Behind In Homeschool: How To Catch Up In School FAST

Behind in homeschool? We have helpful tips if you’re falling behind schedule and motivation to keep going, including how to catch up in homeschool fast, how to use flexible homeschool schedules, and real tips on helping when a homeschooled child is behind (from kindergarten to teen homeschoolers!).

WHAT TO DO WHEN BEHIND IN HOMESCHOOL

So, you’re way behind in homeschool?

Or, at least you feel that way and have been wondering, “Is my child behind?”

(And, you want to never to feel behind again.)

And, maybe you’re wondering, “Are homeschool kids behind?”

Or, maybe you’re thinking, “HELP! My kindergartener is behind in school!”

Maybe you’re even freaking out about the high school homeschool schedule and wondering if your kid is even ready (let alone OK to graduate homeschool).

Before we get to is your homeschooled child behind grade level or just a few class assignments and what to do, let’s cover…

Why do students fall behind in school?

So, why do students struggle in school (while some others don’t)? 

Why is my child behind at school? 9 reasons may be:

1. Lack of structure / schedule
2. Speed / depth of course
3. Distractions
4. Learning issues / disabilities
5. Health issues
6. Family issues / emergencies
7. Advanced placement beyond abilities / work is too difficult
8. Not matching homeschool curriculum to student learning style
9. Boredom

 

Here’s how to help if you’re falling behind in homeschool.

(These are just quick tips. We’ll discuss these and more in full detail and add even more help later in the post, so KEEP SCROLLING because I’m going to tell you why I’m never behind in school anymore..!)

How do you catch up when behind in homeschooling?

What is the fastest way to catch up with a child falling behind in school?

13 How To Catch Up In School Fast Tips:

• Review the minimum required by your state (or country), if applicable, and meet only those.
• Test your student to see where they are really falling behind, and then start where gaps are revealed.
• Cover ONLY the basics. 
• Work with a tutor.
• Use documentaries.
• Listen to audiobooks.
• Take online classes.
• Watch YouTube videos on the topics.
• Listen to Podcasts on the topics.
• Homeschool through the summer (year-round).
• Create a schedule and stick with it.
• Set milestones and goals and then offer rewards for meeting them. 
• Ask for extensions in classes or reporting submissions or testing.

 

What do you do when your child struggles at school?

If your child is struggling or falling behind with school, you need to find out the reason:

1. Talk to your child about concerns. What do they say about their struggles?
2. Look at the material. Is it boring? Is it too difficult (or easy)?  Is it the opposite of your child’s learning style? (For example, an auditory learner is probably not going to be successful with a homeschool curriculum that is mostly just reading from a textbook.) Don’t be afraid to change up curriculum or homeschool methods.
3. Is your child struggling with a learning challenge? Get them tested by professionals to see.
4. Talk to teachers, tutors, or coaches of any outside classes or extra-curricular activities. Have they noticed any differences?
5. Take a break and unschool for a bit.

 

If you’re falling behind in school, you don’t need to be depressed or panicked!

If you’re a homeschool parent worried that their homeschooled child is behind and have thought more than once “My child is falling behind in school!” I want to let you in on a little secret:

Most homeschooling parents are feeling behind in homeschool at some point or another (even if they aren’t).

And…

What if I told you that you may not have to worry about being behind in school?

For real. 

Homeschoolers behind in school and thinking you fall behind schedule may not be … a thing.

Hear me out before you go away because I PROMISE that there will be valid homeschool tips about how to catch up fast and other great takeaways from this post!

(Or, you can yell at me in the comments if not.)

 

First, before we get to how / why you’re falling behind schedule and what to do about it, I want you to consider something: there is no behind in homeschool.

Why there is no “behind” in homeschool…

In homeschooling, a child is allowed to work at their own pace based on individual needs. This means, homeschool parents have the ability to slow down lessons and learning if a student is becoming behind and struggling with basics may need more time to grasp lessons and concepts. It also means that you can speed up learning, based on a child’s interest, to meet their needs and keep them engaged and help to develop a lifelong love of learning. As a homeschool parent, it is your job to work at a pace that best meets your child’s needs (and the flexible homeschool schedule does just that!). So, there’s technically no “my child is behind in school” for homeschooling!

 

OK.

I’ve given you that think about. 

I mean, really consider that you homeschool because you wanted something different from the traditional public or private school experience. And, being behind in school and using homeschooling for repeating a grade is actually a public school mentality.

Since you really get to tailor your schedule and learning to your child’s needs and abilities, you won’t fall behind in school.

You get to speed up when you need it and slow down when you need it! (And, that won’t follow a traditional school milestone schedule!)

Since we’re talking about a child behind in school, you may also be wondering:

Can you skip a grade if you’re homeschooled?

If you want to know how to finish homeschool fast, I have some great news! Just like you can slow down in order to provide more time to cover homeschool lessons, you can also speed up to keep up with the pace of your homeschooler! And, even though many homeschoolers don’t necessarily look at grade levels, you can skip a grade if you’re homeschooled. In fact, you can skip ahead as much as you need to keep your child challenged and enjoying learning — just be sure that they understand the basics from the previous level before moving on to the next level. And, if that’s your goal, that’s how to get homeschool done fast!

 

Since getting behind in homeschooling is something that many homeschool parents think about, we’ll still get into more detail about when your homeschooled child is behind (and how to get past the panic of Help! My homeschooler is behind!)?

Let’s get to it, whether your homeschooled teen is behind or you feel like your younger children are behind, these home school tips will help!

 

You May Also Find This Helpful:

Starting homeschool mid year (or end of year)

Behind In Homeschool: How To Catch Up

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #1: Check your homeschool laws.

The first thing you need to do is to check your homeschool laws. Are there minimum requirements from your state that you must be meeting for your child’s current level?

(You may be surprised! Those homeschooling requirements may be a lot less than you thought for your state!)

Review those minimum requirements and make sure that you are, at the very least, meeting those.

 

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #2: Test your student.

Is your homeschooled student really falling behind or do you just think they are falling behind in homeschool?

(That comparison monster can be really awful, so make sure that you’re not just falling down that rabbit hole of “but other kids are doing this…”)

If you want to see where your homeschooler really is, you can have them tested.

There are standardized tests (and alternatives to testing) that will show you where your student is falling on an average learning scale, then you’ll know what areas you need to make up.

 

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #3: Cover ONLY the basics.

This isn’t the time to get crazy with some creative crafts or add an intensive study of the Ming Dynasty. 

Instead, this is the time to get super focused on the basics (or exactly where you are behind). 

Those other projects can wait until another time … AFTER you are caught up.

 

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #4: Work with a tutor, even over the summer.

In some cases, you may find that you are on schedule (or even ahead) in some lessons, but falling behind in something else.

(I’m lookin’ at you, math…)

If this is the case, this is where a tutor for that subject or area can really help out.

Search for tutors or learning centers in your area (or even online!) and schedule an appointment ASAP.

Then, work with that tutor even in the summer (if needed).

 

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #5: Use quick alternatives to traditional methods.

 

When you are behind in school and need to catch up, it’s time to switch into overdrive.

That means you want the fastest and most effective solution(s) to getting your kid caught up, even homeschool to catch up a grade! (These work no matter if you’re homeschool behind in math, language arts, history and more!)

How To Catch Up Fast in Homeschool:

• Use Book Summaries (like the Everything You Need to Ace… series)
• Play online educational games (this game has helped us so much!)
• Listen to podcasts and audiobooks
• Watch YouTube videos on topics
• Take online classes (need to cover a wide variety of school subjects? Try this!)
• Watch educational documentaries / movies 
• Complete subscription boxes

 

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #6: Create a schedule and set goals.

OK. 

This may be one of the toughest tips (for some of us at least) because the fact that we didn’t create (or stick to) a schedule might be what got us here in the first place.

So, you’re going to have to make a schedule to catch up your child behind in homeschool.

And, you’re going to need to stick to it.

(Ouch, I know.)

You’ll need to:

• List out the courses/classes/subjects you are behind.
• Create a weekly schedule of time to spend on each subject.
• Create a weekly or monthly goal to meet for each subject.
• Celebrate milestones and goals met with special treats or rewards!

 

How to Catch Up in Homeschool Tip #7: Ask for an extension.

If you live in a homeschooling state where you are required to report, you may want to contact your homeschool liaison (or where you do your reporting) and ask for advice on how to move forward.

Do they have special extensions for homeschool behind in school?

Are there any homeschool recommendations on how to catch up?

What else can you do?

You don’t know until you ask…

 

Whether you’re behind in kindergarten, years behind in homeschool high school, or you’re really not falling behind like you thought…

We hope you found helpful tips (and peace of mind) for being behind in homeschool and how to catch up!

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