Switching curriculum all the time OK? Not OK?

[Calli]

How important is it to stick with one curriculum and/or homeschooling style?  I have talked with many homeschoolers who change curriculums a lot (within any given year, and between years) or ditch it after a little while if it's to hard, doesn't work, is boring, etc.   I hear these parents talking about switching and wanting to try out this or that or dropping this curriculum or that, and in the same breath also expressing concerns about their kids not being able to spell well, read well, do math, etc.  At what point (age, grade) is it important or even necessary, to stick with one curriculum so the kids actually learn something?  I guess I'm wondering if this is OK or not.. do the kids still learn everything they need to when parents constantly switch things up?  What are the advantages of doing this?

Edited May 12, 2021 by Calli

[Kiara.I]

There is no point at which you MUST just stick with a particular curriculum.  There might be points at which it is better, but those will be different for each child and each family and each curriculum, so...know your child.  LOL

 

Do kids learn everything they need to when parents constantly switch?  Not usually, but there are cases where it works fine.  So...know your child.  ;)

 

It's important to be aware of gaps.  If you switch spelling programs eight times and start at the beginning each time, your child won't progress very far.  But then some children do fine without a spelling curriculum at all, so those children would do just fine.  Right?  And other children would be confused by the changes and really need spelling work, and they won't progress.

 

Yes, it's important to be aware of gaps when switching.  But it's also important to remember that the curriculum serves you, you don't serve the curriculum.  So if one isn't working for some reason, switching might be important.  Switching "just because" might not be the best.

 

And, is it a curriculum that NEEDS to be continued?  For example, math progresses.  Science is, (more or less) topical.  So you could do a unit from one curriculum on botany and then you could switch to a different publisher and do chemistry and then you could do a third that is earth science...and it wouldn't really matter.  Switching math every year is a little bit more problematic, but can be done if needed.  You just need to be aware of gaps and be ready to fill them.

 

Benefits to switching?  Sometimes a curriculum just isn't working out for some reason. Maybe it's too prep-heavy, or maybe it just strikes mom the wrong way and isn't getting done.  Or maybe the child hates it so much that no learning is happening anyway.

[TracyP]

Math - Stick with one program unless it is not working. Supplement if you find yourself wishing for more... drill/ rigor/ word problems/ whatever. But don't completely switch unless it isn't working.

 

Reading - Keep it simple. Start with the tried and true and only move on if those don't click. I think a lot of people jump around looking for a magic bullet here, when the magic bullet is actually time. (assuming no learning disabilities, of course)

 

Grammar - Stick to one, switch every year, or even skip a year. Every program I have seen starts from the beginning each year. You really can't go wrong here before 6th grade.

 

Writing - I actually like switching up writing every year. I find almost every writing program formulaic to some extent. I can't imagine using the same program year after year. That's just personal preference (and often we just write across the curriculum), but I can't imagine a downside to switching writing programs.

 

My guess it that the homeschoolers you are talking to struggle with consistency. Not consistency with programs, but consistency when it comes to actually doing the work.

[OneStepAtATime]

Depends on the subject/child/parent/circumstance...

 

Sometimes switching up things is absolutely the right thing to do.  If something is really not working, dragging it out can be a complete waste of time/energy and can undermine a homeschooling dynamic.  Also, sometimes a thing has run its course and a change of pace can really invigorate a homeschooling environment.  Plus, sometimes a student has made some big leaps/changes and now needs a more rigorous approach/different approach.  And sometimes a child is really struggling in a particular area and the current materials are not meeting their needs.

 

Just depends.

[Clemsondana]

I'm a big fan of not fixing what isn't broken, so we have some things (math, handwriting) that we've used for all of elementary school. If there was a problem, then I'd switch or supplement. Actually, my older kid got really frustrated with an Algebra curriculum, so we took a break and used something different for a while. There's also no reason to stick with something between independent topics - using a different geometry book than what you used in Algebra should be fine. We have other subjects where I think it's good to do something every year (like vocabulary) but there's no reason to stick with a particular program, so we switch based on how it fits with the student each year. We have also switched because we want to try a different approach. We had used 2 different grammar/writing programs over several years, but when I thought that my kids were becoming too rote with the work, I tried a radically different style and it worked. To minimize gaps in history/science topics, we picked a scope and sequence (we chose core knowledge, but there are many others). The HOW changes depending on the student (reading books, workbooks, hands-on projects, etc) but the topics don't.

[Pen]

It depends.

 

Some parents are homeschooling from the start with neurotypical dc who can use pretty much any program/style/curriculum that appealed to the parent from the beginning--WTM, say. And it may go right along working well for everyone from start to end of high school stage. This could be an ideal situation. 

 

Others are facing learning challenges of various sorts and may have to choose things that will work for a child to get over hurdles again and again, and may find that a style that appealed to them (say WTM) or a particular curriculum (Saxon math, say) before they actually tried it, is not a good fit for their particular children's situations.

 

Others may find that the program / style they started with is appealing to and good for the parent, but perhaps even though the child could learn from it, something else would be better for the child's own interests and life aims--for example maybe a STEM focus for a particular child.

 

I would suggest you avoid curriculum and style hopping for no reason, or some vague boredom or grass is greener sort of reason--or merely because many things look enticing. Do your best at the start to guess what sort of curriculum would work for your dc based on what you know about your dc before you even begin, and also what you feel you will be able to teach (similar to what you know, or excellent TMs and support, for example can help).  And then if it seems like it is basically working do try to stick with it rather than hop.  

 

But if things are not working well for your children, find what will work better.

[HomeAgain]

I don't know the right answer.  I start the year with a list of goals.  Sometimes, the next level in a curriculum isn't headed the way I envision our school year going and so I search for something that will.  In the same breath, I also know that changing often can reflect a deeper problem with either the teacher or student - "boredom", for example, often masks something deeper that is worth looking into.

[RootAnn]

What TracyP said.

 

I agree with all of her post plus what Kiara.l said about science.

 

Stick with 1 math up to pre-algebra if it is working. Supplement as necessary.

 

Science - I've never used the same publisher two years running. Just can't find something that both works for me and my various kids.

 

Switching writing and grammar can actually help fill gaps. Or not. Depends.

 

I will probably continue to worry about my kids' academic preparation until they are through college. :)

[MerryAtHope]

Great question! I wrote a blog post about some things to think through before deciding to switch curricula: Grass is Greener Syndrome. There are definitely some times that we found switching helpful, but we also found it helpful to work through the tougher spots of curricula that had otherwise worked for us--so it definitely takes knowing your student and your situation as you decide what's best. 

 

Welcome to homeschooling! I hope you and your kids have a great year!

[coastalfam]

I think it is important to be very judicious with switching curriculum. And, honestly, I think a lot of curriculum hopping is more of a cultural consumerism issue than it is an issue of really having a bad fit. That said, I have changed curriculum. When we first started homeschooling, we knew so little about how to go about it we purchased a boxed curriculum to get us going. I don't regret that choice at all, however, once got our feet wet in the homeschooling world, I started to develop more of a vision of how I wanted to homeschool, so I adjusted--I switched a lot of things that first year, and it was a good move for myself and my kids. Other times I have considered changing, but decided I was just trying to take the easy way out of something that we just needed to struggle through and give ourselves support in other ways (a few baseball card sweeten the deal on any assignment when it gets tedious in this household). I am really glad I didn't switch in those circumstances where it was a matter of difficulty. So, as I said in the beginning, I think switching is okay, but I think we all need to be very judicious about it. We need to question our motives, and we need to consider that once the shine wears off the "new" product, we might find ourselves in the exact same place. 

[Janeway]

I really have not experienced anything more people switch curriculums all the time. But perhaps you were talking about they use one publisher one year for one subject, and then another publish the next year for the same subject. That is actually very normal, even the public schools do it. I do not feel committed to just one publisher for really much of anything. Other than elementary math, I don't think there's really anything that I would feel like somebody should stick it all the way through with one publisher.

[boscopup]

I've switched curriculum several times without issues. I'm teaching the child, not the curriculum. I have an overall goal in mind for the year, and I meet that goal with whatever materials I need. Even in math, I have switched several times without a problem. My 8th grader is doing geometry this year, having used Saxon, Math Mammoth, Singapore, Jacobs Algebra, and AoPS. The first 3 were elementary curriculum that were sometimes changed mid-year even. :)