much more.

Homeschooling is a wonderful way to obey the Lord’s command to be constantly speaking of the things of the Lord with our children, and the curriculum you choose should help, not hinder, you in that task. As you shop for your fall curriculum needs, pray and ask the Lord for his wisdom—he promises he will give it (James 1:5).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.