After a long, hard fall, you’re likely looking forward to embracing a season where you can calmly homeschool. The New Year is a time for growth and rejuvenation. In some cases, it’s also a time to change the curriculum you’ve been using this year. But, is it too late? Are you stuck with something you don’t like until next school year?
Reasons You May Need a Homeschool Curriculum Change
While there are several reasons a family may feel the need to change curriculum, you may think that reason isn’t “good enough” to justify not using something on which you spent good money. Here are some of the most common reasons homeschoolers give for changing curriculum:
You Need to Change Your Style or Method
As the saying goes, when you know better; you do better. At the outset of your homeschooling journey, you might have only been aware of 1-2 programs. Fast forward about six months and you probably know of several more. If one of those new (to you) methods piques your interest and you think your students would do better using it, change!
Perhaps you don’t know what will work best, but you’re certain what you have been using isn’t cutting it. Read more about the different homeschool methods here. Once you’ve settled on the method you think will work best for your family, take our homeschool curriculum finder quiz.
It’s Taking Up Too Much Time
The amount of time it takes to homeschool will vary based on the ages of your children and their levels of independence. That said, it should certainly get less time-consuming (not more) as they advance grade levels. If this isn’t the case, it might be time to consider something that takes up less of your time.
A traditional school day might be 8:00 – 3:00, but your homeschool day should not take 7 hours. There’s no set time that’s universal for every family, but one of the great things about homeschool is flexibility. If you don’t have that, it’s time to reevaluate.
School “Never” Happens
You’re homeschooling for a reason (or hundreds…), but if you don’t find yourself doing much “school” at all, it may be because the curriculum you’re using is overwhelming you. Are you drowning in textbooks? Look into online options! Struggling with your homeschool being too much like structured school? Look into unit studies! There are so many options out there. You shouldn’t feel defeated and behind for the rest of the school year. Get out from the entrapment by changing the curriculum.
Your Children Aren’t Actually Learning (or Retaining) Anything
The purpose of educating our children is for us to teach them and for them to learn. If the learning isn’t taking place, that could be a sign that your curriculum isn’t doing your family any justice. When that happens, it’s time to find something new – regardless of what time of year it is. It isn’t worth trying to soldier on with your current curriculum while your children fall further behind. Maybe this is a good time to try deschooling before jumping into something new. Either way, it’s time for a change.
How Do You Decide?
It’s almost never “too late” to make a curriculum change if that’s what will benefit your family the most. You may regret that you spent money on what ended up not working, but homeschooling should be flexible. If you figure out that something doesn’t work, change to something that does work well for your family. In many cases, “spring break” is actually a great time to make the change because you can spend the break preparing for the new program you’re going to use.
Don’t let money be the deciding factor. There are many free or affordable curriculum options out there!
Are you curious about all of the many curricula out there and wondering how to choose? While we can’t make the right choice for you and your family, search our homeschool curriculum reviews to see how to use them in your homeschool, curriculum highlights, pros and cons, and additional comments or resources.
Other Great Homeschool Curriculum Related Articles
Free and Affordable Homeschool Curriculum
What to Do When Your Homeschool Curriculum Isn’t Working