How do you explain concepts like fairness, community, or even just where countries are on a map to a five-year-old who still thinks their backyard is the whole world?
At home, social studies can be one of the most interesting parts of your kiddo’s week — or the most puzzling. Choosing the right curriculum helps make those big ideas feel approachable and engaging.
This guide breaks down what social studies looks like for homeschooling families, different curriculum options, and additional resources to help you bring concepts to life.
Social studies helps kids understand the world around them and their place in it. It’s a blend of civics, geography, economics, cultural studies, and community. These subjects come together through questions, stories, and real-life experiences.
A well-rounded homeschool social studies curriculum might start with discussions on fairness or how to solve a problem as a group. Kids might explore maps and globes, and learn about different landforms and oceans.
In economics, they’ll learn how people work, earn, and make choices between needs and wants. Cultural studies open kids’ eyes to the many ways people celebrate, express themselves, and live, while community learning brings it all home by showing how neighborhoods work together and how individuals can contribute.
Kids are already making sense of the world long before formal lessons begin. Maybe your kiddo has asked why people speak differently or has expressed a desire to go with you when you vote.
Social studies builds on that natural curiosity. It shapes children’s civic identity and invites them to consider what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves.
It also supports important academic skills, like literacy and critical thinking. A study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that social studies in elementary school improves reading skills because it encourages reading across contexts and deeper comprehension.
As kids learn to spot bias, consider different perspectives, and evaluate information, they strengthen critical thinking skills that they’ll use throughout life.
Exposure to different cultures also builds empathy and openness. Social studies helps kids appreciate diversity and take early steps toward becoming thoughtful global citizens.
Social studies covers a lot of subjects, from geography to civics, so figuring out how to teach at home can feel a little overwhelming. But most homeschooling families choose one of these approaches:
All-in-one programs offer a clear structure and progression, taking the planning and prepping pressure off parents. Everything is laid out by day or week, with built-in assessments, reading lists, and activities to follow.
They’re often part of boxed curricula and tend to follow state or national standards. If you’re thinking of transitioning to a traditional school in the future, this may be a good choice.
Some families prefer a more flexible path by combining different resources based on their child’s interests and learning style. They might use textbooks, living books, activity packets, and thematic units from different social studies curriculum options for homeschooling families.
For example, they might combine a geography workbook with a map puzzle and a hands-on project about their favorite country. There’s more flexibility to adjust pacing and topics as your child progresses.
This approach centers around learning through real experiences, not just textbooks. It takes inspiration from the unschooling philosophy, where children learn best when they’re free to explore the world at their own pace.
There isn’t a formal curriculum, so learning can happen during family outings, community events, or project-based learning. It’s usually child-led, while parents act as guides and facilitators.
These five homeschool curricula offer different ways to explore social studies. For a homeschool history curriculum, you can also check out our list of choices and resources for teaching history.
Curiosity Chronicles is a secular, story-based program that brings you and your kiddo on an adventure around the world through the eyes of two curious characters.
Each lesson follows a dialogue between the characters and is designed to be read aloud and spark meaningful conversations.
The program blends civics, geography, culture, and world history with a global perspective. You'll find timeline kits, mapwork, writing prompts, and color photos to bring each topic to life.
Pros
Cons
Studies Weekly is a print-based curriculum that feels a bit like reading the newspaper’s kids' edition. Designed for K–6, it introduces weekly topics in civics, geography, economics, and culture.
The lessons are short and engaging, with colorful visuals, vocabulary, and simple reading. You’ll also get teacher guides, worksheets, and access to digital content.
Pros
Cons
With Layers of Learning, you’ll follow a unit-study curriculum that cycles through themes across four years. The units cover ancient civilizations, world cultures, mapping skills, and civic systems.
This social studies homeschool curriculum is meant to be flexible for families: you’ll get mentor guidebooks, library lists, printable worksheets, and hands-on projects to choose from. There’s also a “Book of Years” timeline system that lets kids visually track global events.
Pros
Cons
For a more traditional program, the Gallopade Social Studies Curriculum offers both state-specific and national options.
It’s primarily focused on United States history, civics, geography, economics, and citizenship, and it’s aligned with public school standards in the US. Your kiddo will work through a mix of reading passages, workbooks, and hands-on supplements to explore topics in a structured way.
Pros
Cons
Beyond the Page is a secular curriculum that ties together literature and hands-on learning. Each unit is built around a children’s book, with project-based activities and critical thinking questions.
Integrating social studies themes with language arts and science helps kids make connections across subjects. You can choose full kits that include the book and materials, or go with stand-alone guides if you prefer more flexibility.
Pros:
Cons:
Since social studies covers such a wide range of topics, it helps to have extra tools on hand to help concepts stick. Here are some additional resources to bring social studies to life at home.
Having visual references, like maps, timelines, and globes, goes a long way in helping your kiddo better grasp place, time, and distance. These learning tools are also great for reinforcing vocabulary, practicing spatial awareness, and encouraging question-asking.
Bring context to abstract ideas with these resources:
Learning about the world through the lives of real people, especially those who have made a great impact, can be empowering for children. Biographies and true stories bring world history and culture to life in a relatable and inspiring way.
Some great places to start are:
It’s always a good idea to step outside the classroom and get involved in your local community to learn about social studies. These real-world experiences can help your kiddo see how their world works and how to be a part of it.
Try these simple ideas to make learning feel more relevant for your child:
While homeschooling social studies can be very rewarding and meaningful, it can be difficult. Here are some of the most common challenges parents face and how to overcome them.
With the wide scope of topics, deciding what to focus on isn’t easy. Do I start with civics or culture? Should I follow a traditional sequence or my child’s interests? How do I make sure there aren’t any major gaps in their learning?
It can also be tricky to gauge what’s developmentally appropriate at each stage. You don’t want to introduce topics too early and confuse your child or wait too long and risk them falling behind.
Even after you’ve picked a general curriculum, narrowing down supplemental resources can take time and a lot of trial and error. You might find yourself toggling between too many tabs or figuring out which books, worksheets, or projects will actually support your kiddo’s goals.
If you’re just starting out, choose one anchor topic or theme that your child is interested in to begin with and build from there. For example, if they enjoy learning about what life is like in different countries, start with geography and culture.
Social studies is inherently complex because it asks big questions about world history, justice, identity, and how societies function.
Materials can vary in how they treat topics like colonization, civil war, and cultural history. Some may oversimplify tough truths, while others reflect unintentional bias.
Families may also bring their own worldview or religious perspectives. So, it’s important to find a program that matches your values. That also means vetting your curricula thoroughly to choose the right one for your family.
A good curriculum will ask open-ended questions, offer primary sources alongside narratives, and leave room for your family to discuss what you’re learning.
It’s easy to fall back on worksheets and flashcards, especially when you’re already really busy. However, just memorizing dates and facts may not be impactful enough for your kiddo. Kids learn best when content is connected to their lives.
Many parents struggle to integrate social studies into daily routines, except through worksheets. Without hands-on projects or real-world applications, learning can easily fall flat. At the same time, planning and prepping for these projects takes creativity and time.
Set aside time every few weeks to prepare a few hands-on activities in advance. Even one project per unit can boost engagement and memory retention.
The best way to learn about the world is by being a part of one. In bina’s online global classroom, your kiddo joins students from over 35 countries to explore big ideas. Kids don’t just study community or culture, they live it.
In our thematic biomes, kids dive into topics like geography, world history, civics, culture, and environmental science through project-based learning. For example, in the “Ocean” biome, they might map coastal regions, learn about marine ecosystems, and create a project tied to a UN sustainability goal like protecting marine life.
Along the way, our kiddos build empathy and global awareness by working with classmates from diverse backgrounds. Social-emotional learning happens naturally as they practice communication, collaboration, and sharing perspectives in a real-world context.
Our small classes (up to eight students) mean your child is always heard and seen. Teachers are able to adapt lesson plans in real-time and offer feedback based on your child’s interests and pace. Assessment is also built into projects, games, and everyday conversations, so growth is always visible.
bina’s social studies experience is rooted in connection; it’s how we make learning meaningful, memorable, and truly global.
