Something wonderful happens around grades five through seven. Home-educated children often become more self-motivated, and you can switch to a Curriculum For An Independent Student. This is especially true if they have been homeschooled from the start.

This article is sponsored by CTCMath – Online Math Curriculum. 

Of course, you will still research, plan, and coordinate their school lessons. You will still be their guide and leader, but they will experience the freedom (and responsibility) that comes with self-teaching.

Even better is that you can lead them by example! Whether you choose to be well-read in the classics or are learning how to garden, these activities model a love of learning to your children.

The great thing about teaching your children is that once you have laid the foundation of reading, writing, and arithmetic, your child can embrace a lifestyle of learning for themselves. It is beautiful to watch this develop in your oldest, and it will give you the confidence to continue this journey of homeschooling.

If you have a child approaching the age of independent learning, you may be wondering which curriculum is best. I have found the following list of curricula to be most helpful in our homeschool. 

Curriculum For An Independent Student

Math – Full disclaimer: Math is one subject I feel needs step-by-step (hands-on) instruction from a teacher in Pre-K through 12th grade (especially in high school!). Switching to an online program like CTC Math is my best advice to allow your independent student to flourish while also being sure they are taught math correctly.

Once my children reach about 7th grade, I am no longer much of a help with their math lessons, so subbing this subject out is a must in my home. I do not feel any guilt in “hiring a math tutor” like CTCMath to teach my children!

All of my children enjoy using CTCMath. They love the math games, especially, and I love that their lessons are automatically graded!

Whether you homeschool or send your children to school, CTCMath can help any struggling student succeed. Their drills, games, and other activities are great for supplementing your child’s math lessons. The family membership allows you to use it for all of your children. It is an affordable option for all of your math needs.

Language arts – Easy Grammar Plus or Fix-it Grammar for textbooks. Classic literature for reading. All of these can be done with little to no help from Mom. You can still correct their work, but they are probably fully capable of reading and applying the lessons on their own.

Science – Keep a bookshelf full of interesting textbooks about animals and more. Your child will be teaching themselves science whenever they read them “just for fun”. I recommend various textbooks from Apologia, Answers in Genesis, and Master Books. Be sure to encourage and allow them to explore and be outside in nature every day.

History – Tapestry of Grace for history and social studies. We love learning about history through living books, and ToG allows us to do just that. While the reading can be completed independently, this is one subject that we all do together! DVDs from Drive Thru History are also wonderful tools for learning history without boring textbooks.

This list of Curriculum For An Independent Student covers the foundational/core subjects. There are so many resources available to parents, and teaching children at home is not as hard as it may sound.

I hope this encourages you to teach your children to love learning so that they can embrace a lifestyle of learning. What a joy to experience this as a family!

More About CTCMath

CTCMath is a full curriculum that specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 103 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your student break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way!

The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “test”. Each one of the video tutorials is taught by an internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, who is renowned for teaching math concepts in a simple, easy-to-understand way (and in only a few minutes at a time). Even students who struggled with math are getting fantastic results! And the ones who were doing OK before are now doing brilliantly.

Things to know:

• Adaptive Questions. The interactive questions now change in difficulty depending on the student’s ability. We use a smart algorithm that tracks the student’s progress and delivers questions based on their needs. The student doesn’t even know this is happening – helping them to build confidence and master concepts!
• Video tutorials and summaries that are clear, complete, and easy to follow [like having your very own teacher]. This ensures your children understand something before they’re asked to practice it.
• Worksheets and interactive questions are based explicitly on the video tutorials the children have just watched.
• Self-Paced Learning: CTCMath is designed to promote self-paced learning, with access to all lessons from all grades
• Weekly Revision Sets are a great tool to consolidate learning and help identify any specific learning gaps.
• Simple to set up. Superb for catching up and extension activities.
• Extensive reports – valuable in monitoring your child’s progress.
• 12-month money-back guarantee. No questions asked, if this curriculum is not for you and your family, CTCMath will provide a full refund
• And a whole lot less stress when it’s math time for both parents AND kids.