The middle school years can bring drastic changes to your homeschooling. When kids are in the elementary years, they require much more one-on-one help. Moms are doing A LOT more direct teaching. Our kids need it.
Then our kids hit the middle school years, and things are different.
I was a little shocked by how our homeschool changed when BOTH my kids were in middle school and more independent learners.
By the way, I classify middle school years as grades 5-8 because, in Classical Education, kids are entering the logic stage. We tend to follow the Classical Method in our homeschool.
Why did it surprise me?
The changes in the middle school years weren’t as noticeable until both kids were working more independently. It hit me smack in the face, and I needed to start readjusting our day to this new reality. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure it all out!
So, let’s look at how homeschooling may change as our children transition into middle school. It does take a little more preparation than I thought.
How Homeschooling Changes When Your Kids are Middle Schoolers
1. They Don’t Need You, but They Do
One thing I have noticed is our curriculum changed from direct teaching to more independent learning. Our science AND history are set up for the kids to work on it by themselves.
Does that mean our job as a teacher is done?
NO!
Our kids may be learning to learn on their own, but they still need us. They will misunderstand things or not get the full meaning of something. Frankly, they may not even realize they didn’t understand something.
We now need to REVIEW information with our kids to see if they really get it.
What does that me for us moms?
Well, now we need to make sure WE know the material and use those trusty teacher guides to review with our kids.
I don’t know about you, but when my kids were little, I was often reading and discussing things with them. I could easily keep up with what they were learning.
Now?!
I struggle to keep up with the material. Many evenings I am trying to stay one step ahead of my kids so I can check in with them.
I have learned this the hard way. Do NOT wait until your kids get to the end of the week and do the chapter quiz, to see if they understood their science. It doesn’t go well. Sometimes my kids have bombed it, and I had to go back and review it with them.
Lesson learned: Check in with your kids frequently on their learning to make sure they understand the material.
Kids still need someone to discuss their learning to help make meaning and connections with the new information. Even in college, people still need a teacher to help them make sense of they’re learning.
**You might like: Tips for Fostering More Independence in the Middle School Years.
2. Moms Have More Free Time (sort of)
If you have younger kids in your home, this may not apply to you. If you are like me and both your kids are beginning to work independently, you may find yourself sitting there alone. Your kids are off working on things by themselves and don’t need you at the moment.
Wow! Sounds great, doesn’t it?! One awesome change during the middle school years, right!
I thought so, too. I caught up on some cleaning or spent more time working on my blog. Woohoo!
I should have been keeping up with the correcting.
Again, when the kids were little, I was sitting with them while they did their work. They needed more help and asked more questions. I could keep up with the correcting because I was right there with them.
Now, my kids take off with their work. I don’t see them as they are working on it.
I found out the hard way it isn’t a good idea to let the correcting get backed up. Suddenly, I’m sitting there with a pile of work trying to correct a week’s worth of Pre-Algebra and realizing my daughter was Getting. It. All. Wrong.
Not my finest moment. I did a head slap that day.
I should have known my “free” time was too good to be true. All moms know there isn’t “free” time when you’re a mom. There is just something getting neglected.
Lesson learned: Stay on top of the correcting. The kids need to bring it to you as they finish so you can correct it.
3. The Work Gets Harder (obviously)
Obviously, the work gets harder in middle school. It gets more challenging for the kids (and sometimes for mom, too). This is why you need to stay on top of check-ins with them.
Here’s a little example of what I mean.
My son and I did biology together when he was in first grade. I can remember doing a fun experiment making a model of a red blood cell. We had Red Hots or some kind of cinnamon candy floating in liquid. It was cool.
Fast forward four years later. My son is now building a model of an animal cell and labeling parts with names like ribosomes and the Golgi apparatus.
What?!
I know! It is a huge jump. I mean it is appropriate for his current age and ability, but it can be a shocker how tough the work becomes.
It also means I need to brush up on my biology, too.
One huge surprise for my kiddos was the expectations. In elementary grades, you can draw a picture and write a few sentences on a topic in history. Many times the kids did oral narrations.
As they get into the middle school years, expectations increase. Now they are writing paragraphs and reading more chapters during reading time. We need to start expecting more to prepare them for high school.
Lesson learned: Help your kids realize they are big kids now. As they get older, work becomes harder, and more is expected of them. It’s because they CAN do it.
4. The Work in Middle School Changes
When our kids are young, the work is often hands-on. They do lots of experiments, art projects, and activities. It is a great way for kids to learn.
Middle school hits, and things start to shift. They may still have some hands-on projects, but not as much. My son was quick to point this out. He had a meltdown the first week of our new history curriculum until he got used to it.
It was a shock to go from building chariots and having sumo matches to writing bios on famous people and listing important dates on a timeline. Where were the cooking activities? What about the art project?
The work changes in middle grades. If your kids still enjoy doing projects and activities, you may need to supplement some of their work.
My kids enjoy ancient times, especially Egypt and Greece. I will add some fun activities in these areas to make up for the lack of projects in middle school work.
Lesson learned: You may have to supplement your curriculum to adjust to the changes your kids aren’t ready for.
Homeschooling certainly becomes different when you homeschool a middle schooler. Your kids begin working more and more by themselves, which means we have to stay on top of their learning even more.
My kids still work with me on some subjects. Other subjects I am letting them begin to work more independently. If you want to read more about helping your child become a more independent learner, click HERE. I share some tips on how to do this.
So as your children begin their transition into middle school, let them have their independence, but keep checking in and discussing their learning. It is a fun time where you can chat about their learning and help them make meaning of it all. You aren’t always going to be directly feeding them the information.
Your kids are becoming big kids, and your homeschool is changing during the middle school years.
