According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a pitfall is “a hidden or not easily recognized danger or difficulty”. There are many common homeschooling pitfalls! Discover what homeschool pitfalls exist and how to avoid them.
Buying Too Much Curriculum
This is a very common pitfall of homeschoolers. It often happens to new homeschoolers, but long-term homeschoolers are not immune. There are so many options for curriculum now! It’s wonderful to have so many options…but it also creates a feeling of confusion when considering what is needed and how much to buy. How do you avoid buying too much?
First, start with this handy “What Curriculum Do I Really Need?” chart. Fill it in according to the steps below:
- Start with your budget. This could range considerably in every family. Only you know your own circumstances. What can you afford to spend? If you don’t feel you have enough, consider making money by selling curriculum or household items/clothes you are done using, asking to borrow curriculum from a friend, finding free resources online, using the library or a combination of those ideas. Don’t overspend!
- Consider first who you are teaching and their level.
- Consider what subjects are not negotiable essentials (math and language arts for sure, but the rest would vary per family.)
- What else would you consider as extras? Fill them in under “additional subjects to consider.”
- What do you already have that meets these needs? Use what you have first.
- Now make a list of what you need to purchase and the price. Do you have room in your budget, or can you make room? Remember that some items could be searched for used (usually online in homeschool swap groups is the easiest). Buying used helps stretch your budget.
Do you need help to figure out how and where to buy used curriculum?
Or perhaps you need even more step-by-step help figuring out how to plan your homeschool year?
Bottom line here is- don’t buy what you don’t need or can’t afford! Which brings us to our next pitfall….
Being Distracted By The New Shiny Curriculum
If you are not in the market for a new curriculum, and if what you have works, don’t get distracted by something new! Soon enough the new and shiny curriculum also reveals its flaws…there is no perfect curriculum. But how do you avoid being distracted by the shiny new curriculum that is calling your name? Repeat after me: there is no perfect curriculum! If you need something and it fits your budget, by all means try out the new program if you feel after researching that it would fit your needs. But don’t get distracted if you have something that is working! Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Not Joining A Support Group
Homeschool support is important. Very important. I would argue that long-term homeschool success depends on homeschool support. So what should you do? Find a support group local to you. Consider joining a co-op. Meet other homeschool parents and plan casual get-togethers like park meet ups, hikes, or playdates with coffee. If you can’t find a local homeschool support group, start one! Remember: Homeschool support is important! Are you a rural homeschooler? That can present a unique set of challenges. But you are not alone! Other rural homeschoolers have figured out ways to get support.
Joining All The Activities
Many people think that homeschoolers are unsocialized. Oftentimes the opposite is true. There are so many opportunities to get involved and get socialized! Homeschool groups, neighbourhood friends, extra curricular events, neighbours, maybe church groups…the list goes on and on. But there can be too much of a good thing.
As homeschoolers, we do need time to homeschool! Yes, outings and social time does count as schooling as children learn all the time. But there still needs to be plenty of time left to focus on the book work skills too! And moms (and kids!) can get burnt out if there is too much going on.
How do you avoid being overwhelmed by all the activities you could join? Consider how many children you have and what your life looks like. Every family will be different. For example, one family might have 2 kids who both are extroverted and enjoy being out and about. Another family might have 4 kids and many necessary medical appointments. Another might have a mom and children who are introverted and prefer lots of time at home. Sit down and consider everyone’s favourite things to do. If a child has too many favourite activities, help them decide what their priorities are. Consider narrowing down the list until you have a level that is comfortable for your situation considering everyone’s needs and your budget! Gas isn’t cheap and outings take time and effort!
Need more help figuring out how to choose from all the many great activities?
Not Taking Time For Yourself
Let’s face it. Homeschool parents are busy people. Homeschooling feels like a full time job, but we also are in our houses a lot compared to a family with work-outside-the-home jobs and kids in school.
Our houses get more messy because we are home a lot. Yet we are homeschooling so we struggle with how to have time to clean. Many homeschoolers also have a lot of curriculum, books and resources to store and keep track of. And a lot of homeschoolers live on one income in smaller houses which tend to feel full very fast!
Homeschoolers can also be busy with outside of the home activities. Homeschoolers don’t have school sports or school clubs so they find other activities for their children to join…which means lots of driving. You as the homeschool parent want to connect with other homeschool parents and your kids to have homeschooled friends…which means even more driving.
We also have other responsibilities as homeschool parents. Kids need to eat (and so do you!) and planning, shopping, cooking and clean-up takes a lot of time. Other relationships in your life need tending also! The list goes on and on….
So what often happens? Homeschool parents can easily get worn out and burnt out trying to keep up with all the demands. You need to take time for yourself! But how do you do that?
Make Time For Self Care
Prioritize time for yourself. First consider what you would do if you had time to yourself. Then find a way to make it happen. This can be very hard to do. We have some tips and ideas that might help you as you figure it out:
Five Ways to Avoid Homeschool Burnout
Homeschool Burnout Survival Steps
How to Get Alone Time As A Busy Homeschool Mom
Self Care: 4 Ways to Get Back on Track
Self Care Ideas for the Homeschooling Parent
20 Tips To Keep Your Sanity While Homeschooling
Trying To Replicate School At Home
This is often something that new homeschoolers try. They think that homeschooling has to look like school so they try to replicate the school environment at home, known as the Traditional or School At Home Method. If this is truly working for you, then great! There is nothing wrong with that. However many homeschoolers find they try it because it is most familiar to them, and find that it does not work well for them. How do you avoid this common pitfall? Recognize that replicating school at home is not necessary. There are so many homeschool styles. Try some out and talk to other homeschool parents. This is where homeschool support is so vital! Join a local homeschool group and talk to other parents about what works for them. It takes time to figure out over time what works best for you and your unique family’s needs!
Library Fines
Thankfully, a lot of libraries are eliminating library fines. My local library did away with fines a few years ago, and my budget is able to stretch a little further now! 🙂 Its a well-known fact that many homeschoolers love the library, yet fines definitely add up. So what should you do? Don’t use the library! Just kidding. I love our library. There are so many awesome resources to be found and library staff are so helpful and kind. I don’t know what I would do without our library!
Unless your library is one of those that have eliminated fines, library fines are a big homeschooling pitfall. To avoid fines, first mark down your due dates on whatever calendar system you use. Consider marking it down for the day before, so you panic less last minute! Then make sure you sign up for any email or text notifications your library has. Most (all perhaps?) libraries have some sort of automatic system that reminds you when your books are due. Make sure to make use of that! If life is in a very busy or extremely stressful time, consider using only e-resources for a while. There is no books to lose in the couch cushions and under the bed, and no panic trying to find them all on the due date! Your library might have a resource like Libby or Hoopla. I love that e-resources get returned automatically!
Homeschool Pitfalls Happen!
Now that you know some of the common homeschool pitfalls, you can be better prepared to notice them! But don’t be too hard on yourself. Every homeschooler has succumb to some (or all!) of these! I hope this list of common homeschool pitfalls and how to avoid them helps you to better enjoy your homeschool journey. Remember: if you find yourself caught in one of the pitfalls, its okay. Take a step back and re-evaluate and you’ll get back on track!
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