It’s the beginning of the school year. You have the shiny new curriculum that you’re all excited to use. You scoured the internet; you asked friends; you read reviews. You found the best homeschool curriculum out there! It is going to be a great year.
A few months go by and you have a nagging feeling the curriculum isn’t working as you hoped. Maybe your child is struggling with the math program, or perhaps your child can’t seem to learn their spelling words. And that fabulous new reading program? You and your child are about to lose your minds.
You get the point.
We all stumble across curriculum one time or another that doesn’t work. We desperately TRY to make it work because we don’t want to waste our money.
At some point, you have to admit it isn’t working.
I’ve done this a few times. Okay, several times.
I have two kids. I bought programs for my daughter and thought, Great! I can use this with my son when he gets to this level.
Ha, ha, ha.
My kids are completely different people and learners. What works for one may not work for the other. (By the way, most did NOT work for my son.)
Now what?!
What to Do When Your Curriculum Isn’t Working For Your Child
Don’t Panic!
Take a deep breath. It is okay. Now take a look at WHY the curriculum isn’t working.
- Does the curriculum not meet your child’s learning style?
- Does it not mesh with your teaching style?
- Is it too challenging?
- Does it not give enough practice or too much?
- Is the material not covering the topics you thought it would?
Now ask yourself:
- Can I add to the curriculum to make it work?
- Can I use parts of it?
If you answered yes to the above, maybe you can still use your curriculum but supplement it with other resources.
However, if you have too many problems with the program, admit it isn’t what you hoped for and move on.
Move Past the Idea You’re Wasting Money
Get over it!
Don’t stress over it!
Move on!
Would you rather stick with a reading program that isn’t helping your child? You and your child will be miserable, and you won’t be helping them in any way.
Honestly, if you wanted your child to be stuck using a certain curriculum, even if it didn’t work, you might as well send them to school.
You homeschool. You have the flexibility to find what works for your child. You aren’t limited to using one program only.
We all hate to waste money. Many of us are homeschooling on one income. I get it.
We homeschool, though, to help give our kids what they need. So suck it up and move on. Why drag it out? Eventually, you’ll change it anyway. Right?
I’ll admit this is a hard one for me too. I wasted so much time not teaching one subject last year because of this. I hate dishing out money just like you.
To ease the pain of wasting money, see if you can find what you want USED. Check eBay, Thrift Books, Facebook Used Curriculum sites, Used Books on Amazon, or check with friends. It will help if you can find a good deal.
Use the Wrong Curriculum to Pick Out the New
So above, you looked at WHY you didn’t like the program you were using. Use this to find something new.
I’ve had to switch spelling, math, AND writing programs for my son over the years. I had to analyze what wasn’t working and figure out what would.
For example, my son was having problems with math. He’d pass the tests on a concept and appear to have mastered it only to bomb the review test a few chapters down the road.
WHAT?!
I realized a mastery program would work for him as long as he had a review of previous concepts, too. Too much review, like many spiral math programs, would be too excessive for him. Math-U-See fits the bill.
Before I threw out the curriculum, though, I tried adding in extra practice. I had to buy a lot of extra practice books and figure out how to add it in. It still wasn’t helping, and I was spending so much time and money trying to make it work. I knew I needed to move on.
Include Your Child in the Curriculum Search
If your child is old enough, get them to help you find a program that might work. I include my kids in our homeschool planning. You can read about it HERE.
How?
Find samples of the program you have in mind.
Often publishing companies will have samples of their curriculum that you can view online. Sometimes they will even send a sample chapter to your email.
Many parents and bloggers will also include YouTube videos that will walk you through a program.
On YouTube, a blogger gave a good look into the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). My son sat with me and watched it.
When it came to math, we watched sample lessons of Math-U-See. My son liked how the teacher taught some of the concepts. We took a placement test and went from there.
Your kids probably have more insight into their learning style and what will work than you realize.
It is always hard when you are cruising along in your homeschool and realize your curriculum is not working for you. Sometimes it is the curriculum, and sometimes it isn’t.
When we realize the curriculum is the issue, though, it is time to take action. Don’t panic, look at what does and doesn’t work, and begin your search. The sooner you get back on track, the better it will be for everyone.
We all make mistakes. We can be good role models and show our kids how to best handle them.
Good luck with your homeschool year. I hope you don’t have to switch curriculum mid-year but if you do, know that you are in good company. We’ve all been there before.
