The BEST Homeschool HISTORY Curriculum Choices (2024)

Do you know the top 10 homeschool history curriculum options? In this post, we'll examine 10 of the best history programs available today. I've canvassed hundreds of comments on homeschool history choices in online forums and narrowed the search to make your choice easy. So let’s compare the unique features and benefits of each curriculum package and, what is very important, the price.

Many people start using a curriculum that doesn't suit their family, but by reading this article, you can quickly narrow down your choices so you pick the right one for your family first time!

Hi there,

My name is Rebecca Devitt.

I was homeschooled 30 years ago, and I now homeschool my children.

As a curriculum expert, I've spent thousands of hours researching various homeschool curriculum choices, and today, I'm going to show you the best picks I've found for history.

Affiliate links are used in this post.

Notgrass

Okay, let's talk about popular options. What do you think is the most popular homeschool history option today?

Well, two programs stand out.

Mystery of History and Notgrass (both pictured below).

Let's talk about Notgrass first.

This one gets rave reviews online!

Notgrass is a Christian, easy-to-use, open-and-go program that specializes in homeschool history through its (mostly) textbook-based curriculum.

This hands-on program (featured in the video above) teaches history in a way that suits homeschools very well.

Homeschools use unit studies to teach multiple ages or grades.

For example, if you have a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old, you can teach them using the same textbook, effectively halving your homeschool teaching time.

Notgrass is also popular because it chronologically joins ecclesiastical (church) and secular history.

There's also a lot of US/American history in Notgrass, like the Our Star-Spangled Story and Uncle Sam and You.

So, while you learn what happened in King David's time, you can also learn what was happening on the Asian or African continent at that time.

Because they teach multiple grades together, they offer a curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school.

That means you don't need to purchase nine separate history curriculum programs for each child for each grade when they advance.

I also like that older students can read the curriculum themselves and complete all the assignments independently, making even less work for parents.

Notgrass programs vary in cost, but you can buy the elementary curriculum bundle for around $150-180 (including all the books), the middle school curriculum bundle for around $240-280 (including all the books), and a high school bundle for around $260-300 (including all the books).

So, that's incredibly affordable, considering you can use it for about three or four years.

We have this program, and I use it with my kids.

I really like it, and I love learning with them. It's colorful and interesting.

Mystery of History

But what about that other popular history curriculum I mentioned?

Mystery of History - this one also gets rave reviews.

It is written directly to students so, like Notgrass, students can read it on their own if they want.

Another similarity is that they both write history chronologically.

For instance, they relate American History to what's happening in the world at that time also.

Mystery of History also joins secular and sacred history chronologically.

Many people love that this program features gorgeous artwork, which is a big hit with some students.

It also reminds you that it is following the classical education method.

One thing I noticed from the comments online is that some people said they wouldn't get this one for elementary grades as it's a little complicated and involves a lot of reading.

This program comes with a CD with extra activities, information, and other resources.

But how much does it cost?

There are four volumes altogether.

Volume 1 Ancient History BUNDLE costs around $150-190.

You get the main textbook plus some hardcopy publications like an atlas and a historical timeline book.

There are also a lot of digital resources like tests and primary resources on the included CD.

The Volume 2,3 and 4 Bundles (which cover later time periods) cost the same.

Generations

But what if you're looking for a more affordable package to come with your grade-level curriculum?

Well, then, take a look at Generations Homeschool Curriculum.

This program is very bible-based, gospel-centered, and has a big focus on Christian mission.

Also, history is a big part of their core curriculum.

They start by making history curricula for every grade level individually.

Then, when you reach higher age levels, their history programs are recommended for several grade levels.

This curriculum is entirely book-based, which means you get a box to your door with all the curriculum you'll need for the course (you can buy history individually or part of a whole grade-level curriculum).

In addition to their history curriculum textbooks and workbooks, their grade-level package includes some literature books, which often focus on history and teach parts of history through stories.

A good example is Bellaheld, which is part of their Grade 3 curriculum.

This is a story of a princess from 8th-century Germany. Students are drawn into the storyline as they see a young lady stand up for her beliefs under extreme persecution.

Children don't even realize they're learning history (as well as learning to stand up for their faith) in this one.

But what is the price?

You can get their history books individually for around $70-90 for their elementary and secondary years.

History programs for high school cost $112 to $240, but these ones span multiple ages, too.

I'll link their history programs below so you can take a closer look.

Masterbooks

But let's say you wanted to conquer not only history but also geography in your curriculum.

A few programs do this, and one of them is Masterbooks.

Masterbooks is a popular seller of all-in-one Christian homeschool curricula.

They teach using a Charlotte Mason-inspired method where the books are mainly engaging narratives.

This means children primarily learn through stories, which tend to engage them more than textbooks.

With Masterbooks, there's a big focus on character development alongside gospel-centered reasoning.

Masterbooks also sells a homeschool history curriculum that covers multiple grades, so you can teach multiple kids at the same time (and yourself!).

Their pricing is very affordable but varies widely depending on what you choose.

You can get curriculum for various ages for around $60 to around $200.

They are also starting to add some very short basic video lessons (usually 5-10 min long) through Masterbooks Academy.

But they only have one history course so far.

BJU Press

Now, let's have a change of gear.

Let's say you don't want to sit with your kids and teach them.

Instead, you want to get some teacher-led video lessons, which can be more engaging for children.

Then, you should think about Heritage Studies with BJU Press.

Like Masterbooks, BJU Press covers history and geography together for its earlier grades.

They offer slick video lessons that run for an average of 30 minutes.

There are also hard-copy textbooks and workbooks that accompany video lessons.

Children can complete these workbooks with the teacher in an online setting.

This is a great option if you're a busy homeschool parent or you don't have time to sit with your kids often.

Our family uses BJU Press Heritage Studies as our core history curriculum, and I love it.

I have a pain condition, which means I struggle to sit down for long periods and work next to my children.

So these really help me homeschool by outsourcing a lot of the work!

BJU Press is more of a traditional program, similar to what you'd get if your child was in a private Christian school.

It's very thorough, rigorous, and engaging.

But you can also go for their offline version, which comes with teachers ’ manuals.

Or you can get their DVD version (which is on loan).

Grade 1 Heritage Studies costs around $350. However, you can also buy it as a full-grade (all subjects) video version with math, spelling, phonics, and all the other basic programs for around $1000.

This will make for a straightforward homeshool year!

Memoria Press

Another great Christian homeschool history curriculum people liked on the online Facebook forum was Memoria Press.

Memoria Press uses the classical education method and offers a complete homeschool curriculum for all ages.

However, they are well known for their extensive history offerings, including modern, medieval, and American history.

You can purchase the physical version of all programs, but you can also purchase the digital version for some.

The ones I saw were priced the same (digital or physical).

Their courses usually consist of a student textbook, a workbook, tests, and quizzes.

Many of their history programs, like many of the ones on this list, last several grades.

I like that Memoria Press has excellent flashcards that have questions about history and geography.

They also sell audiobooks like Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World Volumes.

This can be good if your child is more of an auditory learner.

Depending on what you purchase, history courses cost between $50-270.

My Father's World

But what if you wanted to get a bit more hands-on and crafty with your homeschool history?

Why not use a program that's fun and uses the classical, Charlotte Mason, and Unit studies methods?

Enter My Father's World.

My Father's World teaches over multiple grades and presents a solid biblical worldview in their various history programs.

Featuring lots of hands-on activities, nature study, and workbooks, this program is certainly not boring.

The curriculum also uses the unit studies method, which means it incorporates other subjects, such as the Bible, science, art, music, and more.

Like Notgrass, they teach in a chronological way, linking secular with sacred history.

I love the sound of My Father's World, but the amount of craft intimidates me a little bit.

You can use your discretion to skip this, though, and just read it in a more straightforward manner.

My Father's World spans multiple ages, which can be handy for some families.

It costs around $390-460 for their full history bundles. And you get a lot for the price.

Easy Peasy All-In-One

But what if this dollar figure has you asphyxiating with heart palpitations?

Need something more affordable?

What's more affordable than free?

Easy Peasy All-In-One is the leading free homeschool curriculum program today.

You can check out their History offerings and do it today for no cost at all. You don't need to sign up.

But you can also register for My EP Assignments, which will help you track your children's progress online.

Easy Peasy is written using a medley of various homeschool approaches.

They make use of many internet resources in their curriculum.

But their core curriculum is Christian.

They offer Ancient, Modern, and American History.

It's pretty basic, but its free, and pretty good value for free.

Veritas Press Online Self-Paced history courses

But if you can afford to spend a little money on a program that will really engage your kids, think about Veritas Press's self-paced courses.

You can get a two-week free trial for these homeschool history courses.

And what a course!

This is a program that grades itself. It has lots of games and interactive learning.

They also teach history in a chronological way, linking biblical and secular histories.

Veritas Press also offers LIVE Online lessons and a You-Teach version of homeschool history.

I recommend you do a free consultation with them, as many people buy too much and waste their money on this one.

Veritas offers five different self-paced history courses which cover from anceint times to today's digital world.

Each course costs around $250, and you get 12 months of access to the course for this price.

Schoolhouse Teachers

But what if that's just way out of the budget - as it will be for many of us?

What if you could get all your homeschool curriculum for all grades, all subjects (including history), and all electives for a total price of $270?

Schoolhouse Teachers offers you all of this plus more for $270 (or if you just want grades Pre-K to 8th, you can get that for $209).

Schoolhouse Teachers, which is an entirely online program featuring text-based lessons and video lessons (depending on the course you're using), has a massive range of history curriculum programs, including World History, American History, Ancient and Modern History.

They also have lots of fun history electives (about 60 of them actually - I'm not kidding) like their:

• Drive Thru History Series

• Classical Mythology

• and their Fashions in History course.

If you like the sound of Schoolhouse Teachers and their history options, I cover some of them plus more of their exciting courses in the video below. Have a watch!