Our tops picks for the best homeschool curriculum for ADHD
- Simply Classical series, Memoria Press
- Moving Beyond the Page
- Beautiful Feet Books
- Math-U-See
If you are the parent of an ADHD or otherwise neurodivergent child, you may have found that the traditional school system is unable to meet your child’s unique learning needs. This is one of the many reasons that increasing numbers of parents are choosing to educate their children at home. But homeschooling an ADHD child can also seem like an overwhelming prospect, especially when searching for the right curriculum. When it comes to homeschooling children with ADHD, it’s important to find a curriculum that’s flexible, engaging, and structured enough to provide a clear routine but not so rigid that it can’t accommodate the unique needs of a child with ADHD. In this article, we’ll tell you about some of our favorite homeschool curriculum options for kids with ADHD.
If you are the parent of an ADHD or otherwise neurodivergent child, you may have found that the traditional school system is unable to meet your child’s unique learning needs. This is one of the many reasons that increasing numbers of parents are choosing to educate their children at home. But homeschooling an ADHD child can also seem like an overwhelming prospect, especially when searching for the right curriculum. When it comes to homeschooling children with ADHD, it’s important to find a curriculum that’s flexible, engaging, and structured enough to provide a clear routine but not so rigid that it can’t accommodate the unique needs of a child with ADHD. In this article, we’ll tell you about some of our favorite homeschool curriculum options for kids with ADHD.
Simply Classical Series, Memoria Press
If you are looking for a homeschool curriculum that is organized, easy to follow, and designed specifically for students with ADHD and other special needs, consider the excellent Simply Classical series by Memoria Press. This curriculum emphasizes a structured and multisensory approach to learning, provides a variety of hands-on activities, and incorporates movement breaks throughout the day. The program is available for all age levels – from pre-k through grade 12 – and in all subjects, including the core subjects as well as electives like art and Latin. Subjects can be purchased individually or together as a complete grade-level package.
Moving Beyond the Page
Another excellent curriculum option for kids with ADHD is Moving Beyond the Page. This program follows a unit-study approach that is excellent for curious, independent thinkers. Encouraging kids to explore and discover on their own, the unique structure of this program makes it a good fit for many ADHD kids, who struggle to follow the structure of traditional lessons. The learning process is hands-on and interactive, with a focus on critical thinking and creativity. Additionally, the theme-based structure of this curriculum allows kids to focus on one theme at a time across their different core subjects. Moving Beyond the Page offers unit studies in language arts, math, social studies, and science. Units can be purchased and used individually, or as part of complete subject matter and age-level packages. This curriculum is available in both online and traditional paper versions.
Beautiful Feet Books
Beautiful Feet Books is a literature-based homeschool curriculum that focuses on teaching history through quality literature. Although it is not specifically designed for children with ADHD, it can be a good option for some of these children, especially those that enjoy good books. This curriculum uses engaging, high-quality literature to teach history, geography, and science. It has a flexible structure that allows students to delve further into topics that interest them, and it provides many hands-on activities (such as art projects, crafts, and recipes), helping to capture the attention of children who struggle with traditional textbooks.
Beautiful Feet’s curriculum offerings consist of “literature packs”, each of which includes all the required books for that course as well as a teacher guide. The teacher guides are excellent, providing flexible lesson plans, lots of ideas for extension activities, and additional literature suggestions.
Math-U-See
If you are looking for a good math curriculum for ADHD, consider the popular Math-U-See program, created by Demme Learning. This curriculum uses a unique visual and kinesthetic approach to teaching math concepts, which can help children with ADHD who struggle with abstract concepts. This is achieved largely through the use of the program’s integer block kit, which is used to learn math concepts in a concrete, tactile way. DVD demonstrations enhance the lessons and are especially helpful for visual learners.
This program is user-friendly and requires little prep time on the part of the parent. Whereas many math curriculums use a spiral approach to learning (introducing, reviewing, reintroducing the same concepts again each year), Math-U-See uses an incremental learning model, wherein specific concepts are taught and mastered at each level. For this reason, it’s best to stick with the program for at least a few years so students can master the concepts being taught. If you aren’t sure which level kit to purchase, placement tests are available at the Math-U-See website.
If your child struggles with math, check out our article Best Homeschool Math Curriculum for Struggling Students for more great curriculum recommendations!
Conclusion
Although the needs of every child with ADHD are unique, homeschooling is often a great option. It allows for a more individualized approach to learning, which can be beneficial for children with ADHD who may struggle with the structure and pace of a traditional classroom setting. Homeschooling also provides a more flexible schedule, which can accommodate a child’s unique learning style and attention span. Additionally, homeschooling allows parents to tailor the curriculum and teaching methods to their child’s strengths and interests, which can help them stay engaged and motivated.