Why We Love Video-Based Math Lessons For Our Homeschool

With a variety of learning methods and options available to us, and a preference for fluid, book-based learning in most things, we learned years ago that when it comes to homeschool math, video-based math programs are the best option!

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

Solving His Own (Math) Problems

Just the other day, while cutting my son’s hair, he was telling me how his homeschool math lessons had gone that day. 

He scored a 77… but luckily he didn’t lead with that. 

(And maybe I shouldn’t open with that… but stay with me here!)

Instead, he began to tell me how he had gotten several problems wrong through the lesson… BUT, that he was confident he already knew what he had been doing wrong.

Intrigued, I made myself keep listening, even though deep down inside, I truly wanted to jump in with a lecture or abandon him in the bathroom while I investigate the lesson in question… I wanted to see for myself what went wrong and craft a plan to fix it. 

Yet, I knew that it was best to keep the clippers buzzing and listen as my son began explaining the error of his ways with our favorite video-based math program.

Learning From His Own Mistakes

As I clipped away, my son told me he was working on converting mixed numbers to fractions and vice versa. Instantly my brain began thinking about numerators and denominators, multiplying and adding… and just HOW I could make sure he understood this all-important math step. 

Luckily for me, before my ever-helpful homeschool mama-self could even utter a single word of help, support, or advice, I was caught off guard. 

You see, it was at this precise moment my son reminded me exactly why we opt for video-based math lessons in our homeschool.

Having gotten several problems wrong, my son knew he was in over his head. While math generally comes easily to him, there have been other times where the lessons simply didn’t stick so he knew that we have a tried and true method in place for ensuring success. 

And this was the precise method my son put into practice. 

Inside I was dancing for joy, but on the outside, I just kept on cutting his hair. 

The Value of Video-Based Math Lessons

Video-based math lessons have been our gold standard learning method for years. As a busy homeschool mom of four, I need to know that my kids are building a solid math foundation that is ready for whatever future they plan for.

For us, the value of video-based math lessons, like those from Teaching Textbooks, is invaluable. As a long-time customer (who started out with version 2.0) we have seen the tried and true learning that happens at all levels when we partner with Teaching Textbooks for homeschool math.

Why Video-Based math Lessons?

You know how many homeschool moms like to reassure everyone around them that they can do it?

Yeah, I’m not one of them.

Several years ago I found myself at a crossroads as my older children began moving into higher-level math and their instruction time taking longer and longer I knew a change needed to be made.

We still needed a math program that was easy to use.

We still needed one that was for independent or student-led learning.

And we definitely needed something that was affordable.

Even though many programs fit that mold, I realized that my children were asking for help nearly every day because they needed a verbal explanation and to see the problem being worked out, even if they were not primarily auditory learners!

More than just some notes on the page of a lesson book, they needed to see and hear the problems being worked out, the concepts and rules being taught, and the solutions being found.

It was at that moment that I knew this busy homeschool mom and her students needed a video-based math program.

Can’t You Just Look It Up?

Yeah, I supposed my kids could just look up the problems on YouTube. And we are all aware that there are free math tutorial programs available.

But there is something special about the video-based math lessons from Teaching Textbooks that has us coming back year after year.

It could be that the lessons are short, to the point, and interactive. They teach one new concept in an easy-to-understand format that my children do well with.

It could be that they can pause, rewind, and review any of the lessons at any point in time throughout the year.

And it could even be because in addition to video-based lessons, with Teaching Textbooks my children can watch the solutions for every problem in the program whether they got the solution correct or not.

(This feature is one we utilize a lot with those super challenging concepts to help reinforce the material!)

Utilizing Video-Based Math Lessons to Self-Correct When Lessons Are Challenging

As for my 6th grader who earned himself a 77 the other day in math, I can now say that he is flying through is fraction problems AND he is proud of himself, too, because he was able to self-correct a challenging lesson.

Realizing he was missing something, but that I was not able to help at that moment, he began watching the solutions to see how the problems were supposed to be solved AND he rewatched the lesson.

Why?

Because he knew we have a tried and true method for working through complex or challenging math concepts that involves utilizing every aspect of Teaching Textbook’s video-based math lessons because while this homeschool mama can do a lot, she can’t do it all.

And unlike his older siblings who used to have to wait for mom to be available to help, this homeschooled kid can use the video-based math lessons from Teaching Textbooks to make sure he is learning his math well and leaving time for the more important things in life… like hair cuts. 😉

Oh, and did I mention the free trial?!

You can try the first 15 lessons of any level of Teaching Textbooks for FREE when you click here.