Do your kids complain about homeschooling?

Many homeschool parents admit they often skip or cut back on subjects like science, especially when their kids, both young and teenaged, beg for a day off to “do their own thing.” It’s understandable—keeping the peace and maintaining happiness in your homeschool can feel like a top priority.

But here’s the truth: skipping science or shrinking school hours can have long-term consequences for your child’s education, particularly in preparing them for future academic and career opportunities.

To dig deeper, I conducted a survey with nearly 3,000 homeschool parents, asking how much time they dedicate to teaching science each week. The results:

• Most parents spend less than two hours a week on science.
• The top reason: Parents feel they don’t have enough time.
• The second reason: Parents feel unqualified to teach science.

This lack of focus on science is a problem, especially when you consider the long-term impact it can have on kids, and it's not something you can go back and fix later.

When we step back, we see a pattern:

• Kids are learning that complaining and whining works.
• Kids are learning they don’t have to complete their work because there’s no accountability.
• Parents don’t have the time or feel they have the skills to teach science effectively.

These habits may seem harmless now, but they mirror the challenges many students face later in life. Consider this:

• 60% of engineering freshmen drop out or change majors.
• 40% don’t make it through their first year at all.
• Top schools like MIT and CalTech have lower drop-out rates because their students are better prepared.

According to Andrew Belasco, a college admissions expert, one of the main reasons students drop out of rigorous programs is that they weren’t adequately prepared during their earlier education.

Engineering and science programs require dedication, with students often spending four hours of study time for every hour in the classroom. When students drop out, it’s often because:

• They lacked academic preparation.
• They no longer believed they could succeed.
• They didn’t think the work was worth the effort.

Sound familiar? Does it remind you of the complaints you might hear from your kids during homeschool lessons?

The question is: how do you want to handle this in your homeschool? Do you want your kids to view science as too hard or irrelevant, or do you want them to see it as exciting, achievable, and worth the effort?

You can start by:

1. Setting Clear Goals: Write down your educational objectives for science and share them with your kids.
2. Making Science Fun: Incorporate hands-on experiments and real-world applications to spark curiosity.
3. Dedicating Time to Science: Schedule at least 2-3 hours a week for focused science lessons.
4. Building Your Confidence: Use a science curriculum designed for homeschool parents, even if you don’t have a science background.

Skipping science might feel like an easy solution now, but it can lead to gaps in your child’s education that are harder to fix later. By making science a priority and equipping yourself with the right tools, you can prepare your kids for success—not just in homeschool but in their future careers and lives.

So, what’s your next step? Start by exploring a homeschool science curriculum that works for your family and makes teaching science less intimidating. Your kids will thank you for it later!