How to Choose Homeschool Textbooks

Updated

Start by matching textbooks to your child's grade, your teaching style, and how much parent-led instruction you want. Abeka, a Christian curriculum publisher operating since 1972, organizes homeschool textbooks by grade and subject, and offers full-grade kits, subject kits, and separate student and parent materials. If you want a traditional, parent-led, print-based approach, its structure is built for that. If you prefer video or digital instruction, the same publisher sells those formats separately, so you can compare before committing to print.

Decide what "textbook" means for your family

Before comparing titles, settle three questions:

  • Who teaches? Parent-led means you present the lesson and the textbook supports you. Video or digital formats shift part of that delivery elsewhere.
  • Print, video, or digital? Abeka lists student materials, parent materials, kits, video lessons, and digital options as distinct categories. These are not interchangeable, so pick the format first.
  • Full grade or single subject? A full-grade kit covers all subjects for one year. A subject kit covers one subject. Buying single subjects lets you mix publishers; buying a full-grade kit keeps scope and sequence aligned.

Compare the same dimensions across options

Dimension What to check Why it matters
Grade and subject coverage Does the publisher list your child's exact grade? Abeka's shop is organized by grade from 18–24 months through 12th grade
Kit contents What student and parent materials are included? A kit is not the same as buying items individually
Teaching format Parent-led, video, or digital Determines your daily time commitment
Sequence and difficulty Scope & Sequence and grade-level curriculum overview Shows what is taught when, and how hard it gets
Samples Sample video lessons, catalog, brochures Lets you judge tone and pacing before buying
Faith alignment Statement of beliefs and subject distinctives Confirms the worldview matches your family's

Use the publisher's own planning tools

Abeka publishes resources specifically for this decision:

  • Curriculum Overview by Grade — see what a full year covers at each level.
  • Scope & Sequence — the topic-by-topic map of what is taught and when.
  • Catalog, Order Forms & Brochures — printed and downloadable overviews of available materials.
  • Sample Video Lessons and Teacher Bios — useful if you are weighing video against print.
  • Getting Started with Homeschooling — an onboarding section for families new to this.
  • Program Comparison — a side-by-side of available program types.

Read the Scope & Sequence for your child's grade first. It answers "is this too easy or too hard?" faster than any product description.

Check kits against individual items

A common mistake is assuming a kit and its individual parts are identical purchases. Abeka separates Student Materials, Parent Materials, Kits, and Digital, which means:

  1. Identify whether you need parent materials (answer keys, lesson plans) or only student books.
  2. Check whether the kit you are considering already includes both.
  3. If you only need one subject, compare the subject kit against buying the pieces separately.

If you are reusing materials from an older sibling, confirm which components are consumable and which are reusable before ordering a full kit.

Confirm price, returns, and ordering before you buy

The site references pricing and a Flexible Video Pricing option for video programs, but specific prices, return windows, and payment terms are not stated in the available page content. Before ordering:

  • Look for the current price on the product page itself, since catalog prices can lag.
  • Check the ordering information and returns policy pages directly.
  • Note that Abeka lists a Quick Order and Ordering Information section for placing orders.
  • If you are outside the U.S., check the International Program page for availability.

Do not assume a listed program is free or requires no account — the site shows a login and account creation flow, and pricing is referenced without published figures in the material available here.

A practical sequence

  1. Write down your child's grade, the subjects you need, and whether you will teach in person.
  2. Open the Curriculum Overview by Grade and read the Scope & Sequence for that grade.
  3. Decide format: print kit, individual print items, video, or digital.
  4. Compare a full-grade kit against subject kits if you only need some subjects.
  5. Verify kit contents against the student and parent material lists.
  6. Check current price, return policy, and shipping before checkout.

If you are still deciding between a Christian curriculum generally and a specific publisher's textbooks, the grade-level overview and scope documents are the fastest way to see whether the content and pacing fit your child.