How to Know if Your Homeschool Curriculum IS NOT Working for You

Curriculum can make or break our homeschooling. It can be the tool that unlocks learning and knowledge, or the very thing that makes us want to stop homeschooling. In our last blog post we tackled “How to Know if Your Homeschool Curriculum is Working for You.” Now we want to give you a clearer picture of how to know if your homeschool curriculum IS NOT working for you. If your curriculum isn’t a good fit, you’ll see these four telltale signs in your home almost every day.

4 Signs Your Homeschool Curriculum Is Not Working for You

1. Your child is not engaged or excited to learn. The best and most clear sign that your homeschool curriculum is working is that your child wants to learn. A student should want to engage with the lesson and be an active participant. So if you’ve got a reluctant learner or are hearing constantly negative comments about a specific subject, it could be the curriculum. If a curriculum is too difficult or doesn’t match a child’s learning style, they will get bored or be too frustrated to learn. This causes anger, worry and frustration, all of which will come out in the student’s attitude. If your child is “spacing out,” frustrated, bored, or simply doesn’t want to do a subject, your curriculum could be to blame.
2. Your child isn’t mastering the material. I clearly remember feeling like I simply couldn’t “do math.” Then, in 8^th grade, I had a wonderful teacher. She opened the world of math to me through her teaching style and the curriculum she used. I became a math lover, at least for that year. I believe each child can learn each subject, but the curriculum and teaching style need to match the child’s learning style and needs. If your child isn’t learning, if school or a specific subject is always a struggle, it could be that you need to find a new curriculum that better fits your child. Take it seriously if you are hearing “it’s too hard!” It actually may be too hard for your child!
3. You’re having a hard time teaching. There’s a lot of great homeschool curriculum out there. But, it’s worthless to you if you can’t follow it and lead your child in their learning process! If you’re feeling stressed, can’t understand the schedule, or are overwhelmed by the curriculum and lessons, then your homeschool curriculum is not a good fit. The right curriculum will be simple for you to understand and organized in a way that you understand the lessons and format. If the concept is too much for you, then you need to consider a curriculum or live class where you’re not required to be the expert!
4. Your child is breezing through lessons and is still hungry for more. In this case, the curriculum could be a good fit, but it’s not challenging enough to keep your learner focused and deep enough to quench her thirst for knowledge. And we all know that you can only beef up a thin curriculum with the library so much. If you’re constantly adding to the curriculum and designing lessons, projects, and other additions, then you may need to find a curriculum that is more in depth for your child.

Homeschooling should bring your family joy and be both challenging and engaging. If your home feels like a battleground during school hours, don’t give in to the temptation to blame yourself or homeschooling. It could simply be you need to find a new curriculum and an expert partner to help you choose the right fit for your learner.

It’s never too late to switch curriculum so that your child can love learning! Check out our Half-Year options and see how the experts at  Bridgeway Academy custom-tailor a curriculum that considers your child’s learning style. Set up your child for those light bulb moments we all want to see while homeschooling. Call 1-800-863-1474 today to schedule an appointment with the expert homeschool advisors at Bridgeway!