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Time4Learning vs ABCmouse®: Pros and Cons

Before making any final decisions about the homeschool curriculum you want to use, you need to know both the pluses and minuses of any program you are considering. Let’s take ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy, for example. You may have questions like:

  • What age is ABCmouse® good for compared to Time4Learning?
  • What devices does ABCmouse® work on compared to Time4Learning?
  • What does ABCmouse® cost compared to Time4Learning?

In other words, before deciding if the curriculum is right for your student and your family, you need to know the pros and cons to make an informed decision.

Homeschool Pros and Cons: It’s Not Always Simple

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could line up the pros and cons of any homeschool curriculum and the longest list would become our go-to choice? The truth is that the pros and cons of homeschooling curriculum can be tricky business. That’s because no two families have the same reasons for homeschooling, the same way they want to approach their child’s education, or the same goals for their students. So, when perusing the ups and downs of any program, you’ll want to personalize that information as much as possible. The very curriculum that has the longest “pro” list for one family may be at the top of the “cons” list for another.

Teaching with ABCmouse® vs Time4Learning

When comparing ABCmouse® and Time4Learning, for instance, you’ll have questions like:

  • Can ABCmouse® be used for homeschool?
  • What learning style does Time4Learning work best for?
  • Does ABCmouse® offer foreign language instruction?
  • Does Time4Learning track my child’s progress in all activities?

Browse the chart below to discover the pluses and minuses of ABCmouse® vs Time4Learning to help you decide which one meets the majority of your student’s and your family’s needs.

Homeschool Use
ABCmouse® Larger catalog of early learning activities since the program is geared specifically to grades PreK-2. Incentivized learning (earning virtual gifts for activities) can be distracting for some students and reduce homeschool effectiveness.
Time4Learning Can be used as core or supplemental homeschool programs for grades PreK-12. Price-point is higher monthly due to availability of 10 additional grade levels of material.

Pricing Structure
ABCmouse® Several payment options to choose from. Each account includes up to three student profiles. Depending on payment option, families may have to budget long term.
Time4Learning No large up front purchase; cancel at any time. All core subjects are included for one low monthly price. Recurring payments mean budgeting long term instead of once a year.

Lesson Style
ABCmouse® Both ABCmouse® and Time4Learning offer multimedia lessons, activities, learning games, and printables to teach concepts. Assessment of student mastery requires an additional monthly subscription fee.
Time4Learning Both ABCmouse® and Time4Learning offer multimedia lessons, activities, learning games, and printables to teach concepts. Subject paths can be more repetitive since T4L is more mastery-focused.

Recordkeeping
ABCmouse® Students can personalize their dashboard with customizable avatars and add fish to the classroom aquarium. Busy interface with multiple options for clicking can be distracting to students.
Time4Learning Lessons can be specifically chosen and assigned by parents via the activity scheduler. Because Time4Learning is more mastery-focused, the dashboard is not as customizable.

Worldview
ABCmouse® Can be used by any homeschooling family regardless of worldview. Families wishing to teach faith-based topics may have to supplement with other programs.
Time4Learning Secular curriculum can be used by any homeschooling family. Parents have option to skip any content they find objectionable. Lack of religious content may mean that families would have to supplement with outside material.

Finding It Hard to Choose?

What if you have done your research and found out how much ABCmouse® costs, how Time4Learning handles parent recordkeeping, and all the other things that are important to you, but you still can’t choose between the two programs? The great news is that you don’t have to choose. Many families have discovered that the ideal solution for their homeschooling is to utilize both Time4Learning and ABCMouse® in their homeschool plan. Visit our page on How to Use Time4Learning with ABCmouse® Curriculum for more information.

Want to know more about how Time4learning compares with ABCmouse® for homeschooling? You might be interested in:
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    FAQs

    Time4Learning is a trusted online curriculum provider serving PreK-12th grade students. We provide student-paced lessons and activities in subjects like language arts, math, science, social studies, and electives. Our parent support features include planning and reporting tools to simplify scheduling and progress monitoring.Time4Learning lets parents control their child's learning schedule and approach. It's favored by homeschoolers as a main curriculum or a supplement and is also used for after school or summer learning to address learning gaps or maintain skills.

    Our comprehensive preschool curriculum gives students a solid foundation in all core areas through fun stories, characters, and interactive activities in math, language arts, science, and social studies.

    The elementary K-5th grade curriculum consists of standards-based language arts and math, and social studies and science for most grade levels. Time4MathFacts, our elementary-level math learning game collection, is also included for free!

    Our standards-based middle school curriculum covers math and language arts, as well as options to personalize science and social studies coursework. You can select up to 3 middle school electives for students in grades 6-8. Additional electives can be purchased for $5.00 per course, per month.

    Time4Learning’s standards-aligned high school curriculum consists of the primary subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies. To meet individual needs and academic requirements, we offer a variety of options for math, science, and social studies coursework, as well as 15 elective courses.

    Pricing depends on the grade level of your students:

    Preschool to 5th Grade

    • $29.95 / month
    • Includes four courses
    • Access to Time4MathFacts

    6th - 12th Grade:

    • $39.95 / month
    • Includes seven courses
    • Additional courses can be added for $5 each per month per student

    Plus:

    30% off each additional student*

    10% off annual memberships with code ANNUAL10

    Your billing cycle begins on the day of registration and members are billed every 30 days. Time4Learning has no hidden fees, offers a 14-day money-back guarantee for new members, and allows members to start, stop, or pause anytime. Parents must cancel through their Parent Dashboard. Once an account is canceled, members will only have access to the program and student reports until the end of their billing cycle.

    *Discount applied to the student(s) of equal or lesser value.