Ask any veteran homeschool mom, and she’ll tell you a my-homeschool-curriculum-just-isn’t-working story. We’ve all been there. So, you’ve done all the research. You’ve chosen the perfect curriculum. And you’re excited to get started. Then, maybe a month down the road, your smile has faded. Your kids are grumpy and bored; they’re constantly fidgeting, fussing, and complaining about school. You wonder if they’re learning anything at all.
Rule Out a Medical Reason
First, determine if the problem could be medical. Perhaps your kids are due for an annual physical, which may reveal an underlying condition or a neurological issue such as a processing disorder, dyslexia, or dysgraphia. If your kids haven’t had vision and hearing screenings recently, now is a good time. If there’s nothing wrong medically, it’s worth the reassurance.Identify the Problem
Look at your curriculum; consider if the problem is actually the curriculum itself or something else.Think about your schedule. As your kids grow and change, you may need to adjust your schedule to better meet their needs: older kids may need to sleep in and work later, the order in which you study the different subjects might need rearranging, or maybe you and your kids both need more breaks.
Compare your children’s learning styles with the way the curriculum works. Is it a good match? For example, let’s say your child is a kinesthetic learner; he or she learns best by doing rather than by seeing or hearing. So, hands-on projects, science experiments, nature studies, etc. will work best, as opposed to filling in worksheets and lots of reading. Try reading aloud while your child sits on an exercise ball or jumps on a mini-trampoline.
Or maybe your child just needs more time to fully grasp a topic or concept. For instance, let’s talk about reading readiness; some kids are early readers, while others struggle and need more time.
Is the curriculum too complex or time-consuming? It’s simply not worth the frustration to try to muddle through when you already have other parenting obligations beyond homeschooling.
Consider Adapting the Curriculum to Meet Your Needs
Sometimes a simple change can make all the difference.When I was a middle school student, I remember having to do 50 math problems for homework at times and wondering why I had to do all that busy work when I was 100 percent certain I understood the concepts. Claude Bernard, a French physiologist, said it best, “It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.” You know your child best. You get to decide how much practice he or she needs before moving on.
Additionally, you do not have to do all the lessons and activities for each chapter or unit in a particular curriculum. Choose the ones that you feel cover the concepts best or are the most interesting.
You can shorten a lengthy writing assignment, divide a reading assignment up into a manageable number of chapters per day, and break up a long video lesson with some movement or outdoor activity.
Save It For Possible Use in the Future
It’s best not to be hasty; don’t give it away or sell it just yet. Sometimes it’s just a matter of timing. Save it and try it again next year.Take Time Off
If you’re able, take time off from school. Or at least, just take time off from formal school work. Spend a week taking exciting field trips, watching animal documentaries, and working on individual hands-on projects.Trade or Sell
Occasionally, it’s simply best to call it quits and trade the curriculum with another homeschooling family or sell it on a reputable site such as Homeschool Classifieds, Homeschool Shopper, or Amazon. It may not be worth the stress of trying to make adaptations if it’s really just not a good fit.When your desired curriculum isn’t working for whatever reason, it’s OK to hit the pause button and reset your homeschool. Remember, homeschooling is a journey, and you have complete freedom to blaze your own unique trail in your own time frame.
