You do not need a boxed curriculum to begin.

Preschool / Pre-K

Start with: a family Bible, paper/crayons, a few safe household objects, and ordinary indoor/outdoor family life.

No Preschool workbook or purchased book package is required. Typical guided time: about 25–40 minutes if all four short blocks are used. Day 5 is an optional family review, and it is always appropriate to stop while attention is still good.

Kindergarten

Start with: a family Bible, pencils/crayons, plain paper, simple counters or small household objects, and a few basic craft/school supplies you likely already own.

Matching printables are optional. Typical parent-led time: about 65–95 minutes depending on the rotating knowledge lesson and the child’s pace. Short Day keeps Bible, reading, and mathematics when a younger child needs less.

Grade 1

Start with: a family Bible, lined paper/notebook, pencil, simple math manipulatives or household counters, and access to ordinary books/maps when a lesson calls for them.

Printables support the lesson but are not the curriculum. Typical parent-led time: about 85–120 minutes; Friday may include a short Latin lesson. Short Day keeps the three core lessons when attention or family life requires a lighter day.

Grade 2

Start with: a family Bible, lined notebook, pencils, base-ten blocks or bundled sticks, ruler, analog clock model, coins, and a simple map or the app’s History Map.

Every core reading mini-passage and daily knowledge note is supplied. Optional family or library read-alouds can enrich the year, but the parent does not have to research before opening Day 1. Typical parent-led time: about 110–140 minutes; Friday’s brief Latin lesson may bring the day to about 118–152 minutes. Short Day keeps Bible, reading, and mathematics and leaves the remaining work for later. The course is newly built and still needs feedback from families using it day to day.

Grade 3

Start with: a family Bible, reading and writing notebooks, pencils, place-value materials, multiplication counters, ruler, clock, graph paper, the app’s supplied notes, and one quality chapter book or reader for the daily 10–15 minute independent-reading block.

Typical guided and independent time is about 92–112 minutes. Split reading or writing between morning and afternoon, use Short Day when family life requires it, and remember that a missed day does not make the child behind.

Family testing status: early. The Grade 3 lesson map is complete, but more families need to test pacing, clarity, and learning outcomes.

Grade 4 · family-test preview

Start with: a family Bible, pencils and notebooks, place-value blocks or counters, fraction strips or paper rectangles, ruler and protractor, graph paper, a clock, and simple household science materials. The reading passages, history cards, writing models, and math problems are supplied within the app; library books are optional supplements.

Typical teaching and independent time: about 100–125 minutes per day, depending on your child and whether you spread writing or reading across the day. Friday includes a brief Latin introduction. Use Short Day or pause for another day when needed.

Family testing needed. Grade 4 includes 36 weeks and 180 teaching days, but real-family experience is still needed to evaluate the pace, clarity, materials, printouts, and learning outcomes.

Grade 5 · family-test preview

Start with: a family Bible, notebooks, pencils, ruler, graph paper, optional fraction strips, simple household science materials, and an approved reader or library book. Core reading passages, notes, and math practice are included.

Typical combined teaching and independent time is about 115–145 minutes; split longer writing and reading as needed. The full 36-week sequence is authored, but classroom or household outcome evidence remains limited.

Grade 6 · beginning Logic Stage

Core supplies: a family Bible, pencils, notebook, blank maps/timeline, ruler, graph paper, optional fraction strips, and a few safe household science objects. All essential original readings, historical summaries, science data, math problems, and writing models are supplied; longer books are optional and may be substituted.

Typical daily guidance: approximately 110–140 minutes of combined teaching and independent work, often divided across the day; Friday Latin adds about 7–10 minutes. The new course is a family-test preview, not an expectation that a child master every lesson on schedule. Logic is practiced through Bible, literature, writing, mathematics, and knowledge study, without adding another class.

Grade 6 parent guide · Teaching the Logic Stage

View or print the 36-week Logic Stage term card · Repeated fallacies are marked as intentional review rather than presented as entirely new material.

The Grammar Stage builds knowledge and habits of attention. The Logic Stage uses that knowledge to ask why a claim follows, which evidence supports it, and which conclusions go beyond the source. It begins gradually in Grade 6. The parent remains the teacher; there is no required debate class, formal purchased logic text, or longer school day.

A short Socratic discussion (about 5–8 minutes)

1. Narrate: “What does the passage, verse, or data table actually say?”
2. Locate: “Point to the words, date, measurement, or verse supporting that claim.”
3. Define: “What does that important word mean in this context?”
4. Test: “Could there be another explanation? What counterexample would change the conclusion?”
5. Conclude: “What can we confidently say? What would be an overstatement?”
6. Reflect: “Did the evidence change your mind? Explain how.”

One modeled conversation · Emancipation Proclamation (Week 1)

Parent: “Did the proclamation instantly end slavery throughout the United States?” Child: “I would need to check which areas the order covered.” Parent: “Good. What does the supplied text say about areas in rebellion?” Child: “It declared freedom there, but enforcement and later constitutional changes mattered.” Parent: “Can we say it changed nothing?” Child: “No. It mattered, though its immediate reach was limited.”

Faith, discussion, and fair questions

Bible lessons begin with the actual Scripture in your family's translation. Discuss who is speaking and what the passage teaches about God, Jesus, repentance, grace, and discipleship where the text addresses them. Explain the difference between the passage explicitly says, this reasonably follows, and Christians disagree on this inference. CCH does not require a denominational creed, Westminster or Heidelberg catechism, or a human statement as biblical authority. Scripture-grounded questions and answers may support memory without replacing the Bible.

Signs of progress, not a race

A student is growing when they can state a position accurately, name a reason, acknowledge one serious objection, and revise an unsupported claim without embarrassment. Some days require ordinary narration or review rather than argument. Keep the conversation calm; if the child needs more background knowledge, return to the Grammar Stage skill of learning the facts.

Course status: Grade 6 is still a family-test preview. Grade 6 now includes a weekly named logic strand, guided argument writing, parent math solutions, taught Latin paradigms, and attributed historical source excerpts. Families still need to verify pacing and usability through ordinary home teaching; the course is not presented as proven.

Lesson terms at a glance

Prepare Ahead lists anything to gather before the lesson. Short Day keeps the most important work when your family needs a lighter schedule. A Week 1 starting check shows where to begin teaching; it is not a grade or report card. A readiness review revisits a few skills before the next level. A rotating knowledge lesson means history, geography, science, or literature takes the knowledge slot for that day.

New to classical education?

Narration means the child tells back what was read in their own words. Copywork means carefully copying a short worthy sentence or passage. The Grammar Stage emphasizes knowledge, language, facts, stories, number relationships, and habits of attention. The Logic Stage adds the examination of claims, premises, evidence, inferences, counterexamples, and fair conclusions. These are educational tools, not biblical commands.

The parent remains the teacher. CCH exists to answer: What do I teach today? What do I need? How do I teach it? What should the child be able to do afterward?