Homeschooling has been the ultimate savior for many parents. Many parents found that homeschooling has offered them a better result compared to the traditional schooling system. The homeschooling community is growing each day. Tons of new curriculums and facilities are being introduced with the innovations of science technology. Now, it of great importance to know how to use an online homeschool system effectively.
Online homeschooling has gained immense popularity in recent years, and parents have been more inclined towards homeschooling their children. Homeschooling requires quite some commitments from the parents. It’s a lengthy process that involves much dedication from both the parents and the children.
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How to Use Online Homeschool Systems Effectively
There are countless resources available online nowadays. There are some top-notch online programs such as Khan Academy, Code Academy, Connections Academy, etc. The key to successful online homeschooling is to find the right curriculum.
There are also specific rules and laws that you should follow to homeschool your child. In the US, each state has its homeschooling law. The parents must take a thorough look at it before they start the homeschooling process.
The online homeschool system is quite a simple process. It has made education more accessible to a larger group of students. It has not only provided the students with more resources, but it has also empowered them a lot more. Online homeschooling has given the students the flexibility to learn from their own homes while utilizing their potentials in a full-fledged motion.
How Do I Get Started?
You’re probably willing to start homeschooling your child but not sure where to start or how to begin the process. Well, deciding to homeschool your child requires quite some commitments, so, don’t start the process out of whim, unless you’re sure to go with it. Learn what to teach at 4-year-age.
Know the Laws
Each country has different homeschooling laws. Before you get on with the process, make sure you have completed all the formalities that require to start the homeschooling process. For example, some states require the parents to meet a specific educational requirement; some states need registration before starting the process, etc.
You’re probably wondering whether you need to follow the law. As you will not be teaching the child myself, instead, he or she will be under an online homeschooling system. However, no matter what the mode of education is, you should always check your state’s law to be on the safe side.
Explore all the homeschool laws, regulations and requirements of all states here.
Find the Right Fit for Your Child
There are countless homeschool programs available online. However, you should choose the one that meets the needs and requirements of your child. You should carefully pick a curriculum that matches the interest and the learning style of the homeschooler.
Online learning offers multiple options, so you should start by figuring out the ways which work best with your child, the ways he or she learns best. Once you figure out the approach that’s most effective for your child, then proceed with that approach.
Make sure the program that you choose for your child is engaging and not mundane. If the program doesn’t hook the child to it, then they’ll quickly lose interest and drift apart from it. You may read reviews, take a look at the success rate of the program to find out if this is the right one for your child.
Make Sure the Program’s Accredition
Accreditation matters when you’re homeschooling the child. There’s an overwhelming number of online homeschooling programs available; however, not all of them provide the same level of quality education.
When it comes to your child’s education, the stakes are very high, so make sure you put your money in the right place. An accredited institution will pave the path for the child’s higher education while providing him or her with quality education. Institutions with accreditation will be beneficial for the student’s later educational journeys as the grades obtained from those institutions have more excellent value.
Have a Proper Schedule
Having a proper schedule is very important for homeschooling, especially for online homeschooling. Even though the internet is available 24×7, the students get access to the school anytime they want. However, being under a proper routine is very crucial for every child.
Well, some programs will make you strictly follow a school calendar. It will enable you to log in during the specific time of the day and let you stay logged in for a certain number of hours. However, there are many other online homeschool systems where you can get access the entire day for the continuous learning process.
Parents should make sure that they don’t limit the options for their children when it comes to learning. They should get proper facilities so that they can learn at a convenient time.
Online learning should provide as much flexibility as possible to the children so that they can concentrate on their studies with full-fledged attention. The best online program will not force the child to learn; rather, it’ll inspire the child towards a better future and learn on their own.
Some of the best homeschool planners are reviewed here.
Keep the Child Engaged
It’s easy to drift away attention during online classes. Still, it’s not ideal for sitting in front of the computer all day. The key to thriving in an online homeschool system is to include textbooks and other activities along with the online system to keep the child-focused and motivated towards education.
Encourage your children to go through other materials such as textbooks and informative articles so that they can have a better understanding of their lesson. Also, allow them to have short breaks during the online sessions as that will enable them to process the overall concepts in a better way.
An excellent online education system will engage the student using different contents. They come in the forms of quizzes, video lessons, pop-quiz, project-based learning, surprise tests, etc. Some of the online homeschooling systems offer printable materials that can be done in spare time at home. It helps a lot if you don’t want your child to be sitting in front of the computer all day long.
Take a Note on the Child’s Progress
Most of the online homeschool will allow the parents to have a look at the progress made by the child by providing you a thorough report on the child’s development. Many online programs are designed to work following the child’s requirements and learning abilities. Parents should regularly evaluate the progress of the child to ensure that the child is mastering the concept, and the program is working well for him/her.
Find a Program that Takes Responsibilities
Homeschooling is quite a complicated process to handle alone, and an online homeschooling system will reduce the stress to a great extent. An excellent online homeschool will provide proper support to the parents through a responsible and experienced tutor to lessen the overall hassle of homeschooling.
Even many programs will dump most of the responsibilities to you. There are also plenty of online homeschools who’ll assign an advisor or tutor. Tutors will guide the children and answer any queries they have. So, make sure you settle only for the best so that your child can avail of the best possible education at all times.
Some Awesome Online Homeschooling Programs
Time4Learning
If you’re looking for a top-notch homeschool program to provide the best online homeschool system to your children, then give Time4Learning a try. It’ an award-winning homeschool program that offers curriculums from Pre-K to grade 12.
Time4Learning provides a complete curriculum for the children consisting of all the courses in traditional schools. The best part is they create the curriculum under state law. So, if you’re worried about finding the right online homeschool which is compatible with state law, then do give Time4Learning a try.
They provide the parents with the proper guideline to properly guide their children in this process of homeschooling. They offer video lessons to make the concept clear to the students and also answer any queries or questions the students face during the learning process.
Outschool
Outschool has one of the most extensive resources for online curriculum with more than 3000 resources for students from kindergarten to grade 12. The students will be able to join online classes with a small group of people. It will give them a similar vibe as a regular class. Also, it enables them to have a proactive discussion session.
There are hundreds of professional and certified teachers who offer excellent lessons to the student on their favorite courses. Parents and students can also design their curriculum consisting of their favorite courses so that they can achieve both academics and fun activities at the same time.
They offer multiple paths based on different subjects such as math, science, coding and tech, music, arts, and many more. You’ll surely find lessons that are compatible with the learning style and the intelligence level of your child.
MyEduCrate
MyEduCrate is an online education provider that offers numerous courses for homeschooling children. They have vowed to provide the children with a quality education that will help to enhance their creativity, knowledge, and innovation.
MyEduCrate works closely with parents and educates them so that they can successfully conduct homeschooling. To get access to their lessons, you need to subscribe to them and get a membership.
With your subscription, you can choose a plan according to your homeschooling requirements. There are four options available: monthly, 3-months package, 6-months package, and 12-months package. The parents can choose the one that fits their children’s needs the most.
Even though the lessons are online, they make sure that the students are clear about the concepts, and they clearly understand the lessons. These lessons are specifically to meet the growing minds of age 6-11 years. The curriculums contain
CTCMath
CTCMath is an interactive online math program. Hundreds and thousands of students all around the world have been using it. They offer around 1500 math lessons online for homeschooling children so that they can avail of the best possible education and have clear concepts about their math curriculums.
This online program offers curriculum for students from kindergarten to grade-12. Being an online program, you’ll get 24×7 access to the program. The best part is, students can rewind and re-watch anytime they face any difficulties with their curriculums to clear their concepts.
There’s absolutely no rush from the program. Hence the student doesn’t need to rush. Instead, they can learn at their own pace. CTCMath offers a 60% discount for the homeschoolers. They offer as they don’t want the homeschooler to have any barrier when it comes to learning mathematics.
The lessons they provide are short and to the point. The good news for homeschooling parents is that they can have a detailed progress report, which will help them monitor the child’s performance on this curriculum.
Monarch Online
Monarch online is a Christian homeschooling program that offers 50 different courses for the students from 3rd grade to 12th grade. Along with Bible study, they also provide popular subjects such as history, geography, math, science, and language arts. So, if you’re looking for a complete online course to build Christian faith in your child along with traditional education, then Monarch Online is the perfect fit for you.
One of the best features of Monarch Online is its complete adaptability. Parents get to have access to the children’s assignments and tasks so that they can monitor the progress the child is making.
Being an online program, they use no textbook; instead, it relies on materials online. The grading is very organized and thorough, which makes it one of the best online homeschool programs.
Conceptual Academy
If your child has shown love and interest in science, get yourself signed up in Conceptual Academy. You will get hold of the hundreds of video tutorials they offer on many different areas of science.
Skilled and professional teachers create all the videos or contents on this website. These videos pair up best with the textbook as they help to clear up any confusion reading any context of the textbooks. Hence, it’s more like a talking textbook.
These videos are not only helpful for school students, but they are also helpful for college students. Along with informative videos, Conceptual Academy also generates automated quizzes, grade book, a track point, chapter summaries, and practice exam.
Once you sign up, you’ll get access to a personalized curriculum where a professional instructor will answer any query the student may have regarding academics. Also, the parents will get to monitor the progress the students make as they can have a look at the progress report of the student.
Reading Kingdom
If you’re looking for a great online program where your child can effectively learn to read and write, then do give the Reading Kingdom a try. It’s an online program that helps the children to properly write comprehension at 3-grade within only 12 to 18 months. Dr. Marion Blank, who’s one of the top reading experts in the world, created it.
Reading Kingdom is a research-based program that provides individualized instruction to match up the child’s learning pace. The best part is that the children can use the program on their own even without the parent’s supervision. The program is so fun and amazing that the children end up loving it as they can learn all the new things while playing it like a game.
You can use this curriculum as a stand-alone or as a supplement along with other curriculums. However, this alone will work equally well if you’re concerned about the reading capabilities of your child.
BJU Homeschooling
BJU homeschooling offers Bible-based online education to homeschooling children. This online is an excellent option for those who want to educate their children with Christian faith, along with general education.
To get access to the resources of BJU homeschooling, the parents need to subscribe to them. The program that they offer is budget-friendly. You also get a money-back guarantee if it does not meet the standard of the education system.
In BJU Homeschooling, the parents will have full access to a detailed online dashboard. It enables them to track and control their children’s overall progress in their assignments and grades. The program is super flexible, and it offers three different grades for remedial and advanced work.
The BJU homeschooling offers its program through online videos and eBooks. You can avail of the entire curriculum or your preferred subjects, which gives the parents and students more flexibility to choose. Therefore, making it a great supplement to their current curriculum.
Some Popular Homeschool Philosophies
There are numerous homeschool materials available out there. However, when the parents decide to homeschool their children, the major concern is what kind of curriculum they’ll choose for the children. Research has shown that more than half the homeschooling families prefer a nontraditional method of learning.
But, the values and learning styles vary from family to family, so the parents should carefully choose a curriculum that matches the child’s learning styles and also with their philosophies.
Unschooling Philosophy
Unschooling philosophy refers that children learn naturally, and the conventional education system oppresses this ability of them. However, unschooling doesn’t mean that the child will get no education at all. Rather it focuses that children are self-directed towards their education instead of following the traditional methods of education.
Biblical Philosophy
Biblical education is popular among Christian families who prioritize their faith and religious views along with traditional education. There are many online homeschool system for biblical learning where the children receive learnings and resources regarding Christian faith and views.
If you’re willing to provide Biblical online homeschool programs to your children, you may go for Sonlight Christian or A Beka Book and other similar biblical programs like these.
Waldorf Education
Waldorf educational philosophy started in Germany by Austrian Philosopher Rudolph Steiner. He created a unique curriculum for the children, where he avoided putting too much academics on children’s education and preferred to keep it simple and standard.
Waldorf inspired many prominent homeschool programs such as Live Education, Christopherus Homeschool play, imaginative thinking, daily rhythm, and gentle instruction.
Montessori Education
Montessori education is immensely popular in the United States, and many homeschooling parents apply these philosophies in their home education programs. This philosophy was pioneered by Maria Montessori, who believed that children benefit more from experimental learning methods more than traditional education.
FAQs
How I get access to online homeschool programs?
Ans: There are many online homeschool programs available. Once you register for these programs, you’ll be able to get access to their resources.
Do I need to pay for the online programs?
Ans: It usually varies as there are many programs who offer free curriculums. On the other hand, there are a number of paid online programs available where you need to subscribe first to get hold of their resources.
Is online homeschool effective?
Ans: Online homeschool has become quite popular in recent years. It has enabled people to get access to various curriculums. Students are also able to take lessons from certified and professional teachers. Online homeschools have proven to be very useful. However, parents should choose the curriculums carefully according to the age and intelligence level of the child.
Can I track my child’s academic progress through an online homeschool system?
Ans: Yes, most online homeschool system offers academic report so that you can monitor your child’s development.
Is online homeschooling legal?
Ans: Online homeschools are widely available around the world. However, homeschooling laws vary from place to place, so before you start with the process, do proper research about your state’s law and work accordingly.
Wrapping Up
Using an online homeschool system is a relatively simple process. In this article, we have tried to cover up all the necessary steps you need to follow to have a successful online homeschooling experience. Spare a few minutes and explore how to use online homeschool systems effectively.
Make sure you’re following the homeschool laws of your state and try to stay updated about your child’s overall academic progress. Choose the program wisely so that your child can avail of the best homeschool education.