When Changing Curriculum Mid Year Is the Answer
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.
Are you looking at changing the curriculum over the holidays?
It’s hard, isn’t it?
You do your legwork. You research the curriculum.
You’re convinced you found the perfect curriculum. Then it just doesn’t work. And you realize that changing the curriculum is your only answer.
When Changing Curriculum Is the Answer
I wish I could say it never happened to me. But it has. So many times that my husband and I now budget for curriculum changes over the holidays. Seriously, I need the flexibility for changing the curriculum because what we’re doing just doesn’t work.
And here’s why sometimes changing curriculum is the answer.
The Kids Aren’t Learning
When we first started homeschooling my son was struggling with math. We finished the first book and moved on to the second book. He floundered. It was too much.
So we went back and repeated the first book before attempting the second book again.
And again he floundered.
So we went back a third time and repeated the first book.
And again he floundered.
By this point, I was beginning to believe the curriculum wasn’t working for my son. He wasn’t learning. He wasn’t mastering the material.
So we switched curriculum, actually, I think it was February instead of over the holidays, but still. We switched and the new curriculum worked beautifully.
And sometimes switching is the answer when the kids just can’t learn with the curriculum you’re using. Different curricula introduce and explain concepts differently. And sometimes one will use large intuitive jumps and another will use tiny baby steps.
And if your child isn’t learning with the curriculum you’re using, it may be time to switch curriculum.
You or the Kids Loathe the Curriculum
Let’s face it. Sometimes you or the kids loathe the curriculum. That actually happened to me this year. My little girl, who loves school, started avoiding her English book. She groaned when I pulled it out. She sighed. And she asked if we could skip it that day.
She loathed the curriculum.
And to be honest, I was using it because it was the best I could find that fit our needs. Not because I loved it either.
So I started looking into changing the curriculum again.
Because life is too short to use a curriculum you or your kids hate. There are many excellent programs out there. So switch to the one you and your kids enjoy.
And that’s what we did. We switched our English curriculum last month and now my little girl is enjoying her schoolwork again.
The Curriculum No Longer Fits
As time passes your style of homeschooling changes.
Now I’m not talking about your method of homeschooling. I’ve been classical all my homeschooling years. But I’m talking about separating the kids or switching over to a morning time-intensive homeschool approach. The way you sit down and homeschool your kids.
Young kids need you sitting next to them the entire time. You’re catching and correcting problems immediately.
High school teens disappear into their bedrooms and lounge on a chair in the living room. You may only gather once a week to grade tests, discuss history and literature, and read through writing assignments.
Your style of homeschooling has changed.
And I’ve switched curriculum because the program we were using no longer fit my style of homeschooling.
We started off with the kids combined for history and science.
But during the years of pregnancy and bed rest with my youngest two children, we separated the kids and encouraged independent work.
Changing needs dictated a change in homeschooling styles. From combining kids in history and science to finding a curriculum the kids could do with little oversight.
But while it worked for one child. Another struggled. He fell behind. He refused to do work he hated.
I combined the kids again.
Now everyone was thriving.
Your needs and your children’s needs change over the years. Sometimes kids need to be able to study independently. And sometimes it’s best to keep them combined.
As you adapt to your family’s changing needs, you may need to change the curriculum.
You’re Desperate for a Change
Sometimes when you’ve been using a curriculum for years it grows stale.
You invested in the textbooks. The older kids used it.
And you’re so sick of the curriculum, you can’t stand the sight of it.
It’s okay to change! Seriously, you don’t have to stick with a curriculum if you’re sick and tired of using it day in and day out.
Changing to a new curriculum adds variety to your lessons. It keeps you fresh. It keeps you interested in the material.
Changing curriculum breathes new life into your homeschool.
So if you’re coming into the holidays and realize your curriculum just isn’t working for you, don’t feel guilty.
Sometimes changing the curriculum is the best thing you can do for your homeschool!
always options aren’t there? We needn’t ever be afraid to switch things up.