What If My Homeschooled Child Is Behind Grade Level?

Written By: The Good and the Beautiful Published On:

What can I do if my homeschooled child is behind other children their age? In this blog post, Jenny Phillips addresses this common worry for homeschooling parents. Learn strategies for identifying the level and pace that will work best for your child, and find hope in actionable steps to get your child back on track.

Does it really matter if my homeschooler is behind?

➔ Some say it doesn’t.

We believe it doesn’t matter . . . if you are being consistent and wise with your child’s education.

So how do I help my homeschooler who is behind?

➔ You've come to the right place!

Read on to learn how to help your homeschool child stay on track and receive the education they deserve.

Does it matter if my child is behind?

I’ve heard a lot of homeschoolers say that it doesn’t matter if your child is behind. But in my opinion, that statement is incomplete. The complete statement should be, “It doesn’t matter if your child is behind other children their age if you are being consistent and wise with your child’s education—not perfect, but consistent and wise.” 

Our Obligation to Nurture

We do have an obligation to make sure our children’s education is not idle, lazy, or repeatedly inconsistent. So many homeschool blogs say, “Don’t worry at all if your child is behind.” But I believe in balance. I believe it’s important to make sure that your child is learning and progressing in a way that will allow them opportunities now and throughout their lives. 

Avoid Comparison, Allow Grace

You should have concern and care about whether or not your child’s education is giving them everything they need. But you shouldn’t compare yourself or your child to others, and you should be realistic and allow imperfection as well. 

Let me share a few thoughts with you. 

  • Do children learn at the same rate?

    First, each child develops at his or her own pace. Just as each child learns to walk, talk, and tie their shoes at different rates, children learn academic topics and life skills at different rates. When your child is an adult, it won’t matter exactly when they took their first step or mastered multiplication tables. 

    Barring any learning disabilities, reasonable and consistent efforts are all you need to focus on. Because even if progress is imperfect or slow, children can and do catch up as long as intentional learning is actually happening.

  • Young baby learning to walk | The Good and the Beautiful Blog

Place Your Child at the Right Level

Next, I suggest not putting your child at a higher course level than is right for them. It can be extremely frustrating for a child to work on a level of curriculum that is too high, and it can actually slow down their progress, as they don’t have the right foundational skills and knowledge to build from. Even if you want your child to be on the same grade level as most children their age, placing them on the level that matches their knowledge and skills is more beneficial for their academics and also for gaining confidence and enjoyment in learning.

An Idea for Catching Up

What do you do if your child, barring learning disabilities, is below grade level and you want them to eventually or soon be on grade level? One idea is to put them at the level they are testing at and need to be, but do only the most needed things in the course to get through the course more quickly. 

Don’t Skip Ahead

However, don’t skip ahead in the curriculum when a progression of skills is needed. In our language arts and math courses, we recommend that you have your child take the assessment and place them based on their assessment results. Maybe you can move faster through Math 2 to get your child ready for Math 3 if the child is ready for a faster pace. But we don’t recommend skipping Math 2 altogether, as your child may miss vital skills. 

Focus on Core Subjects, When Needed

Another idea is to focus on the core subjects of math and language arts if more help is needed. It is fine, in my opinion, to take a break from things like science or history for a while, if your state laws allow, to focus on catching up on core subjects. You could even save history and science for a deep dive during summertime learning.

  • Young boy working on Simply Good and Beautiful Math Level 5 | The Good and the Beautiful
  • Young girl working on Language Arts Level 4 |The Good and the Beautiful

When should I worry about gaps in learning?

Oftentimes as parents, we worry about holes in our children’s education. Certain skills do need to be learned in succession. A child needs to know how to count before they can add, and they need to understand subtraction before they can learn division. However, other perceived gaps in education are not ones that we need to worry about as much as we do. 

Each person reading this blog post is a functioning adult raising a family, yet we all have gaps that we might not know as much about. We might have never taken a class about the history of World War II, and we are okay. 

Understanding Learning Differences

But please, if you have concerns, do take time to rule out any learning disabilities, from dyslexia to ADHD. There are many diagnoses that affect the way children’s brains take in or process information. Having a label for what might affect our children can help us. Knowledge is power, and understanding any learning differences can give us, as parents, the power to find ways to help our children connect with what they need to learn best.

  • Young girl flexing arm muscles | The Good and the Beautiful Blog

  • Acknowledge Your Child’s Strengths

    Give yourself permission to know that if a child is at grade level in one subject and not at grade level in another subject, it’s okay. As adults, aren’t there some topics that you are better at than others? For me, math is more of a challenge than language arts, and that is fine. Separate skills and support your child where it is needed. 

Targeting Specific Areas of Weakness

We often look at subjects broadly. For example, let’s take a look at language arts. It is one of our courses in our curriculum, but really, it consists of many different skills that do not progress in children at the exact same rates. A child may have skills to read a higher-level book but lack the reading comprehension to move ahead. A child may be excellent with grammar and reading but struggle with spelling. Realize that this is okay and normal for many children. In fact, in all my years of study and piloting in language arts courses, I have found that the vast majority of children can read at a much higher level than they can spell. That doesn’t mean they’re behind or bad in language arts; it just means they may need extra time and possibly additional support in one area. 

  • Meet Your Child Where They Are

    One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is that we can meet our children’s needs right where they are. I encourage you to think of a course level as a loose guide but not a firm requirement. In some cases your child may be great with math and working at a higher level than some other children their age but might need more time with language arts and to work at a lower level. That doesn’t mean the learning is not right for them. 

    For most people, using a balanced, strong, and beautiful curriculum; having a simple schedule; and filling your days with a lot of good and beautiful books is all you need to raise children with strong hearts and minds.

  • Young boy and father doing Mammals Science Unit Study | The Good and the Beautiful

Stay Diligent, Have Hope

Where you see lagging skills, you can evaluate whether or not the child just needs more help in that area or if they are not ready for that level of work. And if they are not, that’s okay. If they need extra work, be confident in small and consistent steps. Over time they will make a difference. 

May you be encouraged and confident in the wonderful opportunity you have to help your precious children grow—not only in their minds but also in their hearts.

Wondering which level to place your child? Have them take our free placement tests today.

How to Help a Child Who’s Behind in Homeschool

  • Allow your child to develop at their own pace.
  • Focus on consistent and intentional efforts.
  • Place your child at the level that best fits their needs, not necessarily their age. This will allow them to develop confidence and progress more easily.
  • Focus only on core subjects, when needed. Catch up on other subjects once core subjects are on track or during the summer.
  • Don’t skip ahead! This will likely hinder more than it will help.
  • Identify your child’s learning differences, and adapt learning to their individual needs.
  • Acknowledge and appreciate your child’s strengths.
  • Target your child’s specific areas of weakness.
  • Allow for flexibility and give grace as your child catches up.
  • Stay diligent and consistent, have hope, and involve God in the process!

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