A Customized Guide for Renewing Your Homeschool for the New Year

Posted on January 5, 2022January 3, 2022 by SPED Homeschool

By Dawn Spence and Amy Vickrey

It is that time of the year when the whole world starts reflecting on resolutions and making new goals for their year. As the world is evaluating what is working and what needs to change, homeschooling parents are no different. Most of us take a break during the Christmas holidays, so January is a great time for a reset. The following areas are places to start when setting new goals for the year.

Curriculum

If your curriculum is not working or needs a tweak, now is a good time to make that happen. Sometimes the curriculum that we choose does not work for our child as expected. This is where you give yourself permission to make the change. Take some time to research or adapt what you have. Change can be helpful and can open the door to further success.

Some questions to ask:

What works just as it is?
What would work better if I made a slight change?
What is not working at all?
What used to work, but maybe isn’t fitting our needs at this time?
Is there a better way to approach this subject to meet my child’s needs?

Resources:

Schedule

Sometimes it is not what we are doing, but more of a timing issue that needs a change. Figuring out what works best for your child can help. Some students do better at night or at a later start. Find out what works best for your schooling. As the years have passed by, I know my schooling has changed as my children have gotten older.

Some questions to ask:

What time does my child learn most efficiently?
Does my child need time before or after schoolwork to relax, focus, or prepare for schoolwork?
Does my child need breaks during the day?
What type of reminders or schedule work best for my child (visual schedule, checklist with words, picture checklist, timer, first-then, work-work-work-break style chart)?
What kind of activities do I need to schedule first, next, last (more active vs. more quiet activities first or last)?
Do I need time to gather materials or plan for the day before beginning activities with my child?
What “set” activities do we have in our schedule, such as therapy, co-ops, or other outside activities?

Resources:

SPED Homeschool YouTube Organizing Your Homeschool Playlist

Incorporating Mom-Care

Sneak Therapy into your Teen’s Schedule

Methodologies

I know that the method in which I homeschool has changed over the years and sometimes I have to adapt my lessons midstream to help make my children successful. If your current method is not working, there are so many ways to homeschool. Road schooling, gameschooling, on the go schooling, student-led and unit studies are just some of the diverse ways to homeschool. If your kids are struggling or maybe you are the teacher, it is a great time to change things up and try something new.

Some questions to ask:

What kind of activities help my child to learn best, and remember the information later on?
What kind of activities do you enjoy engaging in with your child?
Do you have time to prepare materials yourself or need an open-and-go curriculum to help you be successful?
What do I like about different activities or styles of learning that I have heard about?
What do I not like about different activities or styles of learning that I have heard about?
Are there activities or subjects that you would prefer to outsource through online learning, classes, co-op classes, private tutors, or other resources?

Resources:

Healing Teaching

Community

Having a reliable and informative and trustworthy community is an essential part of homeschooling. Maybe this is the area that you need more support in. If you need a co-op, search it out. If you need a support group, find one in your area or online that can provide like-minded support. Homeschooling can be isolating, especially in these present times, but add on homeschooling a child with special needs makes having a supportive community a necessity.

Some questions to ask:

What kind of support are you looking for?
Are you looking for in person or online support?
What kind of environment do you and/or your child do best in?
If looking for an in-person or live online community, what kind of environment do you and/or your child do best with?
Are you looking for play opportunities and extracurricular activities or academic communities?
How long can my child be engaged in activities successfully in these outside environments?

Resources:

As you reflect on what to change, I also encourage you to reflect on all the things that are going well and celebrate those victories. Changes can be good for everyone involved and can lead to better outcomes.

Dawn Spence is the SPED Homeschool Teaching Manager and a stay at home mom who homeschools her three children, including her twin daughters with learning disabilities. She is a teacher by heart and loves to inspire others to find their inner teacher.

Amy Vickrey is the SPED Homeschool Training Manager who knows special education inside and out from her extensive work as a classroom teacher before homeschooling and through her master’s degree work in both special education and learning diagnostics. She now homeschools her two sons as well as runs a homeschool business that offers special needs testing, homeschool classes and consulting at Exceptional Heights Education Services

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6 Steps to Homeschooling A Child with Dyslexia

Posted on October 20, 2021October 19, 2021 by SPED Homeschool

By Yehudis Litvak, SPED Homeschool Partner, Homeschool Boost

Every child is unique. The beauty of homeschooling is the ability to customize your child’s education to fit their uniqueness. This is true for any child, and even more so for a child with learning differences.

And that’s step 1 in homeschooling your child with dyslexia–a fundamental change from the way schools approach education towards a more holistic educational paradigm that builds on your child’s strengths while helping them build up their areas of weakness.

All my children are wonderful, amazing, and bright students who love to learn. Two of them have dyslexia. That doesn’t mean they are less capable. They are not learning any less than the other two. They just need different ways to learn, alternative ways to access information–ways that do not require a superhuman effort on their part. A child who struggles with reading but loves science, for example, can learn about science from audiobooks and documentaries. They can also learn online, using browser extensions that read any text aloud. And of course, our favorite way–read alouds.

So step 2 is that instead of lowering your expectations on how much your child can learn, find alternative ways to access information and learning materials, so your child can learn just as much as their non-dyslexic peers.

Once you’ve set up your child for success in their areas of interests and strengths, you need to help them in their areas of struggle. For this, determine precisely what these areas of struggle are. To do this, start by understanding there are different types of dyslexia. Two children with the same diagnosis on paper may struggle with very different issues. Step 3 would be to get to know your child, to notice specific struggles. Turn to professionals for help. Ask local homeschoolers for referrals to trusted professionals who can help get you connected. While you’re at it, check your child’s vision and hearing, which could also cause learning struggles.

When you have a clearer idea regarding what’s causing your child’s learning difficulties, you can look for the best way to help them. That’s step 4, and it might take time and trial and error. There are many wonderful programs out there. It’s not that some are better and others are worse. It’s that some are a better fit for your child than others. Some families choose to outsource, hiring a tutor to work with their child. Others purchase materials and work with their child themselves. There is no right or wrong. Do whatever works for your child and your family.

And then step 5 would involve finding the proper balance between supporting your child’s strengths and interests and helping them make progress in their areas of struggle. I always compare homeschooling a child with learning differences to riding a seesaw. After spending some time on, say, reading instruction for a struggling reader, you need to restore balance by spending as much, or even more, time on something your child truly enjoys.

The overall atmosphere in the home should be that of unconditional acceptance. Your child should know that the rest of the family accepts him or her just the way they are. Yes, you’d love him even if he never learns to read. Yes, you’d love her even if she keeps misspelling her own name. This might be obvious to you, but not necessarily obvious to your child! Verbalize it! Tell them that their learning challenges do not diminish their value as a human being. Such conversations mean more to our children than we might imagine.

And step 6? Have fun! Our children grow so fast! We want to give them a wonderful, memorable childhood. Don’t let your child’s learning struggles get in the way! Spend time each day enjoying each other’s company and doing something both you and your child enjoy. Get outside, explore nature around you, go on fun trips. Remember that everything our children do is educational. There is so much to learn everywhere you turn, as long as you nurture your child’s curiosity and sense of adventure. Enjoy the journey!

For more homeschooling information and resources, including a free dyslexia-friendly literature and science unit , please visit HomeschoolBoost.com.