Signs Your Child Needs More Challenge

Many of us begin homeschooling to get away from high pressure learning environments. We want to give our child more ease and flexibility. We want them to focus on connection over consumption.

While this is definitely a valid and beneficial approach, there still come times when our children also need to be challenged. Ensuring that content is rigorous enough for our children is important to helping them stay connected and engaged with the material, as well keep their skills and understanding growing.

Pay close attention to these signs that might signal your child needs more rigor:

They finish work quickly

If a child often completes work quicker than anticipated, they might need more challenging or complex tasks.

They seem bored and indifferent by the content

If a child is regularly tuning out discussions, concepts, and appearing to be bored or disconnected, they may not have enough interest to begin with. They could also need more variety of instruction, and could be missing a deep enough understanding to stay engaged with the material. Talk to your child and see what is at the root of their boredom.

They say they don't feel challenged

If you ask your child, and they tell you the concepts or tasks are "too easy," that's a sign for you to dial up the learning.

They enjoy learning about complex topics

Some children naurally hold themselves to a high bar, and they have a strong interest in deep diving into more advanced subjects and ideas. These children are often not satisfied with surface-level learning and need to be fed with more rigorous learning materials and more complex tasks.

They learn quickly

If your son or daughter is picking up new concepts fast, and seems to thirst for more, follow their pace. But don’t just give MORE, give better quality that encourages deeper thinking, problme solving, and challenges your child to apply what they’ve learned.

If you're seeing most of these signs at home, it's time to begin leveling up the learning for your child. You can discuss with your child how they're feeling, what they need, and how they might like to incorporate more rigor into their learning.

It could look like:

  • Integrating more advanced materials and curricula

  • Delving deeper into subjects that they show a keen interest in

  • Tackling more complex projects and assignments

  • Adding a layer of competitiveness

  • Engaging in more real-world experiences that reinforce the lessons

  • Gradually pushing their skills boundaries in new ways

It's all about striking the right balance—ensuring your child is engaged, and working at a pace and depth that suits their needs to grow academically.

Remember, your ultimate goal is to foster a love for learning, so adjusting the level of rigor should always align with nurturing your child's curiosity and enhancing their knowledge.

For more detailed strategies to incorporate rigor into your home learning, click here.