Determine the right curriculum for your child. Complete homeschooling testing yearly to gauge the education level of your child. Purchasing books too difficult for them will hold them back, and those too basic will not allow them to do as well as they could. Take tests available online to find the most appropriate curriculum (see Resources below).
Find curricula that meet your religious goals, if needed. Christian, Jewish and many other religions offer homeschooling books designed specifically to teach these subjects. These curricula are not just for religious studies--they will include social studies, sciences and even health books (see Resources below).
Purchase homeschooling books for the appropriate age and educational level of your child. Learn the contents of any homeschooling program before using it by visiting the companies' websites and learning what is included. Look for how recent the information provided is by looking at the copyright date (see Resources below).
Invest in lesson plans for the homeschooling books, if available. If too costly, use homeschooling resources such as forums and message boards to find free lesson plans from other parents that will correlate with the student's curriculum. Lesson plans give the parent teacher the ability to explain the concept better and various options for teaching the subject, including games, worksheets, question and answer help and others (see Resources below).
Get reviews of any curriculum if you are unsure about it. Parents regularly provide this information to other parents. You can also join homeschooling message boards to communicate and ask questions at (see Resources below).