How to Use Educational Software for Homeschooling

Many parents turn to homeschooling in order to give a child individual attention, for a specific curriculum or because of problems with traditional schooling. Whether you have a private teacher or you're teaching your child yourself, there are several ways to use educational software for homeschooling.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Use Educational Software for Homeschooling

1. Shop for educational software that is appropriate for your child's grade level. Often, you can find packages that cover one subject for several years. For example, you can save money if you buy a math course that covers grades four through six instead of buying courses for each year.
2. Use educational software for homeschooling a foreign language. It's impossible to teach a foreign language if you don't speak it yourself, so use software as the instructor. The ideal program should have an extensive audio section so that the student can hear and mimic the spoken language.
3. Look for programs that help children practice and apply what they learn during homeschooling. Math software helps students work on their arithmetic in an environment that is much different from working out problems on paper.
4. Consider using science software to supplement your homeschooling curriculum. If you're unable to purchase a chemistry set, then you may be able to mimic the experiments and reactions using computer programs.
5. Set aside time to teach your child how to do research on the Internet and use various computer programs. Teaching a child to use a word-processing or spreadsheet program is just as important as using educational software for supporting instruction.
6. Teach your child to type properly with educational software. There are lots of different typing programs, but be sure to get one that is designed for the student's grade level.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that the educational software you use allows you to track your child's progress in some way.
• It's a good idea to set up a special account on the computer to handle just the educational software. If you have different accounts, then you don't need to buy a separate computer to use just for educational purposes.
• There are video games that cleverly integrate history and geography lessons into their interfaces. These games can help reinforce homeschooling lessons and give your child a chance to play.
• Avoid software that puts more emphasis on playing games than applying knowledge.
• Homeschooling software is designed to support learning and can be a very effective tool, but it should not be the sole source material for a child's education.

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