Can’t find a history curriculum that meets your homeschool needs? No problem! Here are some easy ideas that make teaching history doable without help from a homeschool curriculum.
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First, let’s acknowledge that curriculum can be an incredible tool for teaching anything, but that doesn’t mean your kids can’t learn without following one. That’s especially the case for subjects like history.
Not convinced? Here are 5 easy ways to teach history in your homeschool. Better yet, these can be used without a curriculum or to supplement an existing one.
Easy Ideas for Teaching History Without a Curriculum
1. Books
Books are a natural starting point for teaching history without a curriculum. Whether you grab them from your local library or favorite bookseller, there’s plenty available to help you cover any history topic. All it takes is a topical search to get started.
Here are some reading lists I’ve compiled to get you started:
- Children’s Books about Women Who Changed the World
- 20 Book Series to Get Your Kids Hooked on History
- Children’s Books about Colonial America
- Children’s Books about Women of the American Revolution
- Children’s Books about World War I
- Children’s Books about World War II
Once again, there are plenty of other options for exploring history through books. The ones shared above are simply some I’ve sorted and shared here on Table Life Blog.
2. TV Shows & Documentaries
I will forever advocate making the most of your viewing time. So, for me, it makes sense to turn to videos and TV to teach history.
Since access and licensing to programming changes frequently across streaming platforms, YouTube tends to be the most consistent place for this kind of content. Quality and content will vary according to topic and creators, so here are some dependable channels to turn to for teaching history outside of traditional curricula.
- CrashCourse – Look for the history playlist for content mostly geared toward older students and adults. Check out their video about Vikings to get an idea of what to expect from them.
- Homeschool Pop – This channel covers lots of history topics with kids in mind. Their civil rights heroes video provides a good idea of what to expect from their content.
- Liberty’s Kids – I have to confess that my oldest kiddo worked through this series via DVD back in the olden days of homeschooling. Alas, it’s not really a DVD world these days, so you’ll have to enjoy this American Revolution-themed series through streaming.
- Learn Bright– Another channel aimed at students, this channel provides traditional documentary-style videos covering lots of historical topics. See their World War II overview to get an idea of how they can help you teach history without a curriculum.
Friendly reminder: it’s wise to preview any video before using it in your homeschool and to be present while your kiddos watch.
3. Field Trips
Visiting museums and historical sites can also teach history without help from a curriculum. All it takes is a quick search on your favorite search engine to find a location to check out with your kids.
Since museums are constantly adding to their collections, changing their exhibits, and offering educational programming, this is a great way to get a fresh perspective on history while providing a change in your day-to-day homeschool routine.
For locations within a reasonable travel distance, consider a family membership so you can work history-themed field trip spots into your regular or semi-regular learning plans and build familiarity with the material.
An added bonus, many museums come with reciprocal or deeply discounted admission to partner museums or sites. That allows you to visit your local museum frequently, but work other locations into your learning plans as needed.
Keep in mind that many locations offer discounts or free admission to homeschool families; you’ll just want to check with the location for specific instructions regarding dates and documentation needed.
4. Unit Studies & Topical History Resources
Though some unit studies are curriculum in a sense, they can still be a great way to explore historical eras and specific topics outside an overarching scope and sequence of a full history curriculum.
Similarly, topical teaching tools can be paired or used separately to introduce or reinforce history topics.
For example, you could learn about ancient Egypt through The Waldock Way’s Where Are the Great Pyramids? Mini Unit Study or their Ancient Egypt Discovery Deck.
You could also explore a historical topic or era with help from a biographical unit or online book club that focuses on a historical theme like Literary Adventures for Kids’ Chains book club or their Up from Slavery book club.
Worth noting, you can usually find topical units like the ones mentioned above through a quick online search, but you can also create your own unit study pretty easily.
5. Hands-on Learning
Finally, topical activity kits and lapbooks can go a long way in teaching history without a curriculum.
For example, if you want to cover major points in world history over a period of time, you could grab Sonlight’s history project kits and the matching lap books. Then you could work through them as you wish and follow the guides included in the kits for a teaching framework.
Along the same lines, you can get hands-on with history by pairing it with art projects. Like all of these suggestions, you can find ideas through an online search.
That said, here are a few of my favorites:
- Masterpiece Society’s Art Through the Ages courses
- Historical ARTchives: US History (I loved creating this course for Masterpiece Society!)
- Modern History Video Art Lessons from You ARE an Artist
Putting it all together… without a history curriculum
Hopefully by now you can see that curricula isn’t the only way to teach history in your homeschool. You can use one, all, or a combination of these ideas to make it happen.
Thankfully, there’s no right or wrong formula for putting these ideas into motion since interest and access varies from family to family. That said, you can easily borrow books from your library and watch a documentary or two to create the foundation for the topic you’re covering. Then, add a hands-on project or a field trip to reinforce learning.
Covering another topic could look completely different for you without a formal history curriculum. You might go on a few field trips, read one book, and create a lapbook or two to document your learning.
And one final note: if you’re looking for guidance for what history topics to cover and when, consult a book like Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year. She provides topical and skills suggestions broken down by grade level, making it easier to provide a well-rounded education without turning to curricula.