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When to Skip Ahead Or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject

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7 Tried & Tested Tips.

Knowing when to skip ahead or stay longer on a homeschool subject can mean the difference between delight and drudgery when learning.

It is hard not to press the panic button when we hit a wall.

There are some basics to evaluating when to pole vault ahead or simmer on a homeschool subject.

There are a few guidelines that I have benefited from through the years and I’m sharing them today though each scenario may have very different circumstances.

  • If your child is real young, basically up to 3rd grade, you are not wasting time by going back over such important topics like reading.

If you are new to homeschooling, you soon find out that it takes at least the first year to know what your child knows and doesn’t know.

  • If purchasing a curriculum turns out to be more of a review than teaching new concepts, then move on just a little faster and skip lessons.

The advantages as the teacher is that you have started from the beginning. You can better evaluate where your child is academically. I had one new bee homeschooler tell me it’s like when you go to a medical specialist for a second opinion.

They don’t really care about your old test results. They start over so they are certain what they are dealing with (wise advice).

It is the same for you. It is not a waste of your time, but enriches your journey when you quickly cover what your child has been taught before. You now know for sure basic concepts have been mastered.

  • It is very different for an older child.

When to Skip Ahead Or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject


When to Skip Ahead on a Homeschool Subject

A child that is reading well and past the basics of learning can easily become frustrated when they repeat content they may have done over and over in previous grades.

If you are not sure if it’s the curriculum, but detect resistance, cut back to half the lessons.  Speaking to them and listening with your heart as your child tries to articulate the frustration goes a long way to smoothing over any rough spots. A budget may limit you switching curriculum.



  • Because switching curriculum may not be the answer, learning in a different way may be the solution.

If it is math you are working on, can you do some of it orally? If the complaint is handwriting, can some of it be typed or better yet use their iPad? Turn a project into a creation.

  • Give them a reprieve.

If your child knows that a subject they excel in or will enjoy follows one they struggle in, it makes struggling seem less.

Take a look at the order the subjects are being covered to be sure it fits your child’s personality and remember to give attention to the subject they struggle with the most when your child is at peak performance.

  • Resist the urge to determine curriculum level based on their prior public school grade.

Most of the large curriculum vendors provide free downloadable tests to give you a better rule of thumb.

Don’t be embarrassed if your child is not where you think he should be. Just give them the 1:1 mentoring they deserve, build your confidence and know you are not alone.

  • Finally, don’t be afraid to skip lesson plans or grade levels.

Jokingly, I had another new bee homeschooler tell me that when she started homeschooling she didn’t realize that most homeschool children are gifted.

Reckless or Worth it Risk?

While she was kidding, it is true in a way. It’s not because we push our children, it’s because we prepare them.

Nowadays children that receive an excellent education are viewed as gifted.

Make adjustments needed each year and don’t worry about skipping ahead or moving on. If you make either choice and it’s not right at the moment, you can start back over in the morning.

When to Skip Ahead Or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject

You’ll love these other tips:

Hugs and love ya,

When to Skip Ahead or Stay Longer on a Homeschool Subject @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Are You Qualified to Teach Your Homeschooled Children? Part 2.

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Whether you begin to homeschool in the middle of the school year, during the summer or at the end of a school year, self-doubt and fear about your decision to homeschool lingers more in the beginning.

This is normal because like anything that is new, there is constant evaluation.

So continuing on with Part 2 of Are You Qualified to Teach Your Children? Part 1, I want to share a few more tips to keep in mind as you remember that the education of your children is not better left up to somebody else.

Homeschoolers are multiplying by the thousands. 

The days are long gone when nobody has heard of homeschooling.  How does that arm you or qualify you to teach your children?

Well in the ‘multitude of counselors’ there is wisdom.  You are empowered because like any novice teacher, you will have plenty of mentors and veterans to receive advice from.

Though I feel my New Bee Homeschooler program is one of the best ways to help you because there is not another program like it, I blog too because I want you to know about the plethora of wonderful resources out there waiting to help you to succeed.

Homeschoolers, much like you and I, have successfully nurtured, homeschooled and raised their children. Those children are adults now and are successfully homeschooling their children too.

The Homeschool Teacher that Doesn’t Teach!

Being the teacher doesn’t mean you have to teach. 

Most of us {if we honestly self-evaluate} are limited in some way or the other in our education.

Whether it is because we did not understand a certain subject when we were in school or whether we had no interest in learning a particular subject, we may feel inhibited.

Are You Qualified to Teach Your Homeschooled Children Part 2. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Do not let this hold you back because in the homeschool arena, we can hire private tutors that are experts in an area, buy curriculum that has step-by-step instructions, join a local homeschool co-op or homeschool with another family to fill any perceived weakness on our part.  All of which I have done at one time or another.

Too, if you homeschool from the beginning when your children are very young, then you can learn right alongside them as I have done.

Many subjects I have confidently taught and breezed through because I have learned on the job.

In the end, your standard is the only one that matters.

Adopting a learning without limits attitude will propel you on in your journey.

Also, equally important is not pushing aside the time and curriculum you need as the home educator.

It is hard to teach somebody else when we have so many questions about curriculum, schedules and learning styles.

Allow me to help you by taking advantage of what I offer for free like my Free 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers.

Of course, I would be delighted to help you through our New Bee Homeschooler Program too, but I provide many free resources because I care about you staying the course.

And remember, because you’re the teacher now, you can decide which subjects you want to teach and which ones you want to receive help with.

Look at these other tips to help you:

Hugs and you know I love ya,

Are You Qualified to Teach Your Homeschooled Children? Part 1.

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The new year reminds me of the haunting question that echoes time and time again and that is,“What qualifies you to teach your children?”

Even after homeschooling for many years, I find it hard to hide my eagerness and enthusiasm when it comes to answering those who question not just my decision, but my qualifications to homeschool.

Just so that it is absolutely clear, I am not a former public school educator.

I do not have a degree conferred upon me in education and never went to college to learn about how to educate children.

But I do have the approval of the Highest Person in the universe to homeschool my children.

I am not a state certified teacher, but I have graduated one son who is now working on his college degree. Oh, wait, the second son just recently graduated too.

Another son is doing middle school/high school level work.

Having taught all of my sons to read and write well, I have homeschooled many years with my standard set to excellence.

By helping former public school teachers get on the road to homeschooling, I have learned that a state certified teacher does not love my children more than my husband and I do.

Are You Qualified to Teach Your Homeschooled Children Part 1. This is fantastic stuff. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusNo, I am not asking naysayers to only believe the “love-my-kids-more-than-a-professional-teacher” mantra.

On the other hand, what has held me to my course to the end with two of my sons is my deep and abiding love for my sons. It has been an enormous motivating force which propels me beyond the basics how-tos of homeschooling.

Not everybody questions your motives for negative reasons.

A lot of times questions arise out of pure curiosity. I find too that some parents are flat out scared and they think that somebody else is more patient, organized, loving or smarter than they are. I am still working on all those things.

We know the difference between people who are really interested in how we are going to teach our children versus people who are asking with a critical stare.

Arming you with a few things that jolt through my mind and heart when I think about my qualifications to homeschool, I am hoping you remember these as you start your homeschool year.

Grab some of these and put them down on your homeschool mission statement.

Unspoken Assumptions

Remember as I share these tips that though you may be the only one in your small community to homeschool, you are not alone. Thousands have gone before you successfully.

The key to keep learning is to not seclude yourself and to obtain continual education. Look at my points below with those thoughts in mind. Empower yourself.

  • Whose standard?

Like you, I left the public school system because it was not working for me. Not everybody has a terrible, horrible, bad experience with public school. I didn’t.

But what I did know was that deep down I knew I had different standards for everything and that included academics, emotional, physical and spiritual development.

So I am not interested in meeting the public school standards, but in exceeding them.

That is why you have to come at us homeschoolers with more than just, “What about testing?”

My reply is always the same, “Do you have any idea of why to test?”

It is hard to defend something when a person starts off on untruths and preconceived ideas.

In other words don’t bring the public school’s way of determining whether something is working or not to homeschool and expect them to work at our home. Some homeschoolers test, some don’t. But if and when we do, we have very specific reasons to test. I will be discussing this in a future post.

How does that qualify me to teach my children then?

Because my system or standard works for my family!

I can and do provide a richer environment because it is more practical, useful and tailored to my children.

You are taking control back of not just educating your children, but making the everyday decisions for your family in the other areas I mentioned above.

Did you get that?

My standard has changed because I am not just interested in filling my children’s brain to the full, but hearts are involved.

The bottom line is that your family is the only one you have to worry about as far as standards. The new standard is now meeting and exceeding your family’s needs and not the needs of 100 other families that you do not know.

Tell me, what certified teacher or accredited school will go to that length to create such a unique, diversified, distinctive and one of a kind education for your children?

Too, do you know why a majority of homeschool children outdo their peers?

It certainly is not because we step to the same pace or standard.

Look at my post What is NOT Homeschooling.

  • We give up cookie cutter education for the masses and adopt a learning without limits attitude.

For some folks, they may not appreciate their new found freedom so that mind-set just doesn’t settle right with them. But for a lot of others it does.

How does this qualify you as an educator? You no longer step in sync with the masses, but are intent on creating an extraordinary educational program.

Show me a teacher with a degree who does not know the child she teaches and I will show you a mom cradling her child, which has adopted a firm and dogged-determination to understand how to educate her child.

  • Any guesses who is in it for the long haul?
  • Any guesses who will work overtime with no pay?
  • Any guesses who will drive hours upon top of hours so that her children will have friends?
  • Any guesses who will jump in the college waters not knowing anything to help her child navigate them?
  • Any guesses who will spring into action teaching a child to read as terrified as a mom might be?

This is not about bashing the public school system or public school teachers because I have a few friends that are teachers. But it is about keeping the focus on what is best for your children.

Not settling for mediocrity when it comes to filling your mind with the how tos of homeschooling, I do feel that you can eventually be a force to be reckoned with and that your children receive an exceptional education.

I still do not know a lot about how to manage more than 20 children at one time, but I do know how to choose curriculum with a discerning eye, how to fill a learning gap if any in our year, how to adjust my teaching to fit each sons’ learning style and how to train my sons for college level work.

More importantly somewhere along the way too, my husband and I also nurtured in our sons a desire for spiritual things.

I only shared two things today. What about you? Have you adopted either one or both of those ideas?

In Part 2 Are You Qualified to Teach Your Homeschooled Children, I will share a few more ideas that I hope you embrace.

Also, look at the helpful tips:

Hugs and love ya,

Do You Need to Know What A Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Do you need to know what a scope and sequence is when you homeschool? Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips!

No term seems as daunting to grasp to a new homeschooler than a scope and sequence.

You don’t have to have a teaching degree to understand new terms.

Too, sometimes there is just too much hype in trying to understand new terms and I feel scope and sequence can fall into one of those types of things.

I don’t want to minimize the importance of understanding the term.

But it’s not necessary to completely understand all the details of a scope and sequence before you embark on your new career as home educator.

Do You Need to Know What A Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool

A simplified definition of scope and sequence is this:

Scope means the range of knowledge in an area or subject that will be covered and sequence means the order in which that area will be covered. That’s it, simple enough.

If you choose something that is laid out lesson by lesson, which is called a boxed curriculum in the homeschool world, then the publisher has already determined what will be covered in that grade level and when or what days it will be covered.

I would prefer that you focus on how advanced or how much help your child needs instead of worrying right now at which grade level to cover which subjects.

You will have plenty of time to be educated about all the education-ese.

For example, look at the scope and sequence of each grade.

And then determine which grade your child fits into and not determine your child’s grade first and then buy that level.

There is a huge difference here.

Are You Making this First-Timer Mistake

The first way of selecting a grade level will set you up for a course that will make your first year more successful and the second way may set you up for a more stressful year.

Assuming your child is ready for the scope and sequence in a grade level because that is his grade level is a common first year mistake I want you to avoid like no other.

Let me say it again and that is don’t buy curriculum based on your child’s current grade level.

There is a time when a scope and sequence will weigh in heavier on your choices for curriculum.

That time is when you decide to play a larger role in lesson planning.

Then, it becomes more important to understand how extensive a subject should be taught in a grade and in what order it should be introduced or mastered by your child.

I encourage you for your summer reading to study and become somewhat familiar with both free online scopes and sequences.

Too become familiar some books that I will share with you at the bottom of this post.

Hear my heart on this.

Key to not getting overwhelmed is to not study all 12 grades.

What insane crazy person does that? I did.

FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

I almost gave up homeschooling in the beginning because I put myself under too much pressure.

Study the grade level your child will be in, the one above and the one below it.

That is enough for now.

That will give you a bigger picture skill wise, to see where your child’s level is compared to a scope and sequence.

I assure you instead of stressing you out, getting familiar with the set of skills a child is generally introduced to in each grade level will do quite the opposite for you in the long run.

It will empower you to be a teacher that is a cut above those that don’t take time to understand the learning process.

Do You Need to Know What a Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool

Look at my list below and one last reminder before you jump into some of this not so light reading is that this is just a “map” designed by curriculum providers.

What I don’t want you to take away from the reading is that your child has to cover x in x grade.

Eventually, I will share some posts about some significant milestones to look for in certain grades which is of far more importance than keeping up with each grade level.

Do Homeschoolers Need to Know What is a Scope and Sequence? Click here to grab these AWESOME tips!

Each child, barring any developmental issues will reach each educational milestone at their own time.

Look at these free online scope and sequences:

Books to read that I think help through your whole homeschooling journey:

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home Even though you may or may not follow this homeschool approach, she has great tips for valuable resources in all areas.

Pick and choose what works for you. For example, I used her reading suggestions when teaching my sons to read and write.

Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School

Again look at some of the resources instead of honing in on exactly all that needs to be covered.

What Your Preschooler Needs to Know: Get Ready for Kindergarten (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know

What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Second Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Second Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series

What Your Third Grader Needs to Know (Revised Edition): Fundamentals of a Good Third-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know (Revised) (Core Knowledge Series)

Books to Build On: A Grade-by-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers (Core Knowledge Series)

Slow and Steady Get Me Ready I used this book for my boys when they were babies and again, didn’t get stressed out if my boys were behind some of these things or some of them were easy.

It gave me a heads up about what to expect at each age.

When is Knowledge Power

Too, this series below is the set of books I much more preferred to use along with the ones written above by other homeschoolers.

I did glance at the Core Knowledge Series above and use some from those books.

But I loved the fact that the books below had ideas of how to teach concepts and it also came with an envelope in the back of the book that had a test I could give.

I know, I know, I couldn’t help myself about testing.

I was worried and had to test for a year or two, but after that I realized I was on track.

Do Homeschoolers Need to Know What is a Scope and Sequence? Click here to grab these AWESOME tips!

You will too. So if it gives you comfort, it’s okay to test, just don’t stress over them in the younger years.

How Is My First Grader Doing in School? What to Expect and How to Help
How Is My Second Grader Doing In School? What to Expect and How to Help
How Is My Third Grader Doing in School? What to Expect and How to Help
. . . . My Fourth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help
. . . Is My Fifth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help
How Is My Sixth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help

Try to remember that as you join with the other thousands of homeschoolers who have been down the road for several years now that we too have expressed some of the same feelings of not wanting our child to get behind or wanting to do this “right”.

So instead of following a scope and sequence, just use it as a guide to enlighten yourself about the general educational needs of all children. 

But focus on how unique your children are and know that what you will eventually be teaching them through all the years won’t be able to be contained in any set of scope and sequences.

What do you think? Do you feel a little more empowerment from this foundation of knowledge?

Do You Need to Know What a Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool. Tips for the Beginner. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at these other helps:

Hugs and love ya,

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What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them? Part 3 of 3

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What Homeschool Subjects to Teach And Does It Matter When I Teach Them Part 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them?

Day 1.What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them?
Day 2. What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them?

In one of our co-ops, the kids learned to sing Greensleeves.

Once they learned the words and melody it was the most beautiful and soothing sound to hear them sing again and again. I feel your homeschooling day can be the same way when each subject complements the other.

An important point to keep in mind regarding the skill subjects like reading, writing and arithmetic is that just because your child is doing well now does not mean he has mastered that skill.

HOMESCHOOL TWO STEP DANCE

Learning takes place in a three steps forward, take two back ritual.

That is why we wonder sometimes what happened to them when they had “it” once, but now forgot it.

Information needs to be introduced at one time, but later it becomes mastered or it becomes part of their learning cycle.

Like an orchestra or singing Greensleeves, it required several rehearsals.

Each time, we focused on different parts of the songs or music until it was finely tuned. Your subjects need to be the same way.

So do not be so quick to discontinue phonics early. Even if your child is a good reader, keep on with phonics until the 4th grade or even 5th grade. Phonics is more than just about reading, it’s about spelling too.

Knowing basic letter sounds is just touching the fringe of learning phonics. It includes learning how to change endings on words. Changing the ending on a word, for example, like “act” to “actor” changes the meaning completely.

As mentioned, phonics is about spelling too and not just reading. It involves the connection between letters and their spelling. Continuing spelling until 8th grade can be sufficient for most children, however, if your child is still struggling continue through to high school. I have now stopped teaching my oldest son spelling however I do hold him accountable for each word he writes. In this way, he can focus on the words that may still give him problems.

Math is one of those subjects that I feel should continue all the way through highschool and not stop in the first two years of high school. Why? Math is a subject that is so logical. I certainly did not feel that way in the beginning because math was not my strong subject.

However, much like learning a foreign language with a code and set of rules, you can begin to understand the language. The logic and thinking skills that a student acquires in the study of math can serve him lifetime regardless of whether he goes to college or not.

Grammar is a tool to use for composition, but I have always been of the mind set that emphasis should be placed first on writing instead of grammar. Grammar has taken a back seat in my journey, starting formally in 3rd grade for us.

Of course, basic grammar has always been applied early on but applied more formally when my sons are composing.

Composition cannot be enjoyed unless attention is given to penmanship early on and first. What child can enjoy composing beautiful thoughts or silly ones if just holding a pencil or pen causes discomfort?

Many children have needs that need to be addressed regarding fine motor skill, however, many do not. It simply has been a lack of sticking to some kind of writing daily or fun activities to strengthen those fine motor skills.

Daily, if you will give attention to penmanship with tiny baby steps, your child will be well above others for the simple fact he can compose more than one well written paragraph.

History, science, Bible, field trips, game playing and co-ops are at the heart of any enriching program.

Science is not about vocabulary words but out hands on experiments, questioning and investigation.

History is not about dead people, but about the way they lived. What they inspired others to do.

Can you make it come alive by attending reenactments, doing a lapbook, cooking recipes of that time period and wearing costumes. We do and please hear me, I am NOT the crafty mom. But I know that passion on a subject, starts from a spark of interest.

How to Fit It All In a Homeschool Day?

The Bible is a subject that is just part of our daily life but some do include it as a formal subject.

The last tip I want to share is WHEN to do all of this.

IF you school year around, then you can divide up your year into two big chunks of learning.

Along about January, I switch out subjects. I may start one subject in summer and end at this time of the year around November or December just in time to start another one in January.

That is another tool we have in homeschooling – flexibility. Be sure to use it. If you need to stop and not do one subject like history, science or geography for a few months to concentrate on another, do that.

Then by the end of your year, you will have introduced or mastered more areas or subjects.

Have your child taste all the subjects and do not become lopsided even if you feel you like one more than another.

We all like one or more subjects than another, but the point is we want a well rounded out harmonious sound at the end of our homeschooling journey.

Do you have a starting point for knowing which homeschool subjects to cover and when?

Did you miss the other two posts?

Hugs to you today,