The Importance Of A Homeschooling Math Curriculum

Math is one of the most important parts of any home schooling curriculum. Because of this, many parents who home school their children spend a lot of time choosing the math program they think is best for their child. This article will provide a brief overview of some of the most popular home school math programs.

The first question to be asked is: what should I look for in a homeschooling math curriculum. The first thing a good homeschooling math curriculum should do is suit your child’s personality and style of learning. If you have a child who is advanced you don’t want to use a program which goes too slowly or which is too boring.

If your child struggles with math you won’t want to choose a homeschooling math curriculum which is too hard or moves too quickly. Curricula used for teaching math must be well-organized and focus on important concepts. According to American Editor magazine most American math curricula are unfocused (they skim over too many topics) and they don’t teach in enough detail. Since you get to choose your own math program when you home school, you want to make sure that your homeschooling math curriculum avoids this mistake.

It is also a good idea to choose a program which follows the national standards for math -- this will ensure that your child is receiving the math skills they need to pass college entrance exams and succeed in upper level math. Some of the national standards include the topics: algebra, data analysis, geometry, measurement, and numbers and operations.

These topics provide the basis for an adequate home schooling math curriculum. There are many popular homeschooling math programs. Each of the popular programs has groups of people who love them or hate them -- they seem to inspire passion either way. Some of the most popular are: Harold Jacobs, Math-U-See, Saxon, and Singapore.

Saxon Math seems to be the standard for home schooling math curriculum. It has a very rigid, repetitive, and rote-based approach to math -- which is why some parents love it and other parents hate it. It is an excellent choice for children who learn best through repetition.

Singapore Math is another very popular choice for many home schooling parents. Singapore Math is a program originally used as the national math program in Singapore. Singapore helps children understand the reasons behind the math they are learning. It helps them learn to think mathematically and is very popular with home schooling parents and children around the world. The text books only go up through grade 10 but they are advanced enough to provide a good foundation for college level math.

The Jacobs' math curriculum doesn’t have books for elementary or middle school -- they are only for high school students. They take an innovative approach to math, particularly their geometry lessons, and are good for students who prefer a non-traditional approach to math.

Another very popular homeschooling math curriculum is Math-U-See. Math-U-See uses manipulatives, such as colorful blocks, to teach important math concepts like fractions and geometry. Math-U-See is great for children who do best with a kinesthetic approach to learning.