Have you ever spent a lot of money on a curriculum only to find that it wasn’t a good match for your child? I have. A tension can start to grow between the mom and the child. Mom knows how much the curriculum cost, and therefore feels like she should continue to use it. However, the child hates the lessons and is becoming frustrated and unhappy. Quitting a homeschool curriculum is a big deal. So what are some good reasons for abandoning a homeschool curriculum? Can you quit midyear? What if the next homeschool curriculum you buy is even worse?
These were questions I asked myself a few years ago. I pushed one of my kids through a math curriculum that wasn’t a good fit, but since it was a good math curriculum, it took me a long time to stop using it. I found it hard to understand that there can be a good math curriculum that isn’t a good for my child. We switched to Good and Beautiful, which helped a lot. I only wished I had done it sooner. Here are the questions that I spun around my brain as I figured out when to quit using a homeschool curriculum.
Is It Too Hard and Intense?
Acknowledging that a curriculum is too hard for your child doesn’t mean your child is dumb. It means they may need a different approach to the subject matter. If the textbook or curriculum is too hard, that means your child will begin to dread the hour (or longer) when they feel stupid. I don’t like feeling dumb, and kids certainly don’t either.
The math curriculum I pushed my son through was too hard for him. It caused us frustration because I wanted our lessons to go smoothly. What I ended up doing was finding other activities to print out that I thought would fill in the gaps, and then we would go back to the curriculum.
In the end, we had lots of fun doing short, fun math games. Since I saw that was working, I knew a less intense curriculum (but still good) would be a better fit. He needed shorter, easier lessons. Sometimes I think more is better, but in this case, a 10-15 minutes math lesson, which was less than what I was doing before, was more because my son finally enjoyed his math lessons and was learning.
Is Your Child Throwing Tantrums Over a Certain Subject?
Unfortunately, complaining about doing school work is normal. Having regular, full-blown tantrums should not be normal. That could be an indicator that the curriculum might be too hard and frustrating. However, tantrums happen for many other reasons as well.
Is The Scope and Sequence Confusing?
I have come across curricula where the layout of the textbook was confusing. It’s not that the curriculum couldn’t work, but if it’s hard to navigate, then it might be worth asking if there’s something else that is more straightforward.
Does It Align with Your Homeschool Philosophy?
This is more of a question for whether a curriculum is a good fit in the long term. I purchased a phonics book from Abeka, and while it was still good, I could tell that it wasn’t what I wanted. At the time, I didn’t have a good homeschool philosophy. I was veering toward Charlotte Mason, and once I found curricula that was “Charlotte Mason inspired,” then I felt more comfortable with homeschooling.
Is It Too Much Work for Mom?
This can be a problem. If a curriculum has prep work that is very time consuming, then it might not be a good fit. Printing out a bunch of documents and gathering materials for a fancy project of some sort is hard to do if you don’t have the time, which may be a good reason to quit using your homeschool curriculum. I have found myself skipping some of the more optional projects in curricula if they seem like too much work, but you can only skip so many projects.
Open-and-go curricula are my favorite. There’s little or no prep work. None. You just sit down and start the lesson. Good and Beautiful and Llamitas Spanish are some examples of open-and-go curricula.
Is Your Child Learning?
This seems like an obvious question, but if your child isn’t showing any or very little progress it could be a reason to change curriculum. Or it could mean that the child needs to slow down and have mom be patient until ideas and concepts click and sink in. It’s probably one of those situations where you have to look at your child and know them well in order to make the best judgement call.
Is It Boring and Old?
Even if a curriculum is boring, you can still plow through and finish it. Outdated illustrations and colors are distracting, but they won’t stop you from learning. However, if it’s so old and the information is incorrect, then that could be a problem.
When Should You Not Quit a Homeschool Curriculum?
- When you see a curriculum with better pictures or illustrations.
- When a friend shares what she’s using. That means you should be doing the exact same thing, right? No!
- When you “feel” like doing something more fun.
- When your current curriculum is working just fine.
It’s good to be cautious when switching curriculum, especially if it’s midyear. Switching around is probably necessary at some times, but sticking with a curriculum and being consistent is going to provide stability and predictability to your school day. I like to read reviews about a curriculum on CathyDuffyHomeschoolReviews.com. Also, YouTube probably has some videos about homeschool curriculum. Some curricula will also give a free sample of a lesson. Lastly, ask a friend.
Last Thoughts
I also want to add that homeschooling can be frustrating if you start too early. Some kids are ready to start school early, but some aren’t. I had one child that was begging to do school at age three, and another that was content to play in the sandbox all day at age three. If you start too early, then you might run into some frustrations such as wondering if a curriculum is a good fit or not. Just let them run around and play. They will be ready when they are closer to five or six. I also should mention that I have little experience with learning disabilities. That idea wasn’t in my mind when I wrote this post.
In the end, it’s best to know your child really well so you can make the wisest decision. When you quit using a homeschool curriculum, it’s not a sign that you are a bad homeschool mom, but rather you are a thoughtful homeschool mom because you’re trying to fix a problem. Sometimes quitting a curriculum and switching to another is the right answer, and other times it may mean doing the same level math book one more time. Read my post about being a student of your child for more ideas.
Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
