Christian Homeschool Curriculum to Help You Follow God’s Method of Education
Give Your Children a Well-Rounded Education, Prepare Them for Life, and Position Them to Lead Their Families In the Next Generation
How can you prepare your children to follow Christ in an anti-Christ world?
Over the last 50 years, we have interacted with hundreds if not thousands of Christian homeschool families. Here’s what we have come to realize…
● Any parent who can teach their children God’s Word can give them an outstanding education.
● Using a homeschool curriculum that fails to integrate God’s Word and keep Christ at the center in every subject will do your children an EXTREME disservice.
● Helping your children to follow Christ calls for a Christian-discipleship method of education.
The Biggest Mistake Homeschool Families Make Is Using the Wrong Method of Education
Let me outline the basic principles for those who are serious about keeping their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). First, however, we need to identify a few wrongheaded assumptions about education, contrasted with a right approach.
Three Philosophies of Education
(Which one is yours?)
Sometimes we assume something to be right, but this assumption turns out to be very wrong. When we’re dealing with the education of our children, these mistakes can prove fatal. Let’s be sure that we’re not “robbing” our children by believing the wrong philosophies, “according to the basic principles of the world” (Col. 2:8). This warning is as relevant today as it was for the church in Colossae 2,000 years ago.
Wrong Philosophy #1:
Education Can Be Worldview Neutral
Some believe that the “facts” of science, history, or any other subject can be taught from an unbiased or neutral perspective. So, when they choose teachers or curriculum for their children, they look for what is presented as “academically excellent,” but they forget to check the worldview under-girding the material.
Of course, there can be no neutrality. Consider history, for example. Some events and some persons are more important than others. We take the position that Jesus Christ is more important than Augustus Caesar and that William Carey was far more important than Napoleon. Science that assumes a Creator will be taught far differently than science that assumes a universe originating and operating by random chance.
Wrong Philosophy #2:
Education Must Be Secular
There are also some who believe that education and curriculum must be secular while the church and the Bible must remain sacred in a class by themselves. Such people do their best to keep Scripture out of the history class, the science class, and the literature class. But how can we include God’s Word as a frontlet on our gates and on our walls if education and discipleship is kept in the secular realm? The “secular” approach still assumes that neutrality can exist in education. But this is merely a deception, a cloaked way to introduce the wrong worldview to our children. This leads us to…
Of course, there can be no neutrality. Consider history, for example. Some events and some persons are more important than others. We take the position that Jesus Christ is more important than Augustus Caesar and that William Carey was far more important than Napoleon. Science that assumes a Creator will be taught far differently than science that assumes a universe originating and operating by random chance.
The Right Philosophy (#3):
Education Must Be Christian
These are the parents who recognize the truth that education can never be unbiased, so they give their children the only true bias: God’s bias. Their children will be the ones who will be able to discern between God’s Truth and Satan’s lies like a banker can tell true money from counterfeit. Their children will be the ones who are best able to deal with life’s difficulties because they “know the Truth that sets men free.” Their children will almost automatically be positioned to be leaders because they have a bigger perspective, a bigger vision, and a more grounded hope for the future than others around them. These parents are the ones who are preparing their children to keep the faith.
Of course, there can be no neutrality. Consider history, for example. Some events and some persons are more important than others. We take the position that Jesus Christ is more important than Augustus Caesar and that William Carey was far more important than Napoleon. Science that assumes a Creator will be taught far differently than science that assumes a universe originating and operating by random chance.
Let’s commit to Philosophy #3!
Most of us know Christian families who had a VERY basic educational plan, but their children learned God’s Word well. And they were prepared to live fruitful lives for Christ.
We’ve also seen Christian families who appeared to give their children a top-level education. They helped them get into the best colleges. But they saw them walk away from the faith and end up in spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy. In the end, any education which rejects God’s truth will be a bad education and a false view of knowledge.
The right Christian discipleship approach, the right curriculum, will make a difference, friends. Most importantly, Jesus calls us as parents to “bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.” The question we are challenged with is this—how can we best do this?
The Christian Discipleship Model of Education . . . Let’s Define Some Terms
There’s often confusion when people talk about discipling their children and giving them a Christian education. People can use the same words but mean very different things. I don’t want to leave you confused, so let’s define some terms.
Education
What are you trying to accomplish?
Education is the process of preparing a child intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for life and eternity. Unfortunately, we tend to think of education as only a brain thing. So K-12 is all about cramming as many facts into our children’s brains as possible. The problem is, your child ISN’T just a brain.
In Ephesians 6:4, the Apostle Paul says: “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” The Greek word he uses for “training,” paideia, referred to the process of preparing an ideal citizen for the ideal state. What Paul was telling Christian fathers to do is to teach their children about the Lord in every facet of life. Why? To prepare them to be ideal citizens (faithful Christians) for the ideal state (serving Christ and His Kingdom).
As you educate your children, remember: a “well-rounded” educational program is preparing every facet of your child for serving Christ and His Kingdom.
Family Discipleship
HOW should you teach your children?
If education is the PROCESS of preparing our children for life and eternity, family discipleship is God’s METHOD. Biblical family discipleship is the walk-along, talk-along teaching relationship between parents and children. Probably the clearest expression of discipleship in Scripture is Deuteronomy 6:6-7: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Discipleship is teaching the whole child (mind, emotions, spirit, and body) in the context of real-life instead of just sticking them in front of a textbook. For example, a parent and a child might spend some time in a textbook learning the theory of math, but then they close the book and go life-apply math by building that shed in the backyard.
This is the method Jesus used with His disciples. This is how faith in Christ gets passed on to the next generation—and this is the best way to prepare children for adult life.
Biblical Worldview
WHAT should you teach your children?
A biblical worldview is God’s framework for living life. A biblical worldview helps your children answer two major questions:
#1 How should I interpret the ideas I encounter in life? This is the aspect of worldview that you’re probably most familiar with. What should your children believe? Where did they come from? What is right? What is wrong? How do they tell the difference between truth and lies? This is where you prepare your children to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-6).
#2 What’s most important in life? A biblical worldview helps your children decide where to spend their time and resources. So when you’re teaching history, don’t just teach God’s perspective of history, but teach the most important parts of history: Jesus and the spread of the Gospel.
Best Books, Best Teachers
WHO should teach your children?
The best books and best teachers are those with a biblical worldview. This is where you help your children apply a biblical worldview by deciding who they should learn from. Those who honor God as the source of all knowledge will give the most accurate presentation of the facts and will best prepare your children for life.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). If your children will become like their teachers, who do you want their teachers to be? Mark Twain may be revered as a greater writer than John Bunyan, but Bunyan will prepare your children to be faithful Christians who labor to serve Christ and His kingdom. Twain will not.
Worship & Life Application
How should my children USE what they learn?
Worship and life application in education is about helping your children do what they were created to do: worship God and work creatively like He does (Gen. 1-2). This is where the spiritual and physical aspects of education really come into play. And this is where learning gets fun.
In Psalm 8, David looked at the stars and then wrote a song of worship to God. Science, history, and math can be transformed from boring to utterly fascinating when children begin to see God’s fingerprints in it all.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas. 1:22-24). Learning without life application is the fastest way for children to become horribly proud and set up to fail: they’ve learned the theory, but they haven’t learned how to use it. Helping your children life-apply what they’re learning is the single biggest thing that will help them survive and thrive in adult life. Learning will become exciting when children can see how it will help them in real life.
Your 4-Pillar Strategy for a Christian Discipleship Education
The framework I’m about to share with you is the exact process my wife and I have used—imperfectly implemented—to prepare our children for life. This is the method of education that I believe God has commanded parents to follow ever since He created the world. It’s also what the early church fathers and reformers have been talking about for the past 2,000 years.
This is an approach to education that you can use no matter whether you’re teaching a five-year-old or college-level and beyond.
● #1: Family Discipleship
● #2: Biblical Worldview
● #3: Best Teachers, Best Books
● #4: Worship and Life Application
A biblical plan for your children’s education eliminates the Am-I-giving-my-children-a-good-enough-education? guessing game. Your job as a parent simply becomes a matter of faithfulness. God will provide the results in the lives of your children. If you faithfully follow these four pillars, you can expect to see God working through you in the lives of your children.
Pillar #1: Family Discipleship
You’re probably already discipling on some level. But I’d like to challenge you to make the complete shift to a discipleship method of education. Help your children get ready for life and eternity by preparing them as a whole person: mind, emotions, spirit, and body. Use the Word of God as your core curriculum. Discuss it with your children and teach them how to apply God’s truth to every area of their life. Organize your educational plan so that you (dad and mom) can be involved as much as possible.
Pillar #2: Biblical Worldview
Give your children a biblical framework for living life in three ways:
● #1: Teach them that the most essential building block of knowledge (above and beyond every other component) is the fear of God (Prov. 1:7).
● #2: Teach your children that Christ must be preeminent in history, literature, and science (Col. 1:18).
● #3: Give your children a strong biblical foundation so that they can tell the difference between truth and lies and defend the faith (2 Cor. 10:4-6).
Pillar #3: Best Teachers, Best Books
Prepare your children to live powerful Christian lives by helping them learn from the great Christian writers and thinkers of history. Give them the best Christian books that have stood the test of time. As you choose books and teachers for your children, choose those which are first the most God-honoring, and second the most skillful as teachers.
Pillar #4: Worship and Life Application
This is where the first three pillars all come together. Disciple your children by helping them to look for and praise God as they study history. Teach them to pray to God for help when they are stuck on a math problem. Help them find ways to use what they are learning in real-life RIGHT NOW. Help them remember that they are studying for a purpose: to live their life well in the service of Jesus Christ.
The Biggest Challenge You’ll Face . . . Plugging All of This into Your Daily Homeschool
At this point, I hope you’re feeling inspired. But my guess is you’re also feeling overwhelmed. Finding a good homeschool curriculum is hard enough. Piecing together your homeschool curriculum based on everything I’ve shared here will take a LOT of work. The fact is, almost nothing on the curriculum market is designed for a discipleship method of education. You’ll have to modify it.
So you’re left with two main options:
● #1: Teaching “school” and Bible separately and running the risk of your children subconsciously thinking of their faith and their education as separate parts of life. OR . . .
● #2: Doing a lot of extra work to integrate Scripture into the curriculum you’re already using. And, as a busy parent, that’s hard to do.
We couldn’t find it, so we created it…
The Christian Discipleship Curriculum
Years ago, as a young homeschool dad, I searched the market for homeschool curriculum that would fit with a Christian Discipleship method of education. I couldn’t find anything that I could just pull out of the box and use. My wife and I felt like we were constantly filling in biblical worldview holes. I knew we weren’t the only family in this situation, so I decided to create my own curriculum.
Our team at Generations has spent the past fifteen years developing a line of distinctively Christian homeschool curriculum that helps parents integrate God’s Word into every subject. We’re calling it the Christian Discipleship Curriculum.
If you’re wanting to follow a Christian discipleship method in your children’s education, this curriculum is the fastest way to get started NOW!
What You Can Do with the Christian Discipleship Curriculum
1. Teach a God-centered view of life
This is the very heart of the worldview difference between a curriculum built on the rock and one built on sand. Why is everything coming crashing down around us? Jesus said the house built on sand would come down, and “great would be its fall.” The right truth is God’s truth. The right view of history, science, and all of life must be a God-centered view. The fatal mistake made by humanist curriculum is that man is at the center of everything.
The Christian Discipleship approach must put God at the center. Almost every page in our science curriculum acknowledges God and gives Him praise. Our entire history curriculum is built around Jesus, His coming and His missions. We are dedicating each primary school year to the spread of Christ’s Kingdom in each continent around the world through the centuries. We talk of government and economics, but Christ is predominant, preeminent, and the center of it all. Set our curriculum side by side with the typical curriculum out there. Compare the titles of the textbooks. What’s the difference? It’s a worldview difference.
2. Integrate the Bible…everywhere!
As you set out to identify the best curriculum for your children, keep it simple. What does God want? Deuteronomy 6:7-9 makes it very simple. The Word of God must be integrated, with Bible verses on your door, on your walls, and throughout your curriculum. We call this “frontlet” curriculum. The frontlet is like God’s truth hanging before our children’s eyes, integrated into their curriculum, their hearts, and their lives. This is our hope and prayer.
We’ve worked very hard to integrate Scripture into our Christian Discipleship curriculum. We don’t want random verses scattered about like holy water sprinkled over the material. God’s Word must speak authoritatively—but also relevantly—to every subject, so we include hundreds of verses in each of our textbooks, tying biblical truths in to the material at hand. God’s truth is always the most important, and His truth does tie in to His creation, science and history, social studies, ethics, and literature. Set our curriculum side-by-side with typical curriculum used in schools and homeschools. Look through the text for God’s Word in each, and you will see the difference.
3. Follow God’s method of family discipleship
Discipleship isn’t a minor aspect of education; it’s one of its most essential elements. But why is it so important for fathers and mothers to engage in discipleship as they rise up, as they walk by the way, and as they sit down to study history or science? This is the approach Jesus left us in Ephesians 6:4, Deuteronomy 6:7-9, and the Book of Proverbs. Above all, discipleship is the very heart of our curriculum. You can find plenty of learning institutions, schools, and academies out there. They promise to instill facts into the brains of children, but they don’t refer to their institutions as “Family Discipleship Centers.” There is no family. There are no parents. There is little discipleship going on, at least as Jesus had in mind. We present our curriculum as specifically geared toward “Family Discipleship Centers.” That’s a fancy description for . . . your home!
Our reading and literature curriculum tie in faith lessons because we want parents to take an opportunity (at least on occasion) to go over this material orally with their children. We’ve reprinted classics like Heidi and have included wonderful faith lessons at the end of each chapter which moms can go over with their kids. We encourage reading out loud as much as possible. We also provide the Family Bible Study Guides as a unique feature—a mandatory feature—of our program. We want dads especially to be involved with the 15-20-minute part of the Family Discipleship approach.
4. Combine learning with worship and life application
One of the most dangerous, deadening, and wasteful elements of modern education is that it leaves out worship, reverence for God, prayer, and life application.
Our science curriculum doesn’t merely provide suggestions for theory and theoretical labs. We actually present real-life application opportunities in every chapter. The most important real-life application is prayer, praise, and worship. Typically, at the end of each chapter in the science and history courses, you will find prayers of praise and petition and even hymns.
Since so much of education appears irrelevant to the student, he’ll often turn into a hearer of the Word but not a doer. School becomes a stultifying, boring, unuseful experience for the child. This is why we don’t want the student to go for more than a page or two without seeing the usefulness of the material he’s studying . . . the awesomeness of God and the praiseworthiness of His works!
Help Your Children Succeed in Core Subjects
As a homeschool parent, you might be feeling a lot of pressure to cover as many subjects as possible during K-12 so that you don’t leave gaps in your children’s education. And when you think about what they haven’t learned yet, that little knot of fear hits you in the stomach (“Am I failing my kids?”).
Let’s face it, none of us will have enough time on this earth to learn everything there is to know. And you certainly can’t teach your children everything during K-12. What you can do is give them a thorough understanding of the most important subjects. If you do, they will be prepared to learn whatever is needed as an adult.
That’s why the Christian Discipleship Curriculum covers these five core subjects:
Bible and Family Discipleship
The Bible track includes our in-depth Family Bible Study Guides. This is the heart of discipleship in the home, and God has uniquely equipped moms and dads to this task. However, the Family Bible Study Guides can be very helpful to stimulate discussions around the content questions for each section. While reading straight through the whole Bible is important, families should also press for depth by digging into the Gospels, Genesis, Psalms, and Proverbs. Our children need to know this content, every verse of it. However, we want to see these truths lived out in our children’s lives, surrounded with prayer, and hidden in the heart, so that “the man of God . . . will be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
History
Above all other areas of curriculum, Christian parents are calling for a God-centered, Jesus-centered, biblical worldview perspective for the critical subject of history. Our children need a 2,000-year, worldwide perspective of the kingdom of God and the work of Christ around the world. They’re not getting this perspective from the history courses available today. We realize that the time is ripe for a completely unique—a Christ-centered and a missions-oriented—approach to World History. Most history books don’t recognize God’s providential hand in every chapter, and that is what this coursework provides. The empires of men are failing, but the work of Jesus around the world is flourishing. We must tell this story to our children and our grandchildren—now. It is the most important story to tell because it is His Story!
Literature
Some will give their children “the great books.” But we weren’t satisfied with the great books for the literature class, so we settled on the best books. What’s the most important literature ever written? What are the best books? The answer was obvious. The Bible is by far the best book ever written—and we wanted to be sure our children had inculcated the stories contained in God’s Word over the first five primary years of reading. Our fifth grade curriculum is complete, and it’s called “God’s Big Story.” In it, we work through the entire redemptive history of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Then we chose the best Christian writings for 6th through 11th grade literature. Our children should have access to the best Christian teachers who write the best books long before they are introduced to the false worldviews that come through the “great” classical writers. Literature studies help children answer BIG questions like: What is mankind? And how should people treat each other? Obviously, Christian and non-Christian literature will give very different answers to these crucial questions. That’s why we’ve chosen the greatest Christian writers and thinkers from the last 2,000 years of history for our literature curriculum. Once our children are well-rooted in a Christian worldview, we introduce them to the worldviews and literature of the unbelieving world. Our 12th grade literature course Worldviews in Conflict carefully analyzes the false worldviews of William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway (as well as the “great” philosophers of the Western world).
Worldview & Science
The great worldview battle between the theistic perspective and the anti-supernatural, materialistic perspective is waged in the subjects of science and the social sciences. We present a radically God-centered, biblically-based approach in our curriculum against the humanist, naturalist approach. Above all, we want our children to see the hand of God in the world around them—active, powerful, creative, wise, merciful, and sovereign. We want our children to immediately ascribe the creative wonders of this universe to the Lord Jesus Christ on every page, with every revelation of God’s creative wisdom. We are not simply anti-evolution. We are proactively for God, for the glory of God, for singing the praises of God, and for taking dominion of His creation according to His law. This is a vastly different approach, completely opposite to the way the world presents science and the social sciences.
We present a biblical approach to truth, reality, ethics, family, church, and state in our social sciences, which we contrast with the world’s deceptions in this worldview component.
Christian Character
What does it mean to be a godly man or woman? Christian Character studies help your children answer that question. This is an absolutely vital subject that is often forgotten. These courses focus on helping your children learn how to practically work out their faith as Christian men and women.
Grade Levels
Prepare Your Children for Life
with Christian Discipleship Curriculum
● SOLVED: The Academics/Faith Tension: We’ve taken some of the greatest Christian books from the past 2,000 years and turned them into homeschool curriculum. There’s no reason why an academically excellent education and a Christian education can’t be the same thing.
● Move Education Beyond Your Child’s Brain: Teach your child’s whole person (mind, body, spirit, and emotions) with discussion questions and assignments that help them immediately apply what they’re learning to real life.
● Save Time—Teach Multiple Ages Together: How? We created our curriculum to be as read-aloud-friendly as possible. This allows you to read and discuss with multiple ages at the same time.
● Make Learning Exciting: Boring Books + Pointless Assignments = Less Learned. Our curriculum eliminates the boredom factor by helping your children apply their learning in real life.
● Protect Your Children from Deceptive Ideas: How do bankers spot counterfeit money? They spend most of their time looking at the real deal. Our curriculum follows the same process by giving your children a solid foundation in God’s Word and the great Christian classics.
● Prepare Your Children to Make Wise Life Decisions: When your children have learned a biblical worldview framework, they will be prepared to look at the ideas, opportunities, and relationships they encounter in life and make wise choices.
● Position Your Children to Be Godly Leaders for Home and Society: Good leaders help others make good decisions. By giving your children a Biblical perspective on every area of life, they will be prepared to lead their own families and others in their communities as God gives them opportunity.
● Don’t Break the Bank: We know that curriculum can get expensive, and that’s why we’ve worked so hard to make our curriculum incredibly affordable. We don’t want price to hold back your discipleship.
What others are saying…
“We have been so thankful for the Worldviews in Conflict, Taking the World for Jesus and America in God’s Providence books. They have been just what we have prayed for in teaching materials: easy to use, interesting, full of Scripture application, and thoroughly submitted to the sovereignty of God. Our children have enjoyed learning from them and we often hear them making connections with what they’ve learned in their lives.”
Kelle S. – Michigan, United States
“Finally a history curriculum that teaches God’s providence in all of history! Told from a biographical, first person view, the events in history come alive for my children. My high school age boys LOVE history now and retain much of what they learn. This curriculum glorifies God and teaches HIS-Story!”
Terri M. – ID, United States
“We have all levels of the literature curriculum. For a busy mom of many, this has been a God-send! My kids love the books and I love the built-in accountability and deep thinking required to follow through with assignments. We have wonderful discussions sparked by the questions and essays. My kids are learning a lot and becoming better writers by reading such wonderful classics.”
Kim F. – Virginia, United States
“Great Christian Adventures is by far our favorite Literature program. Both of my sons have loved the stories and I have been grateful to find a curriculum that has taken out the guessing game of which books are best for young Christian children to read. Also, the workbook with vocabulary words, reading comprehension questions, and suggestions for the book report to write at the end of the reading is exceptional. We will continue to use all of this program throughout high school.”
Annette K. – TN, United States
Feedback from our curriculum users…
“We are using the Great Christian Stories Set. I find the curriculum to be very well put together. It is incredibly easy to use. It is encouraging to be using a curriculum that glorifies God.”
Melissa L. – Oklahoma, United States
“Worldviews in Conflict has been eye-opening to trace the roots of humanism in our culture and how it has infiltrated so many influential areas of life! I used it in our co-op this year and we have had great discussions with our high school students about the material. It has really helped them to see that IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!”
Annette H. – Florida, United States
“I have three kids under three and am homeschooling my teenager. We all enjoy the Great Christian Adventures series so I am able to read out loud while the toddlers play. The stories aren’t the same boring books I hated to read in school, but books even toddlers request I start the school day with.”
Sara M. – Michigan, United States
Implement God’s method of education in your homeschool.
Step #1
Order Your Curriculum
Choose from our line of 1st-12th grade Christian Curriculum resources
Step #2
Follow the Easy-to-Use Lesson Plans
Use the lesson plans, assignments, and discussion questions included as your quick-start guide in discipling your children.
Step #3
Prepare Your Children for Life
As you follow God’s Word in the education of your children, you will see Him blessing your efforts and preparing your children to be godly leaders in the next generation.
Questions you might be asking…
Two years from now…
Where will your children be two years from now? Will they have a deeper understanding of God’s Word and be better prepared to discern God’s Truth from Satan’s lies?
OR . . . Will they be colder towards Christ, lured away by deceptive worldviews?
We know that God must work in our children’s hearts if they will walk in the way of truth. For that reason, we both pray fervently for our children and we disciple them in the truth. We have produced the Christian Discipleship Curriculum to provide you with tools and a framework for faithfully discipling your children.
Buy it. Use it. And trust God to work in the lives of your children.
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Our Vision
The vision of Generations (formerly Generations with Vision) is to pass on the faith to the next generation through the biblical family, discipleship, and education. We equip families and churches around the world through our daily radio programs, discipleship resources, the Christian Curriculum Project, and discipleship events and retreats.
Contact Us
Phone: (888) 389-9080
Email: mail@generations.org
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you have about our ministry.