Choosing the right curriculum for you and your child is no easy task. It takes time, research, and money to make the right choice for your family. Sometimes the pressure to pick the perfect curriculum can be overwhelming. Not only are there tons of varying styles of homeschooling, but there’s thousands of publishers to go with each style!
It can be discouraging to finally pick something only to find it isn’t a good fit for you or your child. When you’re curriculum isn’t working, where do you turn?
There could be several reasons your current curriculum isn’t a good fit. Perhaps the lessons aren’t organized in a way that fits your needs? Maybe the lessons are too long? Not challenging enough? Whatever the case may be, it’s important to recognize when something isn’t working, and be confident in your ability to make change! After all, you are the teacher AND parent.
I know that making a curriculum change is intimidating. It can make you feel like your “off” of your schedule or not accomplishing the goals you set out to achieve at the beginning of the year. But often, we are our own worst enemies. Who says we have to keep doing something that isn’t working? Nobody!
As a homeschool mom who has switched things up mid year on more than one occasion, I have a few tips to help you determine if a change in curriculum is necessary and how to find something new.
1. Monitor your child’s comprehension, not their attitude. Sometimes our children have a tendency to act out when they’re frustrated. It can be hard to determine if they are actually struggling with a subject or if they just don’t really like it. They key here is comprehension! If they’re mastering the lesson or tests, they’re getting it. If they are completely lost and fumbling than something is off and needs to be evaluated. In my experience, a child that is frustrated by not understanding a lesson will act out during the lesson work. A child that just doesn’t like math will voice their complaints before they ever pick up a pencil!
2. Figure out our child’s learning style. What makes your child tick when it comes to learning? What kind of lessons or activities make your child smile, get excited, and ask lots of questions? Take note of the things they do enjoy about the school day, and begin looking for methods or curriculum that compliment their learning style. Familiarize yourself with different learning styles and figure out which styles fit your child.
3. Does your curriculum compliment or constrict? Now that you have been able to determine that your child is or isn’t struggling, and you have a better understanding of their learning style, you will be able to better evaluate the curriculum you’re using and make some changes where needed.
4. Start small. Sure change can be a good thing, but we all know it can be pretty stressful too. I’m not suggesting you toss all of your homeschool stuff to the curb and start over. Don’t do it all at once! Start with one subject at a time. Focus on getting your child’s confidence built back up with a new spin on ONE subject. Then take that momentum and let it trickle down naturally throughout your homeschool plan.
5. Don’t jump on the bandwagon. When we begin to learn of other curriculum choices and homeschooling methods, we tend to get super excited and jump on the band wagon, buying up every book store in town. Always remember that what works for one family may not work for yours. Keep a clear head about the individual needs of your child. You know your child best. Take your time and only make changes that matter.
One of the joys of homeschool is being able to make changes our children need whenever the heck we want to. Why stick with something that causes both you and your child stress? Don’t be afraid to try something different. Whether you’re switching curriculum or learning a fresh way to teach the same old stuff, enjoy it! Life is too short for bad school days.
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Great tips! I’m just getting started, so I’m bookmarking this for later.
Nicole recently posted..Homeschool, ahoy!
Twitter: themommymess
says:
What year are you in, Nicole?
I have a fifth grader and a kindergartener.
Nicole recently posted..Homeschool, ahoy!
Twitter: themommymess
says:
A big age gap like us! That’s tricky sometimes. Let me know if you need anything!
Oh yea? I’m new to your blog so I’m still trying to learn everyone’s family situations. My boys are, technically, 4 years and 10 months apart. My younger recently turned 6 and my older is about to be 11. It’s…. not ideal, but it’s good in a lot of ways. Right now, the 6 year old is trying super hard to master reading because big brother is a voracious reader(as is his mama), so I think the younger wants to catch up! Sometimes the big gap can be a great motivator! It also helps that older child is a lot more independent. It’s worked in our favor ever since younger was born.
And thanks for the offer! I really appreciate that.
Nicole recently posted..Homeschool, ahoy!
Twitter: TheMomCafe
says:
Great post for homeschooling moms!! I will let my mom friends know about this!!
Chris Carter recently posted..MOMtor Monthly Post
Twitter: themommymess
says:
Thanks for passing it on!
My family is in our fifth year of homeschooling, and we’ve definitely had some curriculum disapointments. Once I find a series that works well for my kids in a certain subject, I tend to stick with it. I still put in a lot of time researching the choices though, just to make sure that I’ve made the best choice for us.
Patricia recently posted..Smile
Twitter: themommymess
says:
Yes, we’re in our fourth year and finally feeling like I like everything I’m using. I still had to make some changes in the first semester, but we’re on track now!
Twitter: TheDoseTweets
says:
I don’t homeschool but this was so interesting to read. There must be so much research that goes into all of what you do. Challenging…and it’s great that you can tailor everything to your child’s learning style and needs!
Twitter: themommymess
says:
Finding the right curriculum is something I equally love and hate. It’s nice to be able to accommodate your child, but I hate making decisions! We’re on year 4, and this is the first time I feel like we have something that works for everyone.
Twitter: meagain76
says:
Hi, found you at bloggy mom’s. I am following, I have a new blog I just started, I am looking for followers, hope you check me out!
Denise recently posted..To date or not to date?
Twitter: themommymess
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Hi Denise! Thanks for coming by. I will sure to head over and check out your blog.
You are so very good at what you do, Adrienne. I hope you know that. Your kids are very lucky and you are a true asset to education! Knowing when something isn’t working and having the guts to stop and change it is huge when working with children. God, how I wish more teachers in the schools would do that.
AnnMarie recently posted..Windows
Great tips! I’m going to pin!
Jennifer Janes recently posted..Homeschool Mother’s Journal: Influenza and Bronchitis
Twitter: themommymess
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Thank you so much! I’m glad you found them useful.
We’ve been homeschooling our 3 kids for almost 12 years. So much of what you shared rings true. I remember purchasing a very expensive history curriculum, which was good, but too cumbersome for our family. Too much planning involved and and excessive amount of reading (3 textbooks). Over the years I’ve learned to do my research or to borrow and review curriculum before I purchase with my older kids. With my younger we have found the ideal for us! My daughter LOVES the interactive and animated learning with T4L. I love that there is little to no planning and the progress reports that show me how she has scored in each lesson…this also makes record keeping so easy because I just print it and file it. Best part, though, is that she enjoys it. It’s so important, I think, that we foster a love for reading and learning in the early years.
You shared a lot of helpful tips. This would definitely be a blog I’ll be bookmarking and sharing with friends.
OOOps, sorry. Maybe I should share that link in case anyone wants to check it out. Time4Learning.com
I love learning from the research of others….of course, like you said, what works for one person, may not work for another. But it’s definitely worth looking into.