I Want to Homeschool My Children but I Struggle With Math…
As a child, math was my weakest subject in school. I even questioned if I had math anxiety or a learning disability related to math. Teaching math was also my biggest concern when I first started researching homeschooling. I remember joining homeschooling support groups on Facebook and expressing my concerns about wanting to homeschool but not being confident enough in my math skills. Several of the parents shared similar concerns. They told me that they relearned right along with their children and were able to teach math after studying their child’s open-and-go curriculum. Several other parents mentioned that they outsourced help for math as their children got older. Others brought up using computer programs like Khan Academy. They assured me that I could handle this.
I Can Do This!
I’m relearning math right along with my children. I’m beginning to understand math in a new way and I have a better appreciation for it. I’ve concluded that I was not taught math in a way that went with my learning style. Nevertheless, finding a good math curriculum was a confusing task. After trial and error, talking to other homeschooling parents, and researching, I’ve found three solid math programs that I highly recommend to the parents who struggle with math.
Math Mammoth
Math Mammoth is an affordable and secular mastery-based math curriculum. It is a solid program and has a reputation for being thorough and easy to teach. Everything you need to teach is in one book. Originally, the workbook style made me think it would not be a good fit for my son but he enjoys Math Mammoth. The creator of the program gives game websites and additional activities kids can do. Additionally, you can purchase an answer key and the creator has videos explaining different lessons.
You can purchase on Amazon or homeschooling stores
Singapore Math
I’ve always heard many great things about Singapore Math. I recently started Singapore Math Primary (2022 edition) with my son and we are really enjoying it. Best of all, the teacher’s guide is extremely helpful and full of suggestions. Singapore Math has taught me to view math in a different way. The Singapore Math approach has been proven to be extremely effective and Singapore students consistently rank at the top of international benchmark assessments. Singapore Math has a variety of different math curriculums. Many parents enjoy the Dimensions series but we don’t have much experience with that program yet.
https://www.rainbowresource.com/category/3630/Primary-Math-2022-Edition-Grades-K-5.html
Math With Confidence
My 5-year-old son has become obsessed with numbers. I decided to start Kindergarten Math With Confidence with him soon. The creator, Kate Snow, has many wonderful math workbooks available on Amazon. I also enjoy reading her blog (https://kateshomeschoolmath.com). I’m very impressed with this curriculum so far. Lessons are short, fun, attention-grabbing, and easy to understand. The curriculum also emphasizes teaching number sense and conceptual understanding. Unfortunately, the curriculum only goes to first grade right now. She will be releasing second grade in the summer of 2022.
