Math Matters: Why Even Relaxed Homeschoolers Need A Math Curriculum

It’s no secret that in our homeschool, we have created our own unique blend of learning that I long ago dubbed semi-relaxed. It’s a combination of learning methods and styles that works for our unique goals, abilities, and aspirations.

However, if I have learned one thing over the years as a homeschool family, it’s that even relaxed and semi-relaxed homeschoolers need to build a solid math foundation with a homeschool math program that works for them.

For us, that is super simple to do thanks to Teaching Textbooks.

This post is sponsored by Teaching Textbooks. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Keep reading to learn how you can get a 15-lesson FREE TRIAL of Teaching Textbooks!

You Won’t Always Have a Calculator In Your Pocket

Much to the dismay of my own math teachers, the majority of us do walk around with a calculator in our pocket thanks to smartphones and watches. These devices allow you and I to easily calculate both complex and straightforward equations or even Google mathematical answers when questions arise.

Yet, even if we carry around a calculator daily, do we really want to have to pull out our phones for simple items?

And do we want our children to have to do the same?

I don’t think so, and I’m willing to bet you feel the same, even if you take a more relaxed approach to homeschooling.

Math Still Matters

Regardless of what future aspirations your child may have there is one constant in home education – math matters.

Math skills are necessary for all of us. Used in a variety of ways, we see mathematics being used for daily activities such as paying bills, buying groceries on a budget, or calculating the tip at a restaurant.

We see math, including Algebra 1 & 2, commonly required on college applications.

And math is frequently used in a variety of careers from working at a bank to being a doctor, from laying flooring to cutting hair, and even as a stay-at-home parent who is simply trying to help their children remember their multiplication tables or learn how to convert fractions.

Like I said, math matters, whether we like the subject or not.

And even if you lean towards a more relaxed homeschool, your child still needs a solid mathematics foundation, something that Teaching Textbooks is excellent at providing for homeschool families everywhere with their online homeschool math curriculum.

Yes, Even Relaxed Homeschoolers Need A Math Program

As a semi-relaxed homeschool family, I’ll be the first to admit that I dislike being tied down to a rigid program or curriculum. We need the freedom to move about throughout the year, to adjust our sails as our interests change, and the ability to simply pause when we need it.

Yet, as a Type-A math-loving homeschool mama, I know that my kids need a solid homeschool math curriculum to help them excel regardless of what their future aspirations might be.

Thankfully, the Teaching Textbooks app is instrumental in helping me to balance the needs of our relaxed way of homeschooling while still giving my kids a great math education that will allow them to follow their dreams.

But why do relaxed homeschoolers need a math program? I mean, can’t they just learn math when they need it?

Oh, I suppose they can…. and for my younger students, that’s exactly how we do it. My 8-year-old, currently in the 2nd grade, rarely touches a math book, but she excels at addition, subtraction, skip counting, and is pretty good at multiplication, time, and money already simply because when curiosity strikes, we seize the moment.

Yet next year, when she’s able to begin Math 3 with Teaching Textbooks, we will begin working because eventually, math will get challenging and her curiosity may not keep up.

And she’s seriously excited to join her siblings with the same program she has watched them all use for years!

I know that a solid homeschool math program is worth a little bit of less-than-relaxed homeschooling as I’ve seen it work in my older students.

My 6th-grader is quite independent in his math on a daily basis, yet he routinely shares with me that he is successful on 90% or more of his math problems every time… and he still enjoys his lessons, especially the new stickers that are added to his collection inside Teaching Textbooks.

And my two high school students are both excelling in advanced-level courses because we started all of those years ago laying the foundation and making sure that our homeschool math curriculum supported both the kids and our semi-relaxed homeschool style.

The Case for Math

Math is so much more than memorizing facts, order of operations, or learning the steps to solve complicated equations.

It’s a process of complex thinking, engaging the brain in challenging ways, and putting things together using both order and reason.

It’s visible in patterns, rhythm, and nature, and is a natural part of cooking, baking, art, music, and science.

Math is the subject that is all around us and is needed for bake sales, road trips, and building or remodeling homes.

And while we can all laugh at word problems about some guys heading to the store to buy 52 watermelons, we also know that sometimes as homeschoolers we do head to the store to buy large quantities of odd items (I’m looking at you, science experiments!)

Why Teaching Textbooks Is Our Math Program Of Choice!

With our annual enrollment for Teaching Textbooks, we have 12-full months to work through each grade level. This allows us to move through the year at a pace that fits our busy schedule. We can pause when we need to or simply skip a few days.

And, when things are looking a little busier than normal or if we find that took one too many relaxed days last month, we can work on more than one lesson in a day.

The flexibility to move at a pace that works for our schedule is one of the biggest reasons we love Teaching Textbooks and return to it year after year as our homeschool math program.

Plus, the updated Teaching Textbooks app is fully mobile, so we can utilize this quality online homeschool math curriculum whether we are at home on our desktop computer or in the car using a portable device and the Teaching Textbook app!

Automatic grading and daily teacher reports allow the kids to get immediate feedback, help me to oversee all of the kids’ progress quickly and easily without hovering, and it’s one less thing on my already super busy plate!

Oh, and did I mention that there is a digital textbook included in the Teaching Textbooks math program?! This feature is perfect for those students who need to see the transcript of the lecture, want to review vocabulary words quickly, or just need a quick refresher on something rather than reviewing the entire lesson.

Relaxed Homeschooling With A Quality Homeschool Math Program

Thanks to Teaching Textbooks, our semi-relaxed homeschool can run in the manner that we prefer – semi-relaxed.

We can easily incorporate solid math lessons that engage, encourage, and entice my children while also allowing for the freedom and flexibility our busy days entail.

With Teaching Textbooks, I know that we can pause, stop, or work ahead as our schedule calls for, and that every lesson my kids work on is helping them develop crucial life skills such as looking for patterns, reasoning, and ordered thinking.

Because even as a relaxed homeschool, I know that we need a math curriculum that works hard to show my children that math matters, even if they too will always have a calculator in their pocket.

Make Math Matter in Your Homeschool with a Free Trial!

Set your homeschool free from the daily grind and embrace a homeschool math program that will help your child excel while also allowing you the freedom to homeschool your unique way!

While I completely recommend that you enroll today with Teaching Textbooks, I know that choosing a homeschool curriculum can be challenging, so today I’m offering you the chance to try the first 15-lessons of any Teaching Textbook level for FREE!

Your free trial has no commitment, and requires no credit card… but will allow you full access to our family’s favorite online homeschool math curriculum.

Want to know more about our experience with Teaching Textbooks?

Check out these other posts all about the Teaching Textbooks and their online homeschool math curriculum.

• Why We Love Video-Based Math Lessons For Our Homeschool
• Homeschool Math Made Easy with Teaching Textbooks 4.0
• Build A Solid Math Foundation with Teaching Textbooks