Whether you are a married couple, single or are grandparents going through the journey of homeschooling, there are times that it will be frustrating. Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler or brand new, there are always challenges and frustrations that get in the way of homeschooling.

But hang on and persevere. Here are some tried and true tips to get you through those tough seasons.

Frustrated! Curriculum/Subject Issues

1. Are you stuck on a subject?
   • Reevaluate the curriculum
   • Reevaluate the pace of the curriculum
   • Talk to your child or children about their likes and dislikes *get some feedback!*
   • Take short break from a subject to regroup
   • Find external resources (co-ops, YouTube Videos, websites, books, friends etc)
2. The curriculum isn’t working or making sense
   • Make a list of subjects and goals
   • Make a list of your curriculum and select the top ones
   • Consider buying different curriculum
   • Consider creating your own curriculum
   • Relearn the material together with videos, friends or homeschool co-ops
3. Not getting enough subjects in?
   • Reevaluate your day to day and do a test run of what your day includes
   • Consider a checklist
   • Research more subjects
   • Find blogs and external resources/friends for subject ideas
   • Talk to your children about their interests and channel subjects towards that
   • Look up your state requirements on hslda.org to be sure you meet requirements
   • Enjoy a lot of free play (learning can be a lot of things unstructured!)

Frustrated! Organization Issues

1. Can’t get organized?
   • Consider buckets and baskets
   • Try binders and folders
   • Reorganize a room for just school
   • Get shelving and space
   • Choose one space to make “your schoolroom”
   • Ask your kids what they like (if they are old enough)
   • Research organizational tips (there are many of us struggling out there!)
   • Ask for help! Everyone has weaknesses and strengths – find someone to help. Organized people love to jump in to help.
2. Falling behind or racing ahead?
   • Consider mapping out a calendar of the children’s school subjects
   • Find out what subjects are going too quickly and why – do you need more additions or does your child just love the subject and do more?
   • Figure out what subject is a struggle and spend extra time on it (pace yourself)
   • Is your child advanced? Consider external resources.
3. Children need more attention than you have
   • Consider reorganizing your day to split in chunks
   • Select days of the week for teaching days
   • Make checklists
   • Have some independent work time
   • Have a scheduled reading time
   • Add in activities to your lessons
   • Make something hands-on or informal to learn a topic
   • Have one child take a few days to a week off a subject to help the other get more focus

It’s Normal to Be Frustrated

It’s normal to feel frustrated at times in your homeschool journey. Take heart that there are many solutions and some take time. Give yourself time to test and try out what works. Whether it’s organization, scheduling or a subject change – there are ways to modify and make it work.

For our home of three growing boys, it can be frustrating sometimes with the messy books everywhere but we work with it. Our children have ADD and it makes some days more challenging than others. But since we have buckets, baskets, folders and a designated school room, we have remedies for those frustrating days. In the end, we pick our battles and work within our means. Remember your goals and your overall beliefs in the quality of your child’s future – and the frustrations turn into a perspective – you are teaching the future.