Homeschooling The Struggling Learner

March 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Homeschooling the Struggling Learner | HIRL Podcast CTC SponsoredAre you homeschooling a struggling learner? Fletch and Kendra share three practical ideas for you as you consider homeschooling a child who struggles.

Join us for this week’s episode as we answer a listener’s question about how to give struggling learners the time and attention they need.

EPISODE TIMELINE
:50 Fluff – shout out to John Wilkerson 
6:33 Homeschooling the Struggling Learner
23:25 Wrapping it up
25:41 The show is over. Goodbye!

SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
All of them

Music clips used on this episode:
None

SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smartphone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smartphone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5 stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS:

CTC Math | A Great Math Curriculum for Homeschool Families

 

LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | RSS

Join Fletch (from theMangoTimes) and Kendra (from Preschoolers and Peace and KendraFletcher.com) for the HomeschoolingIRL podcast every week as they interview guests and talk through some of the goofiness they have experienced in nearly two decades.

Filed Under: Homeschooling IRL Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Homeschooling The Struggling Learner – HIRL Episode 102 Replay

January 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Homeschooling the Struggling Learner | HIRL Podcast CTC SponsoredAre you homeschooling a struggling learner? Fletch and Kendra share three practical ideas for you as you consider homeschooling a child who struggles.

Join us for this week’s episode as we answer a listener’s question about how to give struggling learners the time and attention they need.

EPISODE TIMELINE
:50 Fluff – shout out to John Wilkerson 
6:33 Homeschooling the Struggling Learner
23:25 Wrapping it up
25:41 The show is over. Goodbye!

SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
All of them

Music clips used on this episode:
None

SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smartphone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smartphone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5 stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS:

CTC Math | A Great Math Curriculum for Homeschool Families

 

LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | RSS

Join Fletch (from theMangoTimes) and Kendra (from Preschoolers and Peace and KendraFletcher.com) for the HomeschoolingIRL podcast every week as they interview guests and talk through some of the goofiness they have experienced in nearly two decades.

Filed Under: Homeschooling IRL Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Homeschooling The Struggling Learner – HIRL Episode 102 Replay

May 2, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Homeschooling the Struggling Learner | HIRL Podcast CTC SponsoredAre you homeschooling a struggling learner? Fletch and Kendra share three practical ideas for you as you consider homeschooling a child who struggles.

Join us for this week’s episode as we answer a listener’s question about how to give struggling learners the time and attention they need.

EPISODE TIMELINE
:50 Fluff – shout out to John Wilkerson 
6:33 Homeschooling the Struggling Learner
23:25 Wrapping it up
25:41 The show is over. Goodbye!

SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
All of them

Music clips used on this episode:
None

SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smartphone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smartphone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5 stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS:

CTC Math | A Great Math Curriculum for Homeschool Families

 

LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | RSS

Join Fletch (from theMangoTimes) and Kendra (from Preschoolers and Peace and KendraFletcher.com) for the HomeschoolingIRL podcast every week as they interview guests and talk through some of the goofiness they have experienced in nearly two decades.

Filed Under: Homeschooling IRL Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Struggling Learners and When to Get Help – MBFLP 143

February 7, 2025 by Leave a Comment
📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling a Struggling Learner

mbflp-struggling-learners-when-to-get-help-v

Struggling Learners: When to Get Help

Labels or Not?

Sponsored by NOW Programs.

How desperate we are to avoid labeling our kids! And with good reason … if they’re in a classroom setting, maybe. But as homeschoolers, we have a much better handle on the social side, and there are serious benefits to your struggling child when you get her tested earlier rather than later. This episode, we talk about our own struggling learner and what we discovered on the way from a late start … to a college scholarship! There’s hope!

 

This program is brought to you in part by
Schoolhouse Teachers banner-468x60Click here for more information!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | Youtube Music | RSS | More

 

Filed Under: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Tagged With: , , , ,

Homeschooling The Struggling Learner – HIRL Episode 102 Replay

September 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Homeschooling the Struggling Learner | HIRL Podcast CTC SponsoredAre you homeschooling a struggling learner? Fletch and Kendra share three practical ideas for you as you consider homeschooling a child who struggles.

Join us for this week’s episode as we answer a listener’s question about how to give struggling learners the time and attention they need.

EPISODE TIMELINE
:50 Fluff – shout out to John Wilkerson 
6:33 Homeschooling the Struggling Learner
23:25 Wrapping it up
25:41 The show is over. Goodbye!

SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
All of them

Music clips used on this episode:
None

SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smartphone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smartphone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5 stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS:

CTC Math | A Great Math Curriculum for Homeschool Families


LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | RSS

Join Fletch (from theMangoTimes) and Kendra (from Preschoolers and Peace and KendraFletcher.com) for the HomeschoolingIRL podcast every week as they interview guests and talk through some of the goofiness they have experienced in nearly two decades.

Filed Under: Homeschooling IRL Tagged With: , , ,

Middle School Q & A – MBFLP 208

August 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Real life Q and A from parents like you with middle schoolers

Nobody told us what to expect … babies and toddlers we read about, and people warned us in hushed tones about the dreadful teen years, but nobody told us, “Just wait till they’re in middle school!” This week on Facebook Live we took questions from parents of pre-teens, asking them “What are you having struggles with?” That’s the meat of this week’s podcast – real live Q&A about dealing with the challenges of tweens!

Real life Q and A from parents like you with middle schoolers

Whether you call them pre-teens, tweens, middle-schoolers, or something else, your child will go through a transitional period between “clearly a little kid” to “definitely a teenager.” That catches most of us by surprise. Why is that? Probably because we’re anticipating the physical changes – his voice cracks, she starts her cycle, he’s got a proud new whisker, she is starting to get a figure. Before those outward changes appear, there’s a tidal wave of hormones that start the body’s transformation, and those hormones cause all sorts of effects in their thinking, their emotions, and even their spiritual lives.

What’s more important, our families stumble into a relationship minefield at this point. If we don’t recognize what’s happening and handle it right, we can end up with strained, bent, or broken relationships with our pre-teens.

But it’s also an opportunity. If we can come alongside our sons and daughters during this time and give them understanding, guidance, and encouragement – as well as discipleship and discipline when needed – we can lay foundations for a great relationship during the exciting years ahead!

Questions we addressed … 

7:21 – They’re so addleheaded in school
11:21 – Highly emotional but lacking in perspective
13:03 – They make wild assertions with no basis in reality
14:16 – The personal challenge of discipleship
14:56 – How to manage a changing school situation
17:37 – What about transitioning to adulthood – even with special needs
20:32 – Suddenly, there’s social anxiety
23:36 – He’s struggling in school and hates it
26:35 – A normally friendly boy growing quiet and withdrawn
28:01 – Tips for overcoming shyness

Resources we recommended …

Our new book, No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope

– Read reviews here

Dianne Craft’s Brain Integration Therapy Manual

Our growing selection of classic, character-building audiobooks

Filed Under: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Smart Kids Who Struggle – MBFLP 184

October 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Sometimes you have a student who struggles – but just in one area! How do you understand and help a student who’s “twice exceptional” – who’s both gifted and special needs at the same time?

Resources We Recommend

We have several resources on our website – CLICK HERE to check them out!

Home School Foundation

Special Needs Homeschooling

Homeschooling When Learning Isn’t Easy by Heather Laurie

 

Filed Under: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Tagged With: , , , , ,

Struggling Learners and When to Get Help – MBFLP 143

September 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment

mbflp-struggling-learners-when-to-get-help-v

 

How desperate we are to avoid labeling our kids! And with good reason … if they’re in a classroom setting, maybe. But as homeschoolers, we have a much better handle on the social side, and there are serious benefits to your struggling child when you get her tested earlier rather than later. This episode, we talk about our own struggling learner and what we discovered on the way from a late start … to a college scholarship! There’s hope!

 

This program is brought to you in part by
Schoolhouse Teachers banner-468x60Click here for more information!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | Youtube Music | RSS | More

 

Filed Under: Making Biblical Family Life Practical Tagged With: , , , ,

Homeschooling The Struggling Learner – HIRL Episode 102

May 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Homeschooling a Struggling Learner — Homeschool Help Hub | Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network

🎧 Listen & subscribe: Apple Podcasts  ·  Spotify

Free homeschool podcast about struggling learnersAre you homeschooling a struggling learner? Fletch and Kendra share three practical ideas for you as you consider homeschooling a child who struggles.

Join us for this week’s episode as we answer a listener’s question about how to give a struggling learner the time and attention they need.

EPISODE TIMELINE
:50 Fluff – shout out to John Wilkerson 
6:33 Homeschooling the Struggling Learner
23:25 Wrapping it up
25:41 The show is over. Goodbye!

SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
All of them

Music clips used on this episode:
None

SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smart phone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smart phone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5-stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

 

LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | Youtube Music | RSS | More

Homeschooling a Struggling Learner: You’re Not Failing

If you’re homeschooling a child who struggles—with reading, math, focus, or just keeping up—it’s easy to feel like you’re doing something wrong. You’re not. A struggling learner isn’t a reflection of your teaching; it’s simply a child who learns differently, at a different pace, and needs a different approach than the one in the box. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can give them exactly that.

What “Struggling” Can Actually Look Like

Struggles show up in lots of ways, and they’re not always about ability. A child might reverse letters well past the age you’d expect, melt down at the sight of a math worksheet, take three hours to finish twenty minutes of work, or seem bright in conversation but freeze on the page. Sometimes it’s a learning difference like dyslexia or dyscalculia; sometimes it’s attention, anxiety, a vision or processing issue, or simply developmental timing. Naming what you’re seeing—without panic—is the first step toward helping.

Practical Ways to Help a Struggling Learner at Home

  • Meet them where they are, not where the grade level says. Back up to the last place they felt confident and build forward. Filling gaps beats pushing ahead.
  • Shorten and chunk the work. Ten focused minutes with a break beats an hour of frustration. Struggling learners often have a smaller stamina window—work with it, not against it.
  • Use more than one sense. Read aloud, use manipulatives, write words in sand or shaving cream, walk while reciting. Multi-sensory learning helps information stick when the standard route isn’t working.
  • Separate the skill from the subject. A child struggling to read shouldn’t fall behind in science and history too—read those aloud or use audiobooks so their mind keeps growing while the reading catches up.
  • Protect the relationship. When a lesson turns into a battle, stop. A child who feels safe and loved will keep trying; a child who feels like a disappointment will shut down.
  • Get the right eyes on it. If the struggle is persistent, an educational, vision, or developmental evaluation can turn a mystery into a plan. Knowing why changes everything.

Give It Time—and Give Yourself Grace

Some of the most capable adults were slow, frustrated learners as kids. Homeschooling gives a struggling learner the one thing they need most: time, without shame. Keep the long view, celebrate small wins, and remember that your child’s worth was never tied to a worksheet.

🎧 Featured episode

Resource for Teens Who Struggle With Reading with Tara Giddings

From The Homeschool Highschool Podcast — press play, then explore more episodes below.

Struggling learner episodes from across our shows

Pour a cup of coffee and listen in. Our hosts have come back to this topic again and again — here are the best episodes from across the network to encourage and equip you.

Encouragement & practical help

When the struggle is reading or writing

Walking a more specific road? See our companion guides on homeschooling with dyslexia and homeschooling with special needs.

Explore more guides in the Homeschool Help Hub →

🛒 Need curriculum or resources? Shop Christian homeschool books, science, and unit studies from Media Angels.

🏡 You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Get our free Christian Homeschool Starter Kit for real-world help, and find honest encouragement across the network.

Filed Under: Homeschooling IRL Tagged With: , , ,