Watch Out! Homeschool Curriculum Pitfalls Ahead!
Avoiding homeschool curriculum pitfalls is easy if you look for certain indicators. Have you ever purchased curriculum you never used or really didn’t need? As a brand new homeschooler, I felt that I had to surround myself with books, games, and manipulatives. In this way, I felt I was ensuring that my children received a quality education. In my zeal to do my best I found I was overbuying and overwhelming myself and my children. There was not enough time in the day to do each and every book.
Time! It became our enemy and I soon realized if I didn’t change my homeschool approach I would not homeschool for the duration of the children’s school-aged years. Fast forward and the following tips are the culmination of my 32 years of homeschooling.
Homeschool Curriculum Pitfalls:
- Buying a homeschool curriculum you will never use.
- Buying curriculum because it “looks” good without knowing if it will work for your family.
- Buying before you have an idea of what subjects you will teach.
- Buying before you look at what topics/ subjects you “should” (loosely used here) teach each year.
- Buying every grade of a curriculum because it is on sale.
Friends, it takes some research to buy a curriculum. One year I really liked a vendor presentation and bought one of each and every grade level of the curriculum because it was at a “conference only” special price. After one year we realized this was not for us. I ended up giving it to a friend.
Look at your children, I mean really look at them. Do you know if you teach something of interest they will be excited to learn? Yes, I understand we have to get through some of the must-dos like math, reading, and writing. But what if your child really wants to study oceans? You can teach so many subjects through science.
Homeschool Curriculum Planning Pitfalls Include:
- Disorganization
- Planning more than you can accomplish
- Thinking you have to do every problem on every page
- Lack of expectation (or over expectation)
- Not taking time to reevaluate if something isn’t working
Your Children Are Special!
- Really look at your child. Look at their likes, dislikes and how they learn.
- Talk to your child. Is there something special they are interested in learning?
- How can you teach all of your children especially if they are different ages/ grades?
- Can you teach some of the children together in history or science for example?
- How will you encourage your child’s God-given gifts?
Another homeschool curriculum pitfall is wasting money and time. Both are a commodity that homeschool parents can not afford. If you have any questions ask! Be sure to join a curriculum publisher’s email group, Facebook page and ask other users and buyers what they think about a particular book or curriculum. Be sure to ask for sample pages and return policy. In other words, if the curriculum does not work for you do not be fearful or returning it!
Most of all be encouraged! On our worst year of homeschooling, we still did grow as a family and the kids learned despite the mistakes I felt I made that year. We reverted to reading biographies, doing hands-on projects and getting through the year with many student lead projects while I looked into what I wanted to teach the next year and the books I thought would be a great fit! We’ve got your back and hope you are encouraged on this blog and the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network! Go forth and teach!
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