r/Homeschooling

I’m interested in what I should do and have been thinking about it nonstop recently.
As the title suggests I haven’t been to school in two years, I left in the tenth grade and I turned 18 just two months ago, I want to get back into learning so that I can either get my ged or get a diploma, also as to why I haven’t been in school for two years, it’s personal and I’m sure you guys don’t want a sob story or a mere excuse.
As to my free time and such I have a lot of it unlike my parents so online homeschooling and or online ged classes are doable. As to my abilities, I’m confident in my reading abilities though my grammar could use some work, but my math is terrible and I’m not confident in it at all. I was never good at math mainly because I never found interested in doing it or actually learning it until recently, I can add, subtract, multiply, divide but that’s about all that I am confident in doing.
I also feel it is important to state what I want to do after I get my GED or diploma so you all can help me decide. I’m planning on going to trade school so I can get my machinists license I won’t state what job I want because it’s very specific and for privacy reasons I don’t want anyone tracking me down from me stating it, I know I’m a little paranoid, just know it involves a machinist license/knowledge with machines like a cnc and such.
That’s basically it, I know all of this could have been worded better but I’m writing this in a hurry, I posted this in ged already so it seems fair to also post it here in Homeschooling. Also if there is anything else I need to state tell me that also I will reply eventually.

Not sure how to post this since it's going to feel like an advertisement, but wanted to share something my wife (previously teacher for 7 years) and I (software engineers) built that can help others with the tediousness of Home Schooling.

BetterHomeschool.com

Key differentiators:

1. Not AI Slop – I've built sites and experiences for ESPN, PUMA, World Wildlife Fund, and Coinbase. I care about UX and design and that is reflected in the quality and visuals. Also, this is a website/app you access via any browser or device; it's not a mobile app (nothing to download).
2. Curriculum Freedom – We like The Good and the Beautiful curriculum but found it lacking in social studies. So, we cloned that curriculum and added in some Charlotte Mason and other workbooks and were able to see what school weeks look like while also seeing the how it affected our school year end date.
3. Compliance and Gaps – Pulls in your curriculum, fetches requirements and action items based on your state/county, and drafts emails for who to send to what county administrator. Gaps in your curriculum (either in subjects or hours taught) are called out making reporting and compliance a breeze.
4. Predictable Weeks – Most online programs become homework where you have to report work as complete, skipped, incomplete, etc. With ours, if you miss or skip a day, you can decide to double up the next school day or simply shift the entire schedule for that subject/resource back a day. Or you can get ahead and the schedule automatically moves up or stays the same. Custom holidays, field trips, or "I don't feel like doing this today" all work as you'd expect.
5. Reports – Tracks attendance (some states and counties require this...), hours per subject, formatted to submit when requested.

Free to use forever with premium features (like report card/tracking, multiple students, state and county compliance and pre-made drafts, etc.) are $29/year.

The goal is not that it becomes another app that creates more work for parents. It's perfect for people who want to use an existing curriculum and/or combine it with other resources/workbooks, etc. and want to know what a typical week would look like -- all while having the regulatory compliance and emails drafted for you and who to send them to.

Your \"Today\" screen

Select pre-built curriculums or create your own

advice needed

Hi there. My daughter is 6 years old. She’s in kindergarten, she’s in a public school. She loved school for the majority of the year but now, with in the past week or 2 she’s not wanted to go to school. It’s gotten so bad that she’s been crying, saying she doesn’t feel good, and that she just wants to be with me (mommy) all day. She hasn’t even went to school all week. She’s asking to be homeschooled. Idk if this is a normal stage or something but she will not say that anything happened or if something went wrong in school. I’m at a loss and don’t know what to do. Has anyone else experienced similar? My heart breaks for her. I just want to do what is best. I do work full time from home. I just would appreciate thoughts from others who may have gone through this..

My sister in law lives in a small town in Idaho and homeschools their kids. The oldest 2 didn’t actually graduate high school level becuz of how poorly they were “taught”. The current 2 are supposedly in 7th and 2nd grades but the 7th grader tests at a 4/5th grade level (barely) and is currently failing 2 classes. The 2nd grader doesn’t even test at a kindergarten level and can’t even write her name (she’s 8 y/o). I don’t know how much detail I want to share, so my main question is - as an outsider, but I’m still a family member, is there anything I can do or anyone I can report to for how behind they are?? I did a small amount of googling and it seems like Idaho is very lenient when it comes to homeschooling. I live in a very blue, liberal state where education is highly prioritized so it kinda blows my mind the lack of education my nieces and nephews have gotten. I don’t have an issue at all with homeschooling. I understand why people do it. I have mom friends where I live who homeschool for various reasons and it is so much better than what my sister in law is doing and there is a lot more checking in and regulating. I have an issue with how my sister in law is doing it and how it’s affecting my nieces and nephews.

So is anyone familiar with Idaho? I’m having a hard time watching this year after year…

Thank u for any thoughts!

Hello everyone ,looking for some sort of advice or problem solving . I started a penpal club with the main idea of having kids globally exchange mail packs (.envelope with letters, trinkets,cultural stuff etc) y'all get the gist . The club started out with just my daughter and few other kids we know that home school as well as we often travel and she would send back post cards etc. anyways my problem is that club has grown through word of mouth and it became unbalanced . Out of desperation to match each child I made a Facebook post inviting other parents to join . Mind you I have only 200 friends on FB . This morning I woke up to over 350+ registrations 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 this has now made the situation worst because the age gaps are so different . And even if I matched ther will still be over 100 people unmatched . It's supposed to be a cultural exchange so I can't match people in the same country . So this is my last plea as I don't want this club to be another tiktok mail club and lose its authenticity . Is there anyone out there that would like to join and have a child between 6-15 years old that would like a penpal? I'll be more that happy to do all verifications . These 110 go be exact all reside in Guadeloupe and a few are in Barbados

One thing that actually worries me sometimes is how easy it can be for kids to look 'on track' academically while still struggling with deeper comprehension or critical thinking underneath.

Has anyone who is a homeschool parent seen this before? So how do you personally distinguish between work being done and real understanding?

Hi there everyone!! 😊

Learn domestic animal names and the sounds they make in this fun and interactive video for kids! 🐶🐄🐔

In this lesson, children will listen and repeat as they learn about 20 common domestic animals. After every 5 animals, there’s a fun “What animal am I?” guess the sound quiz where kids can listen carefully and shout out their answers! 🎧

This interactive format helps keep young learners engaged while building listening skills, vocabulary, and confidence. Perfect for use at home, in the classroom, or for ESL learners!

🎯 Learning Goals
・Learn and recognize common domestic animal names
・Identify animal sounds through listening
・Improve listening and concentration skills
・Encourage speaking and participation through guessing
・Build confidence in English vocabulary (great for ESL learners)

hi everyone:) im 17 and ive been living in the car with my family and currently have no access to food for days. is there any resources out there or apps that offer free food? the advice would be helpful and very much appreciated. also I live in Florida if that matters

My wife and I have 3 daughters and 4 grandkids. We’ve also got a close extended family with a number of nieces and nephews we’re deeply invested in supporting — including educationally. In our close circle, at least two of those kids have ADHD diagnoses.

So when our daughter mentioned that our grandson was shutting down at math worksheets — refusing to even start — we paid attention.

Here’s what we noticed. He’d start strong. First few problems, eager. Then around problem 8 or 10, something would shift. By problem 12 he was either crying or quietly refusing. We tried bribes. Encouragement. Breaks. None of it moved the needle.

I’m retired with time on my hands, so I started reading. Went down a rabbit hole on why this happens — and ran into a 1988 paper by John Sweller, an Australian education researcher. The paper introduced something called Cognitive Load Theory.

The idea is simple. Working memory has limits. A young brain — especially one with ADHD — can hold only a few things in active thought at once. When you put 30 math problems on a page, the brain isn’t doing 30 separate math problems. It’s also tracking: how many are left, how long this is taking, am I getting them right, is mom watching me struggle, when does this end.

That tracking is invisible load. And for an ADHD brain, the invisible load fills the bucket fast. Once full, the math itself can’t get in. So the kid melts down. Not because they can’t do the math. Because the worksheet itself is wrong-format for their wiring.

We tried something simple. Cut the worksheet from 30 questions down to 5. Same math. Just less invisible load.

He went from melting down at problem 12 to finishing 5 questions and asking, “Can we do one more?”

That’s it. That’s the whole fix.

I’ve been making 5-question worksheets for him — short, focused, with one win per page — and a few other homeschool families have asked for them since. If anyone here is curious about the cognitive load research itself, Sweller’s 1988 paper is online: “Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning” in the journal Cognitive Science. Worth the read.

Anyone else seen this pattern with ADHD kids? Curious what’s worked at your kitchen table.

(Quick note: this is what worked at our kitchen table. For ADHD diagnosis or treatment decisions, always work with your child’s pediatrician or psychologist.)

Hi everyone, I’m new to homeschooling and planning to start this fall with kids in 2nd and 6th grade. I’ve been looking into Homeschool Pro by RemoteLearning.school and would really appreciate hearing from families who have actually used it.

How has the overall quality been? Is it fairly easy for the kids to use and are the lessons engaging enough for them to stay interested?

I’m also curious how well it works across different grade levels, especially with one younger elementary child and one middle schooler.

Did you feel it was worth the price, and would you recommend it, or did you end up switching away from it?

If you had a bad experience or found something that worked better for your family, I’d love to hear about alternatives too. Thank you

If not, what are your reasons for homeschooling? Really I’m just curious. I was not homeschooled, but had a few homeschooled friends and plan to homeschool my 4 year old and my baby on the way.
Our local district has had decreasing math and reading scores since I was in school, and there’s been 3 school shooting threats just in the time since my son was born. On top of that, I’m a chef and I work second shift. I worked hard to get to my position and I don’t want to sacrifice my career or my participation in my children’s childhoods. My four year old does some preschool work books and we go to a lot of museums so far, but I’d like to get him into sports or music or something soon.

Thanks for reading!

I've been doing homeschool for 4 years, and I am not good at social skills. I got taken out of school in third grade because I was above my level, and I wasn't getting a good education. I started doing online school on an app two years ago. I have only one friend. My best friend I've had for 3 years, I met her at wrestling practice. I stopped going to wrestling practice when my mom passed away, because I felt like nobody was cheering for me. I'm not really doing sports right now. I would like to, but I don't know what sports to do. I like reading, art, skateboarding, motorcycle, four-wheeler, writing,\*I am a girl but I am a Tom boy\*I grew up in the countryside so I'm kind of wild, basically that's it I'm pretty boring. I really do want to have a sport or hobby that I can do with other kids my age, (14) so I can make friends because I'm not good at talking to people. (I'm also really really sorry for the bad grammar I cracked my phone screen at a festival today so I can't really see it*

Hey! I'm not from the US, I don't know how it works there.

My daughter is 4 years old and I'm trying private school this year. It's been good, she's been enjoying it, it's being good for her social skills and entertainment. However, I'm worried about school when she gets older. Bad influences, bad teaching, bullying, etc. So I'm considering homeschool next year, but I'm still unsure, specially because she's my only child and we're not having more. She has some friends in the neighborhood and they play almost everyday (I'm always around and also their parents), but it happens that she spends the whole day without seeing them sometimes.

What do you guys think about it? I'd love to know more opinions. Thank you!

My kids have some pretty specific interests that do not fit neatly intoa standard curriculum. Mythologies from around the world, different forms of animations, things like that. I want to encourage those passions but I am not exactly an expert in them either.

I have seen Outschool mentioned a lot for having a huge variety of classes beyond the usual math and reading stuff. Is it easier for kids to navigate on their own or do I need to sit with them for every clasS? My oldest is pretty independent but I do not want to set her up for frustration. I also looked at Udemy for kids. They have some animation courses but the quality seems hit or miss and a lot of them are self paced with no live interaction.

I really want a place where my kids can dive into their weird little passions while feeling completely encouraged by the platform/environment that they're in. Live classes would be great so they can ask questions and get feedback.

Has anyone found good online classes for niche interests? Would love tips on finding fun classes that actually keep kids engaged. Thanks!

How did you deal with the negatives from people about homeschooling? Only ONE person who thinks homeschooling isn't good for my child. I think they're used to the system and they don't understand that homeschool is a lot different now.. 😞

I posted recently about trying to figure out how to explain AI/computer science type stuff in our homeschool, and I had another one of those moments this week.
I thought I’d keep it simple and do an "AI sorts things into categories" kind of activity with my kid. We used random objects from around the house and talked about patterns, labels, and how a computer might learn from examples.
It started out fun, but then I hit that awkward middle part where I wasn’t sure how far to take it. Was this actually teaching anything? Should I connect it to real AI? Should we move to a coding activity? Was I oversimplifying it so much that it became meaningless?
That’s the part I keep running into with STEM/tech topics. I can find activities, but turning them into actual learning without over-explaining or under-explaining is hard.
For those of you teaching AI, coding, or computer science at home, how do you know when an activity is "enough"? Do you follow a curriculum, use apps, do unplugged projects, or just let it be exposure?

I am looking for some home school friends I am a teenager in sophomore year of high school going into junior after the summer. I'd love to know other teens home school experiences as well because I know everyone's isn't the same. Mine is really good and I love it but I know other don't and I'm open to home schoolers who enjoy it and ones who don't as no one is going to have the same opinion.

I have irl friends a lot of them but I'd just love more home school friends as i don't have a lot of irl ones as our co-op just shrunk do to many moving away so if any other teens here are willing that'd be cool.

I use Acellus for some of my classes as its the only website that works for me as an efficient teen who loves to get up and get it done. I then do some of my classes at the table with my mom and siblings and then do meetings with a tutor online so I do a bit of everything. I am also in a co-op and we do field trips once in awhile and those were fun. I used to be in 4-H and I would love to again but where I live they only offer girl scouts as I'm a female and we tried it and its not great here.

 I’m putting together a collection of resources related to education and raising children up to college level, and ask all to share anything they’ve found beneficial.

This can include:
• Curriculums
• Homeschooling resources
• Books
• Academic research & journal articles
• Educational philosophy
• Child psychology & development
• Parenting resources
• Learning methods
• Islamic education resources
• Podcasts, lectures, websites, PDFs, etc.

Anything useful is welcome, whether classical or modern, practical or theoretical.

Feel free to share resources via the Google drive link whenever something comes to mind.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zYfYR0fHcV76QHKAgWs66ZTlgHnr_BK-?usp=sharing