Skip to the content
Peabody HomeschoolEvery homeschool law, plan, record and tool, free

Teaching history at home

Stories first, a timeline on the wall, and real sources from the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress holds photographs, maps, letters and recordings from American history that anyone can look at online, which makes primary sources an easy free supplement. At home, history is usually a read-aloud story, a timeline on the wall, and a question: what was it like to be there? Older children can read real documents and compare accounts.

Checked October 29, 2026.

By Peabody editors.

This is a plain-words summary, not legal advice. Laws change: check your state's current law and its education department before you act.

A way to start

  1. Read a story about one person or event, and add it to a timeline.
  2. Look at one picture or map from the time and describe what you see.
  3. Ask: who wrote this, and why?
  4. Visit a local museum, historic site or library.

The free path

Curriculum, if you want one

History and geography curricula compared. They are listed side by side with no ranking, and each one carries a one-word faith-based or secular label.

You don't have to be good at this to teach it

You can learn alongside your child. A timeline and a good read-aloud carry the course.

Check your state

Some states list the subjects a homeschool must cover. See the law page for your state.

Sources