The Best Literature Based Homeschool History Curriculum
*This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Using a literature based homeschool history curriculum was something that I always intended to do with my children. There are so many benefits to it. However, taking the concept from simply being a concept to actually being a practical tool that can be used felt like a challenge.
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
​Thankfully, there are some beautiful resources already out there that have done the work for all of us overwhelmed homeschool moms.
We’re going to talk about one curriculum company today that is our absolute favorite for literature-based history lessons. In my years of homeschooling to date, this curriculum remains a firm favorite while others have slid to the side.
I am a book lover and this history curriculum totally fills up my bucket in that regard!
Psst! Read to the end for a fun giveaway!
What Makes Sonlight a Literature-Based Homeschool History Curriculum?
Before we jump into how this curriculum works, I want to share something that I feel is important.
We are currently using Sonlight History/Bible/Literature for our second year. These past two years I have bought all of the curriculum myself. So, I was THRILLED when presented with the opportunity to work with Sonlight. While I’m not being paid for this collaboration, they have provided me with the curriculum for free. This means that our history/bible/literature for 2025 is completely taken care of already. That is a huge blessing!
So, how exactly does Sonlight work? How do you teach the subject of history using a literature approach?
It’s really not as complicated as you might think.
Using a combination of intentionally chosen fiction and non-fiction literature, Sonlight curates a full year’s worth of history education all bundled together for you into a neat little package.
You will teach your children history simply by reading from the books which are in the package.
So many of us learned history through the use of dry and boring textbooks. Hence, many of us also don’t love the subject so much.
I know that for myself, I was not a fan of history as a student. However, as an adult now teaching my own children, I have developed a huge love of history!
In fact, I can speak to the fact that most of the history I actually learned about and retained was through the reading of good books as a teenage. Many of those books were fiction novels that were based on real historical events that took place.
​Sonlight steers clear of dry and boring textbooks and instead uses rich and wholesome literature to do the job of teaching history.
​The Benefits of a Literature-Based Approach
Why use a literature-based approach?
There are many benefits. One of which is that children are often much more likely to engage with something they can relate to in some capacity.
By using literature you are able to make history come alive for your children. Instead of a list of names and dates, they take on a journey through the lives of the people who lived before them.
Using literature also provides more perspectives. With the curated book list, your child will get varying perspectives on events that took place in history. This is a wonderful way for them to be able to see many sides of the same story and come to their own conclusions about how things took place.
Historical fiction may not be your first thought when considering the right approach with which to teach history, but by using quality literature you can have a complete curriculum that is full of great books and vast amounts of historical learning.
What You Get With a Sonlight Package
Sonlight can look overwhelming at first. With vast book lists, you might be wondering how much work is actually involved. The truth is, they couldn’t have made the process of teaching this curriculum any more easy. It’s so well put together!
​Sonlight offers history as part of a package. You will get history, bible, and literature all in one. You do not have to do all of it, but that is how it will come.
Each bundle comes with an instructor’s guide for the HBL package as well as an instructor’s guide for the leveled readers.
Inside the literature guide, you will find lots of helpful instruction and tips. It also contains all of the lesson plans for every subject. History studies could not be more simple to teach!
​There are two schedule options – either a 4-day or 5-day option.
We personally have always chosen a 4-day schedule to allow for more flexibility.
Each subject (history/bible/literature) is done 4-days per week. The lessons are short but engaging.
​In the Sonlight HBL Core B that we’re doing, there is no bookwork. Instead, you as the teacher will read aloud the assigned portions for the day and then ask any comprehension questions that are listed in the instructor’s guide.
There are also often discussion points and discussion questions found in there along with vocabulary words, and map work.
It is a Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum but doesn’t purely use her methods of teaching.
Traditional textbooks aren’t included. Instead, you’ll received a whole box full of real books that you will have great fun reading with your children.
The literature portion is meant to be read aloud by you as the parent in the early years, at least. History & Bible are also done with you. The leveled readers can be done independently or you could have your child read to you.
What We Love About Sonlight History/Bible/Literature
Last year we did Early American History together as a family using Sonlight and we had such a good time with it! This year we’re using their core that covers an Intro Into World Cultures.
Next year we’ll be doing the first half of World History. We are not American but I still wanted to provide my children to go about learning American history simply because of the impact America has had on the rest of the world. We really enjoyed our year and the education experience it provided to all of us (myself included!).
These are some of the things that we love about this curriculum:
- Learning Through Literature – I am a book lover. Using a literature program to teach the subject of history has been nothing short of fun and simple. I’ve loved that we have found new books to love that we might not otherwise have stumbled upon.
- Teaching the Whole Family – I teach all three of my children using one core. They are currently in kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade. Will they all remember everything? No, but we will review again where we need to as the years go by. I love being able to all sit together and learn the same things. It saves time, and money, and helps to foster a family closeness. Combining grade levels is easy with this curriculum.
- It’s So Easy to Use – This is an open-and-go homeschool curriculum. I do not have to read ahead. It is all done for me and so simple to use. The detailed instructor guide has everything you could possibly want in it.
- Many Subjects Are Covered – While the Sonlight core is advertised as history/bible/literature I have found through personal use that it is not limited to just those subjects. You’ll for sure cover a lot of geography and social studies by using this curriculum as well.
- Hands-On Activities – Sonlight offers a history activity kit for some of the levels. We’re using it this year and it has been a huge hit!
Who Is This Curriculum For?
So, who is this curriculum for? I would recommend this curriculum for the homeschool mom who wants:
- Open & Go
- Literature-based
- Family-style learning
- Short lessons
- Done for you
- Encourages critical thinking
- Stand-alone curriculum
- Different subjects combined
The HBL program is one that we as a family love and I’m sure that we’re not alone! Homeschool families often love to be able to combine grades without sacrificing quality learning. Using Sonlight is a great way to do just that. It is very easy to adjust for different ages and stages.
While the price tag on this homeschool curriculum is something that may be a barrier, I would encourage you to see exactly what it is you are getting. Not only are you provided with all the literature you’ll need to teach a full year of history, bible, and literature, but all of the prep work and lesson planning have also been done for you.
Sonlight is also extremely fair with its pricing. I have personally looked up the literature elsewhere to see how it compares and have found that Sonlight was either the same in price or considerably less.
You’ll also find that Sonlight runs promotional discounts throughout the year. Keep your eye out for those and you’ll find that you can get some great deals.
Giveaway!
Click on the image below to enter to win a free US Elections Lap Book.
Final Thoughts
Considering the fact that we’ll be using Sonlight HBL for the third year running come 2025, I think you can gather that we’re a fan of the rich literature that they provide. It is a very well thought out program that has been proven over and over again throughout the years. After all, they haven’t only just opened their doors. Sonlight has been around a long time.
As a homeschool mom of young children, this history curriculum has been perfect. It has been fun and engaging and I have been witness to the amount of history knowledge my children have gained since using it. Using literature-based curricula for history has only been a positive in our family.
Older students will also greatly benefit from using this curriculum, especially if you have an avid reader on your hands. Good literature is available from preschool-12th grade!
Sonlight is one of my all-time favorite homeschool curriculums that we’ve had the privilege of using in our homeschooling journey to date. I highly recommend checking out Sonlight and all the great literature they have to offer.
