Homeschooling offers incredible flexibility. Creating an education plan that works for you and your child allows you to foster a love of learning and find educational opportunities in everyday situations. However, one of the difficulties of homeschooling is figuring out when to adjust your curriculum.
While there are many different approaches to homeschooling, flexible scheduling is among the more popular techniques. Thanks to the hands-on nature of homeschooling, teachers can craft a lesson plan that adapts to new learning interests and works around family schedules and needs.
Even with flexible scheduling, each child's unique learning approach can prove challenging for some educators. As a result, many teachers struggle with figuring out when to adjust their curriculum. Let's look into some reasons why you would want to change your current curriculum and how to tailor your education plan to fit your child's needs.
Listening to Your Child’s Education Needs
Homeschooling allows for one-on-one teaching experiences. One of the benefits of this is that children get individualized attention. By listening to your child's education needs, you can create an educational program that works for them. One sign that your curriculum needs adapting is frustration from your child. Some learning can be frustrating; anyone attempting to learn a new skill knows this. However, if your child is constantly frustrated to the point of giving up or having a breakdown, no matter the subject, it may be time to try a new learning approach.
Similarly, if your child seems bored with their lesson plans and is speeding through every assignment, it may be time to adjust your curriculum to match their pace. In many cases, children excel in one area of learning, preferring reading for math or science over history. Again, paying attention to your child's interests can tailor your curriculum to their unique needs.
When to Adapt Curriculum
The honest answer here is you should adapt your curriculum whenever you see fit. Of course, some of the above signs (frustration, speeding ahead, special interests) are valid reasons to adjust your curriculum. Still, homeschooling allows you the flexibility to adapt your curriculum whenever you need it, meaning that you can tailor your education plan whenever you see fit.
Of course, some level of structure can be helpful. However, reworking your entire education plan in the middle of the school year can cause stress, so be aware of your limitations when tailoring your curriculum to fit your and your child's needs.
How to Adapt Curriculum
Before beginning an education overhaul, take a moment to assess what parts of your curriculum work for you and your child. It can help make a list of educational tools your child connects with. Once you have a better idea of what is working, list areas that could use improvement. For example, if your child is a fan of hands-on experiments, having a science kit like GIGIL can spur their love of learning.
On the other hand, if you have a child who can't get enough reading, consider adding free kids' learning websites or books to your curriculum. In addition, of course, the library is a great free resource for education supplements, so be sure to peruse your local library when adapting your curriculum.
Overall, so long as you are listening to your child’s education needs and are meeting the requirements of any private school or charter school you may be associated with, the correct time to adapt your curriculum is whenever you see fit.
While it can be overwhelming to adapt your homeschooling curriculum, we have plenty of free articles about creating a curriculum and parent and child learning resources.
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