6 Reasons Why Your Child May Not Be Learning at Home

Currently, in Australia, there are about 40,000 children who are home-schooled for various reasons, including the remoteness of where they live, to save money on the cost of school fees, and because the family is traveling.

While some are undoubtedly thriving through this teaching method, others might be struggling. So, if you find yourself with a child who is not progressing as quickly as you would like them to, it is worth taking the time to understand why.

In this post, we’ll explore six common reasons why your child may not be learning at home as effectively as they could be. At the same time, we’ll also offer some practical solutions to enhance their learning experience overall.

1. No Structure or Routine

For children, having a routine is critical to their learning success. That is why childhood learning centres and schools are built on structured schedules such as a set time for every subject or activity, a bell for every break, and consistency in how things are done each day.

However, at home, there can sometimes be no such structure in place, which can result in your child needing a clearer sense of when and how they should be learning, and therefore, leaving them open to disorganisation and distraction.

The best way to help them maintain focus and momentum is to establish a daily or weekly schedule that mimics a typical school day. Include specific times for learning, breaks, meals, and even downtime, and make sure you stick to it consistently.

2. Lack of Suitable Materials and Resources

Children need plenty of materials and stimuli to help them learn, which might not always be available to them if they are homeschooled.

The cost of books, subscriptions to learning software, arts and crafts materials and other educational resources can all quickly add up, and it can be detrimental to your child’s academic progress if they are not given access to them.

Even if parents can afford them, as they are not professional teachers or educators, they simply might not be aware of what resources are out there for children to benefit from.

You’ll be able to find a decent list here, but you should join online forums based around homeschooling, where you can exchange ideas and knowledge with other parents who teach their children at home.

3. Your Child Has a Different Learning Style

Every child learns differently. Some children are visual learners who absorb information best through images, diagrams, or videos, while others are auditory learners who prefer to listen and discuss topics. Then, some kinesthetic learners require hands-on activities and movement to fully engage with the material.

Unfortunately, traditional learning methods have different degrees of success with these types of learning styles. So, if you are trying to apply textbook learning to your child, it may well be the reason why they are struggling to retain information or stay engaged.

Subsequently, you should determine how best your child learns and incorporate that methodology into a mix of different learning methods, such as reading together, watching related videos, and completing hands-on projects, which can help them grasp things better.

4. Too Many Distractions

One of the issues children face when they are learning at home is that several distractions can prevent them from staying focused. These can range from siblings playing and pets running around to neighbours popping in and the lure of their toys or video games.

If you haven’t got one already, you should create a dedicated learning space for your child that minimises distractions. Ideally, it should be in a spot that is free from high foot traffic or loud sources of noise.

You should also make sure this space is solely for educational purposes, and ensure the TV is switched off and you don’t stop halfway to answer phone calls.

5. Emotional Stress or Anxiety

Unfortunately, children can often face emotional or mental health challenges that make learning difficult, such as stress, anxiety, or even boredom. All of which can lead to a lack of focus, increased frustration, and resistance to learning.

Additionally, children may feel lonely if they do not have friends or other people their age to interact with regularly or feel overwhelmed by academic pressures, social issues, or family dynamics.

Without the outlet that going to school or daycare would provide them with, learning from home can be a very challenging experience for some children.

For this reason, you should regularly encourage them to discuss how they’re feeling and not judge when they do talk.

At the same time, here is how you can build resilience within them. Having a balance between emotional maturity, resilience, and openness will help your child overcome most challenges, especially when you’re there supporting them.

6. You need professional aid

This might be a little confronting to read. But maybe the reason why your child is not learning at home is that you are not an established or trained teacher!

Teaching is a very specialised skill. One which requires a professional qualification if you want to practice it in schools.

If you don’t have this qualification, or indeed years of experience in a classroom, you might not possess the strategies, knowledge base or techniques that can help your child learn to the best of their ability.

That is when it may be time to seek out teaching resources or experts to help you tailor your child’s learning experience to their needs.