Agreeing with the other posters here. I agree
totally in regards to being spiritually grounded before introducing false gods, etc. However, in addition to the totally "religious" reason, here is a brief synopsis of the two different paths we have taken.
We began with ancients with my oldest dd in first grade. I didn't get into anything too gory or wildly inappropriate, and it was done in a tasteful manner. However, she really did not understand much of it, as it was so far removed from her. It was just like a make believe world to her. She wasn't scared or anything like that, and I don't think it necessarily harmed her faith in God. It just wasn't real as far as she was concerned. We had of course told her that the idols and such were not right, and that there was only one true God. So in her mind all the other stuff was fairy tale.
My younger children began with American History. They have (all) absolutely loved it. They understood it, because these people are real to them. We were able to trace our great-great grandparents and know how and why we got to this country. They have seen cane mills, corn fields, and milked a cow. We have visited Indian reservations. We can read the Declaration of Independence, see when and where our laws that we follow every day originated. We celebrate Independence Day. They have ridden in a horse drawn carriage. Their grandparents and great grandparents tell them stories of when they were a kid. So American history is not
that far removed from them. They can relate to it. And, though they still have many, many more details to learn about our country's history in years to come, they do
understand what they have learned so far.
Fast forward to when my oldest began her 5th grade year, where she began covering ancients again. It was as though she was studying it for the first time. Other than other people worship idols, she really didn't remember any of the other stuff we had talked about in the early years. At this age, she was able to understand why these people did/believed what they did. She was also able to internalize that there really were/are people who believe this way, and understand how important a biblical world view is. She hadn't done anything in life to
relate to ancient history the way that the youngers can relate to American history. However, she had gained the maturity to be able to learn a about different times and places and come to understand a bit more of the culture.
There was a time I was firmly in the "classical" mindset. And I also wanted my kids to be mission minded. But having gone both routes, I am convinced that it makes more since to hold off on the ancient history. There are, of course, others who think differently, and each family has to decide for themselves, but that's our experience
Angie