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Homeschooling Your Defiant Child

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There are numerous reasons why you have chosen to homeschool your child. One of them most likely being to provide your child with a better education. However, when you have chosen to begin Homeschooling Your Defiant Child, it can be tricky to find success. Don’t let a little attitude get in the way. Here are some great tips to keep in mind when homeschooling your defiant child.

Homeschooling tips for dealing with a defiant child in your homeschool classroom. Great parenting tips and techniques for dealing with struggling children.

Homeschooling Your Defiant Child

This post contains affiliate links.  I earn a small commission on purchases made via these links. 

As a parent, you want the absolute best for your child. Sometimes, that means changing things up to get to the root of a problem.  Below are some of my tried and true methods for homeschooling an often defiant child.  Defiance doesn’t necessarily mean there is some hidden horrible problem.  It can often mean that your child is struggling with expressing themselves appropriately. Hopefully, the tips below will help you to find out the problem and solve it easily.

Find the Root of Deficiency

This is oftentimes easier said than done, however, try to find the root of the problem. Does your child need more sleep? Is your child hungry? Is there an issue outside of school that is distracting him? Sometimes there is an easy fix, but if none of these is the issue, try these next tips.

Try a Different Style

What works for one kiddo may not always work for the next. If your child is having a hard time learning, sometimes that can lead to them becoming defiant. Try another learning style, to see if that makes school a little easier for your kiddo.

Homeschooling tips for dealing with a defiant child in your homeschool classroom. Great parenting tips and techniques for dealing with struggling children.

Consistency is Essential

Lots of changes can put a damper on anyone’s mood, especially younger kiddo. Make sure that you are being consistent, in all aspects. This includes having a consistent homeschooling routine, as well as keeping life outside of the classroom as routine as possible.

Add an Extra Break

Is your child defiant because they cannot focus for too long at once? If so, consider breaking up your school day. Either do a little school work in the morning, and then a few hours rest before going back at it later in the afternoon. You could also just add in an extra 15 minute break or so, if you are worried about taking too long of a break, and becoming unmotivated.

Stretch and Allow Movement

Sitting up straight in a chair for hours each day gets old. Perhaps part of your child’s problem is that they need to move around a bit. Consider getting an exercise ball for your child to sit on, instead of a stiff chair. The bouncing movement may help loosen your child up, and make their day a little less stressful.

Make it Fun

Sometimes defiance comes from boredom. While you do not want to reward poor behavior, make sure that you are making your homeschooling time exciting, and fun. If your child has something to look forward to every day, he is going to be less likely to act out.

Homeschooling your defiant child isn’t always easy. However, these tips can help make your life a little easier.

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Homeschool Co-Op Uses for BookShark Curriculum

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As you already know, we have partnered with BookShark this year for our son’s education and part of a series of sponsored posts here.  BookShark is a literature-based curriculum that is rising with popularity. A lot of homeschool families want to know how to use this homeschool curriculum with their local co-op. More homeschool families are doing co-ops because it helps build up community and fellowship in their current season of homeschooling. If you’re looking for ways to use BookShark with a homeschool co-op, these tips are for you!

History of the World book laying on a bed open to studies about the middle east.

Homeschool Co-Op Uses for BookShark Curriculum

Last year, we reviewed the Level 6 BookShark program.  This year, our son is starting to utilize the Level 7 BookShark program.  I love that this is a secular curriculum that we can choose how to include ideas like evolution, creation, or Bible study, but it is not already incorporated into the curricula.  This makes it easy for families to customize, and for it to be more flexibly used within a co-op setting with a variety of family types.

Create a Local Book Club

Do you know what’s fun? Creating a local book club for your kids to be a part. As a homeschooling parent, I can’t tell you how many clubs I’ve started, just so my kid can be a part of it. The BookShark curriculum has so many awesome books that it only makes sense to take it a step further and create a book club.

Each week, kids in the book club would have to read and then discuss a few chapters with the rest of the kids. Book clubs are so good for kids because it helps them with comprehension. Reading is good, but kids need to understand what they’re reading.  This is especially handy for those books that your child may be struggling to get through.

History of the world book on a bed

Book Report Opportunities

Another way you can use BookShark within a homeschool co-op is to do book reports. Book reports don’t have to be boring, they can be fun and exciting. You can even do this book report opportunity within your book club.

Give the kids options in HOW they want to incorporate the book report. They can give an oral book report, an illustrated book report, or they can make it technical with a Powerpoint slide. Don’t forget how important it is to ensure kids keep their creativity flowing in through projects like this.  Doing a book report in front of peers is a great lesson for students in confidence and decorum.

Weekly Science Experiments

Co-ops give homeschooled kids an opportunity to get out and learn but also meet kids their age. You can use BookShark with your homeschool co-op by allowing weekly science experiments and letting the kids get hands-on with learning.  These are already included in your BookShark curriculum, so you have an abundance of options in place to share with other students.

Remember that not all kids do great at reading and comprehending. So, taking it a step further and letting kids act out what they have learned is always a good thing. Science experiments are FUN but also a great way to learn.  Plus, science experiments give something for the co-op to look forward to! Getting this into your co-op routine will help you use BookShark with your co-op.

Why I Love BookShark for Homeschool Co-op Groups

As a homeschool parent, I value being able to keep my son active with groups.  He needs to step outside of his comfort zone and learn from others.  Being able to include our base curriculum within a co-op is so nice. I don’t have to worry about him feeling confused or overwhelmed as he is already familiar.  Plus, the literature-based approach makes it popular with other parents since the supplies are so easy to find and use in a group.

Check out our other BookShark Posts

How My Son Learned to Love Math with Teaching Textbooks 3.0

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Love Math? Really?  Yes!  I am as surprised as you are that my son who has always dreaded math, now looks forward to his lessons.  Recently, I was given a chance to use and review Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Level 7 Math with my son.  The results have been amazing.  While this is a sponsored post for Teaching Textbooks, I am now a diehard fan who will continue to homeschool using their programs. All of our opinions and thoughts are honest and come from our own experiences with this online math curriculum.

Tips for getting your kids to LOVE Math using Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Math programs! How My Son Learned to Love Math with Teaching Textbooks 3.0

As I mentioned, early in January I started talking to Teaching Textbooks about testing out something from their program with our son.  I knew that math was my weakest subject to teach, so I instantly grabbed that as an option.  The easy online option meant we could get started the same day.  Below are some of the things I noticed helped my son love math right away.

The lesson part of the program is easier for him to understand

I am just not great at teaching math concepts. Over the years, we have tried a dozen or more curriculums trying to help him understand even the basic math concepts.  We even tried going to a local Montessori school last year to see if that would help him advance more with mathematics.  Hands down, Teaching Textbooks lessons are the best for my son.  He immediately began seeing math in a different way.

One of the benefits for him with Teaching Textbooks 3.0 was that every problem and all of the lesson is read to him. He plugs in his earbuds and gets a lesson that feels like he is in a classroom, but on a level that he can understand that allows him to work the problems.

Check out this great screenshot of Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Math Level 7 lesson 7 for how it appears to your student

He had plenty of practice problems first

One of the reasons he said he learned to love math was that he had a lot of focused practice with Level 7 Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Math.  Doing multiple problems that were just practice helped him feel confident to move on to the individual lesson practice.

Our son loves using Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Level 7 Math! He has fallen in love with math for the first time in his life!

He got a second chance to redo any problem he missed

In the past, getting a problem wrong meant sometimes it would be hours later before he knew it was wrong, and we would have to go back over the lesson again to refresh his mind so he could learn the correct process.  Teaching Textbooks 3.0, he is given a second chance and hint option with each problem.  This has helped him to learn from his mistakes and retain the information much better than in the past.

Check out how I can see which problems he struggled with and how many attempts he made to do each problem.

Check out how the parent can view their students progress in each individual lesson

He learned more in less time

One of his and my favorite parts of this program is that he spends so much less time working on math each day.  Instead of a long 2-hour frustrating event for just a few problems like we used to struggle through each day, he is done in sometimes as little as half an hour.  We set aside an hour per day for his lessons, and to date (nearly 3 months using the program), he hasn’t spent more than that on any one lesson.

Note:  How long it takes to complete a lesson does depend upon the individual child.

I love the easy to view interface for my son in the Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Level 7 Math program

What I loved about Teaching Textbooks

He isn’t the only one who has suddenly found they love math!  Through his lessons, I have found a new appreciation for math.  I no longer dread this part of our day, which makes the homeschooling experience 100 times better for me personally.

Look at how easy it is to navigate the Teaching Textbooks website as a parent

How to get started with Teaching Textbooks

You have your child take a Placement Test to determine the level they need to be using.  Levels are not set up by grade level, so our son who is currently in 6th grade is actually using the Level 7 Math.  This is accurate for his current level of understanding. So, make sure to take the test before you buy, as that is the only way to get a truly accurate level of math for your student.

If you have multiple children, there is a Family Plan option to help cut costs.  This is wonderful for my friends with 5-6 kids all using similar levels of the programs. While it isn’t a great option for every family, it can be very beneficial for large families so make sure to check out all of the details before you purchase.

Check out the benefits of the Family Plan discount with Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Subscription

It is virtually hands off for me

There is an option to print an eBook with lessons, but thus far we have not seen a need for this.  I love that I can sit next to him doing my own work, and know that he is completing the lessons online and learning, without me having to participate.  Yes, homeschooling is about teaching your child, but this is one subject I much prefer to hand off to someone else.  While I do have to help with things from time to time, I am spending less time on math than ever before in our journey.

Check out the way parents can see their students lesson in the Teaching Textbooks 3.0 version

I have access to all of the problems and can see his information easily in the dashboard

While we haven’t printed the eBook, I know I have access to them if he needs extra help or I have questions.  Plus, I can see exactly how well he did on every problem.  If he has a poor grade on a particular lesson, I can see if the practice problems were working for him or not.  It’s easy to pinpoint exactly where he is struggling.

Check out the printable options for Teaching Textbooks 3.0 for parents

We can do this anywhere with little to no supplies

Since we love to travel, one of my favorite things about any curriculum is how portable it is for our trips.  Teaching Textbooks 3.0 means I can take his work with him anywhere we have an internet connection. The result is that he is learning while we travel, and I am not having to carry tons of books and supplies along on the road.  It’s even accessible from our phones or tablets, so if I don’t want to pack the laptop for travel, I can easily login on my phone!

You can begin with a Free Trial

Yes, a Free Trial of 15 lessons is an option to test things before you make the choice to buy the full program. There is no credit card needed for the trial and no time limit.  Your child will get access to the 15 lessons and can work through them in their own time.  I love that this means you can truly get to know the in’s and out’s of the lessons before you make a commitment.

Once you finish the Free Trial, there are options to upgrade to the full program.  You can keep the progress and carry over into the purchased version, or discard and start over.  I love the options available that make this more flexible for your unique needs.

A free trial is a great way to check out Teaching Textbooks before a large investment

How to Use Montessori Methods with BookShark Curriculum

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For the homeschooling families that LOVE to learn, you’re going to love BookShark, which is a literature-based homeschool curriculum that is our sponsor for this post.  It allows homeschooling families to have more flexibility in their journey. If you’re a homeschooling Montessori family, I wanted to show you ways to use BookShark with Montessori Methods.

Rock and sand in small bowls on flat surface with children putting them into small cups

How to Use Montessori Methods with BookShark Curriculum

You may recall that we spent half a year with our son in a local Montessori school.  While the experience there was wonderful, we did feel bringing him back to homeschooling was best for our situation.  During that experience, I learned a ton about Montessori methods, and am now enjoying adding them into our homeschool routine with BookShark.

Incorporate Montessori Math Manipulatives

Since Math isn’t included in the BookShark literature based kits, you will want to incorporate Montessori math manipulatives with this homeschool curriculum. While BookShark offers a few options outside their curriculum for math, I found that using Montessori methods worked best for our son.  My son is very hands-on, so this is a no brainer! Math manipulatives are super important to kids who are visual learners.

Self Led Reading Encourages Responsibility

Another way you can use BookShark with Montessori methods is by encouraging self-led reading. I encourage my son to read whenever he can. I love the read aloud options that come with BookShark as well, but allowing kids to self-read encourages responsibility. One thing you should know about Montessori type learning is that character traits are super important. Anything we can do to get kids to develop their character more is always a good thing.

Expand on Science Projects

Want to use BookShark with your Montessori method? Do daily hands-on projects when it comes to science projects. I can’t tell you how much my son loves science, so I try to do what I can to help him learn as much as he can.  That often includes expanding on science projects. I, of course, like to do the weekly science projects with him. BookShark touches on many aspects of Science, and to make it more Montessori, you would just do daily hands-on projects. It’s that simple!

Bookshelf featuring several history books and fiction books from the BookShark Levl 6 curriculum kit

Meshing Montessori and History

Another way you will want to use BookShark in your Montessori methods is by meshing in history. A great way to incorporate BookShark into your Montessori style is by allowing your kids to be constructive and even critique prior interpretations. If they have questions, encourage them to ask. If something doesn’t make sense, encourage them to seek further answers. History is a big part of the world, BookShark and the Montessori method will allow your child to ask questions, explore, and learn more than you ever thought possible.

Time Management is Also a Big Deal

In Montessori education, kids learn about time management, but also about giving children freedom in their activity choices. When it comes to using BookShark in your Montessori Methods, there are tons of ways in which you can allow student-led learning.

BookShark is a great homeschooling tool. For those of you who are focused on teaching your kids the Montessori style, you can totally use BookShark to help homeschool your children in this manner.

Check out our other BookShark Posts: 

Transitioning from Homeschooling to Public School

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In just a few short months, we’re going from a homeschooling family to a public school family. We will have a kindergartner, second grader, and fourth grader. While I’m sad about ending this season in our life, I’m really excited about what it will bring. Public school will change our lives in a good way. Here are some ways we’re transitioning from homeschooling to public school.

Check out our tips for transitioning from homeschooling to public school. This journey is often hard, but not impossible and can be great for your children and you. Check out our tried and true tips for making this transition easy to manage.

Transitioning from Homeschooling to Public School

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission on purchases made via these links. 

Enjoy the time you have left

At first, I got freaked out because as a homeschooling family, we don’t have strict standards. My kids learn, but they aren’t bound by tests and textbooks. The world is theirs as far as learning goes. They don’t have to sit for hours at a desk, they can do their school work and then spend the rest of the day doing things that they enjoy. Part of transitioning from homeschooling to public schooling is to enjoy the time we have left.

Spend some of this time doing fun things with the kids like these cheap activities to do with kids, or fun games and outdoor activities with kids.  Having them home for a few more days means you can spend some of that time learning through fun!

Don’t stop the learning process

As school is ending for us this year, we’re focusing on a continuous learning process. I want my kids to know their stuff for next year. So, every day they are doing some type of reading, writing, and math. I plan to continue this throughout the summer. Keeping their brain active in learning is an important part of transitioning them to public school.

Things like our list of easy summer homeschool ideas or these reasons to visit a museum are great for keeping the learning process going.

Check out our tips for transitioning from homeschooling to public school. This journey is often hard, but not impossible and can be great for your children and you. Check out our tried and true tips for making this transition easy to manage.

Encourage your kids about the transitioning from homeschooling

Am I nervous? YES! However, I’m trying not to push my worries to my kids. They are little and don’t need to feel stress or nervousness from their mommy. Instead, I’m getting them excited about the process. We talk about the positives and the possibilities. It’s going to be great and they are excited about it.

Don’t forget to get them excited about back to school shopping, making new friends, and the new world they are about to enter into this year.

Keep communication open

I think a huge part about my kids entering public school is talking to them about the process. What they should expect, even though they don’t believe me with some of it. I plan on taking my kids through the process. Talking to them about why we’re done homeschooling. Not only including them in on the process but letting them know the details. Who their teacher will be, what time school will start and end, and what kind of lunches we’ll be packing. Communication will make them feel better and more prepared for this transition. 

As a homeschooling mom, I felt like it was important that I listen to my kid’s desires. They desire to go to school and experience the classroom. We found a school that we love and everyone is excited about this new chapter in our lives!  Transitioning from homeschooling to public school doesn’t have to be scary!  

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