Whether it’s your first year to homeschool or your tenth, one of the first challenges each year for any homeschool family is choosing curriculum.

One curriculum option that is often overlooked is online curriculum. Parents who are used to using textbooks or more hands-on based curriculum are often intimidated by the thought of switching to an online curriculum. But many who go ahead and make the switch often discover that the benefits of learning online outweigh any fears they may have had.

Here are just a few of the advantages of online learning:

One of the greatest struggles with curriculum is the ability to flex lesson plans to fit into each unique family’s needs. An online curriculum makes it easy to adjust daily and weekly plans to fit your needs. Just hop on the computer whenever you’re ready to engage in school and click on the next available lesson.

Children learn and develop at different speeds. Online curriculum allows a child who needs a little more time to be able to keep working on a lesson or unit until they truly grasp the material. A student who has grasped it well, however, can move on without having to wait for Mom or Dad to adjust the lesson plans.

Do you ever fall behind on grading? If so, you’re not alone! With an online curriculum, a student’s work is graded immediately with feedback to let him or her know what was missed or whether or not more practice is needed. Instead of having to walk away from an assignment then come back later—typically when it is no longer fresh on the mind—to grade and review, students can stay in the right frame of mind for processing feedback and correction.

As wonderful as books may be, they are constantly changing. Something that was available last year may not be available any more. Or a new edition of a curriculum set has come out, and it’s hard to find workbooks to match your older edition teacher’s guide. With an online curriculum, all updates are made automatically and incorporated into each course. There is no need to worry about keeping up with the most recent edition!

If your curriculum needs a change, online homeschooling could be just the solution you’ve been looking for!

 Q: Why did you choose to homeschool instead of enrolling your children into either a public or private school?
A: We value staying home as a family and being able to work our values into the curriculum. I’m able to give my daughters one-on-one attention, and we’re able to take school at our own pace. It makes school less stressful and more enjoyable.

Q: Why did you decide to use Monarch as opposed to other curriculums available?
A: I knew I wanted to homeschool, so I Googled homeschooling, and AOP was the first company to come up. I looked around a little, but I made up my mind pretty much in the beginning. AOP has a really, really good support system, and Monarch offers a large variety of subjects.

Q: What do you like best about Monarch online homeschooling curriculum?
A: The flexibility is probably my favorite part. We’re able to do a lot more. We can go to a museum on a regular weekday, then make up the school day another day. There have also been times we’ve gone on trips, and they’ve been able to do that, which they wouldn’t have been able to do in a regular school.

Q: Do your girls have a favorite subject they like to learn?
A: My girls really like science and history. Those subjects are my favorite, too. They were my favorites in school.

One of the most exciting things about Monarch is that everyone has an opportunity to do a 30-day trial of Monarch to see if you fall in love with it as much as we did. All you have to do is visit DiscoverMonarch.com and use the promo code MON30HEDUA.