The Best Way To Homeschool History When Your Child Is Struggling

Out of the box learners require an out of the box approach to learning. This is how we homeschool history, even when my children are struggling. 

---

I have been feeling really guilty lately about our homeschool routine.

NOT because my children aren’t learning. They are in fact, in a season of voracious learning, particularly when it comes to history.

My oldest actually “teaches” my youngest history, his favorite subject, every morning using videos.

And that’s why I have been feeling a bit guilty.

Is it really “OK” to learn by simply watching videos together?

I know the answer is yes. Of course I do.

I have been homeschooling these children long enough to realize that video and interacting with a screen actually has multi-sensory benefits that cannot be denied. 

Audio learning, visual learning, even the tactile tapping of the screen to get from one video to the next – it all engages the brain in ways that help a struggling learner comprehend and retain information. 

The best videos add even more to the experience by illustrating topics and concepts that would otherwise be lost on the printed page. 

Please know, although I was compensated for my time in writing this post, I only share products that genuinely work for my family, in the hopes they may work for yours as well!

The Best Way To Homeschool History When Your Child Is Struggling

Homeschooling a struggling learner requires us to look beyond the usual methods and find alternatives that best suit our child’s needs.

That being said, the very best way to help your child learn, especially when they are struggling, is to do what works (and stop trying to force the things that are not!).

For us, this means three things:

1. 1. Multi-sensory learning
   2. Short lessons
   3. Moving at the child’s pace

Because history is a subject that allows for much crossover (language arts and science can be practiced and even mastered, through a historical lens) and because my children love it so much, I have focused much of our efforts in the past on hands-on activities, art and field trips. 

My children are older now and as they change, the ways we incorporate my three learning requirements (multi-sensory learning, short lessons, child’s own pacing) are changing as well.

Thus, videos on the couch have become, despite my guilt, a real and effective way to learn.

Homeschool History Made Easy

I am not the only one seeing the benefits of this. 

I am so excited about a new online program from the team at Notgrass History. Already an excellent provider of homeschooling resources, they are taking it a step further this year and offering a new way to access multi-sensory, online options for history. It’s like they created it just for me and our circumstances. 

This new Homeschool History Membership provides access to a database of hundreds (that’s right, hundreds!) of books, videos, audio resources and other sites. It’s all categorized by topic to make it easy to find online learning materials by topic, time period, and geographical area.

It literally does all the research and planning for you. You put in the topic of interest and study, the database provides a list of resources including:

audio files

videos

books

historic sites (some with online field trips available)

events

websites

It’s like having someone pull together an individualized, carefully curated learning plan just for you and your family.

 

What I love most about this concept is how easy it is to create a learning experience that works well for struggling learners.

The membership is an excellent value at only $24 for the entire year. 

I am happy to share this resource with you and even happier to offer you their  30-day free trial ! 

---

For more support 

Why Is Hands-On Learning For Older Kids So Hard To Find?

My Dyslexic Son Is Finally Reading And This Is What I Want You To Know