There are many different ways that homeschool software can help you in your desire to take on the task of teaching your own children.

First there is software that can help you. Do you struggle to stay organized? Then some planning software may be what you’re needing. You could use something general like a time management program or you could get some class planning software that public school teachers use – assuming that you have enough students to make that worth it. Or you could opt for software specifically designed to meet the demands of the homeschool setting. You can find programs to keep track of homework you’ve assigned and weigh and score work, quizzes, and tests. You can also find programs that focus on laying out lessons and scheduling activities.

The next area of software is probably what most people think about. Computer based assistance in areas where the child needs to learn. There are programs to increase math skills and reading skills. There are also programs that cover a number of topics based on an age group or grade level. However, there are a class of games that most people see as just that – games. But they teach other, sometimes unexpected, lessons. I mentioned them in the previous post.

Lastly, there are types of homeschool software that help prepare students for entrance to high school or even college. These would be things like ACT and SAT preparation. There are programs that cover single topics for preparation and comprehensive programs that help you cram for the whole exam.

Maybe there are other categories of homeschool software, but I think these three categories are broad enough to encompass anything you might come across or want. Can you think of any other type? What kind of software are you planning to use in your homeschool this year? Let me know by adding a comment.

There are different categories of homeschool software. Later i will be talking about some of these. But the most obvious would be educational homeschool software. These would be programs that the children would use to learn a topic or to learn skills that will help them to learn or mature. I’ll give an example of each.

I will review a couple of examples. One would be the “Jump Start” series like this.

Jumpstart Kindergarten

There are a bunch of Jump Start titles and they feature mini “game” activities that are linked together by themes or a large task to be accomplished. This has been popular with my daughter and my sons. Another series like this would be the Reader Rabbit Series - here’s an example:

Reader Rabbit Kindergarten Bounce Down in Balloon Town!

This one is a little more like cartoons on TV - so if you are wanting to avoid that, lean towards the Jump Start titles. But if you are trying to wean your kids away from the TV, Reader Rabbit might give them the appeal to ditch the Tube.

Although these titles are overtly “teaching” in their games and activities, I just want to mention two pieces of homeschool software that are games, but they are teaching at the same time. The first is Lego Chess. Not only does it teach chess, but each time a piece is taken there are silly little cut scenes. They are based on “Cowboys and Indians” and they often have little slapstick comedy elements that kept my oldest boy’s attention long enough for him to get the hang of chess by the time he was six years old. And now he’s pretty good. I’ve seen him beat some adults, of which I’ve been one on rare occasion!

This last one seems like a pure waste of time game:

Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside

When son #2 was just four or five, he learned a great deal about facing the dark.  There were some fairly complicated puzzles where he had to collect items to be used in other areas.  I was surprised how well he could work through those.  Puzzles and problem solving can have a wide range of impacts on later learning abilities.

Any of these would be great homeschool software to ease kids from summer fun back to the rigors of classwork.  Next time we’ll take a look at some homeschool software for parents to help with the administrative tasks that need to be managed.

This is your “one stop shop” for finding out the latest on software available for homeschool parents and students.  As the summer drags on, it’s time to start thinking about another year of homeschool.  Yes, there are books and supplies to get.  But have you put much thought into homeschool software?

We’ll be talking about the different types of software you might consider purchasing.  We’ll even talk about some off the wall options that won’t work for everyone - but they just might be what you need.  We will branch out a bit into related topics like Internet usage in your homeschool too.

We’ll probably be unpacking boxes and getting things organized.  So if things look different when you come by, don’t be alarmed.  What kind of things would you like to see here?  We’ll come at you with some ideas of our own, but the one ingredient that will make this endeavor a true success is you.  Feel free to comment and participate.  You have something your considering?  Drop us a line and we’ll try to research it for you.  If you have something that works - share the love.  If you have something that is not working for you, tell us about it so we can give another perspective - or even warn the unwary.

Be sure to bookmark this page and come back often to visit.  If you know what an RSS feed is, use ours to help you stay abreast of what’s going on.  If you don’t know what that is - we’ll fill you in in short order.  Stop by here and see what’s new in homeschool software!

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