3rd/4th Grade Orthodox Christian Homeschool Curriculum Picks for 2026-2027 School Year

Update May 2026: I have made quite a few changes to my plans since I first wrote this!

Based on a few conversations I've had lately, it seems that I plan for the next school year much earlier than most. However, I have gotten better! During the first half of the 2020s, I generally purchased most of my curriculum the October before the beginning of the next school year. That's like ten months early! This year I'm trying to hold off until the summer before, but we'll see. So without further ado, this is the homeschool curriculum that I have picked for 3rd/4th grade for the 2026-2027 school year. (If you have a blog or vlog somewhere with your own homeschool picks list, feel free to post it in the comments. I think it's always so great when homeschooling parents can share ideas, and possibly learn about a curriculum they have never heard of before that would be perfect for their own child.)

So, here we go:

Math: We will be continuing with Christian Light Education (CLE). As the homeschool math saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I am also using CLE for my older son in general, but we will be using Jacob's Geometry by Master Books (with videos) since CLE does not have a Sunrise Edition available for Geometry yet. I generally avoid Master Books, though, since they publish a history curriculum that discusses iconoclasm as if it's a good thing, and it's actually a heresy.

Foreign Language: This year we are finishing up Prima Latina by Memoria Press. We will continue with Latina Christiana by Memoria Press next year, but we will be using the Two-Year Lesson Plans.

Science: We will be using the newly released Christian Light Education Science 4. However, to make the curriculum more interesting, and if we have time, I will be using a variety of lap books and such from Teachers Pay Teachers to reinforce the material.

History/Social Studies: For my son's second grade year, we have covered much of early American History. I have had a really hard time finding a brand of history curriculum that I love (hence, making two of my own products). Next year, I am going to try Discover! Curriculum. Discover! Curriculum is made by a company that produces neutral social studies curriculum and I am going to give it a try.

Geography: I love Down to Earth Geography, so I'm hoping it is not too redundant with our Social Studies curriculum. I think the short exercises are perfect for helping kids memorize where things are, since when they label various countries, etc. they are doing so in connection with interesting facts and questions. (Even though I love this curriculum, and actually purchased it through the 6th grade level because it is getting harder to find, I'm a bit worried we won't have time for it since math seems to be taking longer at the late 3rd grade/4th grade level!)

English Writing/Grammar: We are sticking with BJU Press English for grammar and basic writing. (We might supplement with CAP Writing & Rhetoric Fable if we have time.)

Literature: We will be working through CLE Reading Grade 4 and several Progeny Press Study Guides.

Art: My son feels he has outgrown the teaching style of I Can Do All Things so we are moving on to Studio Articulations 2 released by Christian Light Education. I can't wait! This curriculum looks amazing, but it seemed too much when he was in early elementary school.

Critical Thinking: We will continue with Building Thinking Skills 1.

Penmanship: I think I will incorporate penmanship into our subjects! What I have planned requires a lot of writing, so I'm not sure if it would be fair to ask for more!

Vocabulary: If time allows, I would like to schedule in Vocabulary from Classical Roots.

Spelling: Lastly, I will be using a combination of Building Spelling Skills and Poetry Memorization for spelling again.

Bible: We are going to use Christian Studies 1 by Memoria Press, using the Simply Classical Levels 5&6 Lessons Plans. This should make the program completely verbal without any writing!

This list does not include our Orthodox Christian Education! We will be finishing the Orthodox Christian Morning Time Curriculum, reading various saints lives/spiritual books.

I am grateful for our Orthodox Christian Co-op that, while small and just getting off the ground, provides another source of Orthodox Christian Education.

We will have 10 more weeks of the morning time curriculum remaining when we start again. My oldest son (who will be a high school freshman) will be moving on from doing morning time with us on most days since he will have online classes. What I have found is that the Orthodox Christian Morning Time Curriculum that I made is what I had hoped it to be, but it is a LOT of material. It is taking us two weeks on average to through one week of material due to various activities and commitments. So I think the 32 weeks can easily turn into a 2.5 year curriculum for some families!