Time4Learning.com is an online education program that teaches preschool through twelfth grade curriculum in an interactive, student-centered environment.
Time4Learning combines 1000+ animated lessons, printable worksheets and graded activities to teach math and language arts lessons correlated to state standards. Science, social studies and art are also provided as a bonus for most grades.
Key features of the program:
- Students get individual logins and work on their own schedule and pace
- Parents can set the grade level independently for each subject
- The grade above and below are available for review and additional study
- There is nothing to download, no CDs, and nothing additional to purchase
- An online playground rewards and motivates
- Detailed lesson plans available for parents who wish to preview lessons
- An automated system grades the lessons and keeps printable reports
Time4Learning can be used with a broad array of student types, learning styles and homeschooling methods. It is entirely web based, so your kids will be able to access the program 24/7 from any computer with an internet connection.
It has a low monthly price, requires no contracts and offers a 14 day money-back guarantee.
(31 Reviews)
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Cons: social studies and science are read only, math lessons need more explanation so you do have to supplement.
Grades Used: 3,4,5
While you do need to supplement some lessons, the program uses Compass Learning which is also used by the school system in my area.
The lessons are engaging and are aligned with common core requirements.
Cons: everything
Grades Used: 2-3
lessons were way to kiddish and long teaches me nothing makes me answer questions before knowing anything
Cons: Unauthorized charges, mediocre lessons
Grades Used: 1
I am not happy with this program at all; I don’t think the lessons are very effective and I was overcharged for an add-on that I didn’t order. After some research, I am not the only person this has happened to.
Cons: doesn't work with Mac opt in parental controls
Grades Used: 4,7
I am canceling before the 14 day grace period. I could not get the program to work with Mac opt in parental controls. I spent hours working myself and with tech support from both time4 and mac. With opt in controls you add the sites you allow the user to go to. The trouble lies in the fact that there are either hundreds of redirects that you have to add in, or for some reason the websites will not stay added to the list.
Also when my kids used the site on my user, they complained of many of the same things mentioned in other reviews.
Cons: Doesn't qualify as a full homeschooling program, lacks engagement, is ruthlessly irritating and barely learned anything.
Grades Used: 4th, 6th and 7th
I am a student using this program and am deeply unsatisfied with what I’ve received. I was a pretty smart kid in public elementary school, I had straight A’s and didn’t cause any trouble. I thoroughly enjoyed school.
However, I had to be removed due to health issues among other things, and my first year was with Time4Learning. I remember not liking it very much, so my parents switched me to something else, which also wasn’t doing well, so we switched back a year later as my parents had read that it was better in the middle to high school grades.
I immediately disliked it. I assumed it was going to lack in challenge a little bit as I experienced that in school, but after two more years, I can confidently say I learned less then 10 major things in my entire time schooling with this program. I also was unaware that it didn’t actually qualify as a full school, so I guess my hope of going back to public school in the right grade is crushed. Anyway, I often could browse the internet or various social media while doing school’work’ and could still get every answer right. Most of the time any questions I got wrong were me not quite understanding the question or feeling so unengaged that I just wanted to get it over with so I guessed. I know a small part of this is my problem as I’ve been suffering with a lack of motivation, but this is just ridiculous. I’m most unsatisfied with the science, as I used to adore it and now I just feel the lessons are unbearably long and the characters are WAY too animated.
Cons: No teacher help, not accredited
Grades Used: 6th through 10th
I am a Time4Learning student of 4 years and now entering my 5th year of homeschooling with this program. I cannot imagine how my homeschooling years would have gone by without this program. I will go over the pros and cons of this program, and while there were definitely some complications, I’m overall pleased with my experience.
The best way I can describe Time4Learning is calling it a “tool.” Time4Learning is NOT a school; therefore it’s not accredited. However, to dismiss the quality of education due to lack of accreditation would be a mistake. Time4Learning gets their curriculum through a large company called CompassLearning. According to the Time4Learning website, the curriculum was designed for over a decade by CompassLearning and then offered to schools across the nation. Time4Learning offers the same content to homeschooling families; therefore it is accurate to say that accredited schools use “Time4Learning’s curriculum.” If used appropriately and responsibly, Time4Learning can become a great fit. Here’s how Time4Learning worked with me.
My case was what many would call an “accidental homeschooler.” Everything was fine in elementary school, but when I went to middle school, complications arose from day 1. Suddenly, my parents and I found ourselves in a fix where we were obliged to homeschool but incredibly unwilling to do so. I am one of those students who do just fine in a brick-and-mortar school. By the time I was enrolled in Time4Learning, I missed my school and its structured environment. My parents, while having a good education themselves, weren’t that great as teachers. That prospected intimidated the 6th-grader me. How can one possibly get good grades without dreading school if your “teachers” weren’t good at teaching?
Luckily, my mom found Time4Learning. She told me that it had all the subjects, and the content was taught in an engaging, interesting manner — the only major drawback was that it wasn’t accredited. The prospect of being in an “unaccredited” method of schooling unnerved me, but at the same time, Time4Learning solved my biggest issue. Time4Learning lessons did the teaching for my parents, for which I was very grateful. I can confirm Time4Learning’s claim that it teaches in a way “kids will love.” The engaging and interactive content will teach for parents, keep students busy, and enable kids to become independent learners.
The issues I had with this program stemmed from the fact that I was an independent learner and didn’t have professional teacher support. I struggled writing essays and felt as if grammar lessons required more reinforcement. This highlights the importance that parents do need to take an active part of their children’s education, even when the grading and teaching are done for them. For example, it is the parent’s responsibility to grade written projects, adhere to state homeschooling laws, and determine whether their child will be accepted into an accredited school/college after Time4Learning.
Here are some of the pros:
1) Animated lessons. I cannot stress enough how useful this is when homeschooling. It keeps students’ interest peaked, especially with younger learners, and makes learning enjoyable.
2) Engaging and interactive content. This goes side-by-side with animated lessons; engaging and interactive content includes immediate feedback and problems.
3) Good education. When I finally returned to public school in ninth grade, I was able to tackle Honors courses after Time4Learning. Time4Learning provides a detailed scope-and-sequence of each subject available, so you, as a parent and educator, can decide on the quality of the curriculum.
4) Affordable. The cost is $19.95 per month for elementary and middle school students, $14.95 per month for each additional elementary or middle school student, and $30 per month for high school students (covers 4 courses; each additional course costs an extra $5 per month).
Cons:
1) Lack of accreditation. Time4Learning is an unaccredited curriculum provider rather than a school and, therefore, cannot issue a diploma or formal transcripts to students.
Cons: Not accredited, English papers cannot be corrected electronically and send back to child to correct
This is NOT an accredited school. If you think you will transfer your child to a PUBLIC school at ANY point in their middle or high school courses, this is NOT the curriculum for you. Public schools in some states are now requiring ACCREDITED courses to be counted towards graduation. If they are not accredited, they are NOT counted. Be careful! It’s just another way to get rid of the choice to home-school and if you are not committed through the end of their 12th grade year, your child will not graduate.
Cons: Beware when contacting the staff for assistance. In the couple times I've needed to contact their staff, they have been fairly rude. T4L is not comprehensive. It does NOT include explanations, such as how to work out practice math problems, meaning that my student and I have to spend lots of time searching online for other explanations or demonstrations...why pay for their service when I still have to do so much work on my own? I might as well not use them and just teach the course myself.
Grades Used: 4, 10, 11
Unforunately, I cannot recommend Time4Learning as an overall source for supplementing homeschool. It’s a mediocre resource.
Cons: It doesn't work well on a tablet even when you use the Puffin app. The Kindergarten lessons are too long and not engaging.
Grades Used: K & 1st
I have tried this curriculum twice. It is well rated, includes multiple subjects that can be tailored to fit the child’s needs and it’s affordable. I really liked that it is self-paced and I could adjust each subject by grade level and skills. Several programs I looked at can’t do this including ABCmouse. So I could choose Math at a 1st-grade level and Language at a K level. We have been using ABCmouse (which I love for under 1st grade), but I decided to try Time-4-Learning because my son has learned to guess through the ABC mouse lessons. I wanted something that graded and checked his knowledge and understanding at the end of the lesson. The first time we tried Time4learning was at the beginning of Kindergarten. His tablet skills were still new and the program was not friendly to selecting incorrect items on the screen, so he would easily get kicked out of the program and I would have to monitor what he was doing. My goal is to facilitate learning and not have to do every lesson with him. When I tried it again this year at the beginning of 1st grade, he did much better with the app and understanding what it wanted him to do, but not all the activities worked on the tablet. He would lose momentum and interest when an activity didn’t work. I would have to stop my work to set up the computer and log him back in. And he could no longer complete learning on the couch, in his room, or on the go. Flexibility is key for us and I believe it facilitates learning. Most children aren’t meant to sit still in a chair all day. Next time we try Time-4-Learning, we will have to make sure he has his own computer (with a touch screen), which is not financially feasible right now. Yes, we will try Time-4-learning again becuause it is self-paced, flexible, can be tailer to the student, an all-in-one curriculum, and affordable. Did I say affordable! All-in-all I will try Time-4-learning again when he gets older. I could see the 1st grade curriculum was much more engaging and age-appropriate than the Kindergarten curriculum. But with only using a tablet, Time-4-Learning is not feasible for us.
Cons: Not complete, must be supplemented
Grades Used: 2-5
We first started using Time4Learning when I began our family journey in nonpublic education. The lessons are succinct and engaging for my young girls. I love the report features and the fact that the curriculum matches my state standards. We do supplement the curriculum with creative spirit and art classes as well as my own writing modules for the girls. In addition, for supplementing science and history we visit many museums, complete local homeschool STEM events and watch more formal documentaries online.
As a faith filled family, I love how this program can be used in conjunction with our biblical, Greek and Hebrew studies. I wanted to explore secular modules to introduce my kids to a balanced world view and allow them to learn about other ideologies. It is important to teach them to be critical thinkers who are open minded and not isolated from more traditional thought.
Overall, I would recommend the program for affordability to most families who are able to develop their own program of study and need a strong framework for the classical subjects. The reporting also makes me confident for record keeping purposes on site.
Cons: not recognized, waste of money and time
Grades Used: 11th
My state does not accept this program’s credits. My daughter is a year behind now and unable to graduate as a senior should.She must attend adult high school to retake courses and finish. Wasted my money. The curriculum was engaging.
Grades Used: K-10th
We are a homeschool family with 6 children, and we’ve used Time4Learning in various ways since 2009. Sometimes we use it as a supplement, sometimes we use certain subjects; this year it was our primary curriculum. I know that others have commented on the testing… I have to disagree. I felt that the quizzes and tests were frequent and gave me a good idea of whether or not my children were mastering the concepts. In our homeschool, if the child doesn’t receive an 80 or higher we have them retake the test. I believe this also helps assure mastery. I feel that the high school levels were especially comprehensive.
Cons: Doesn't always explain everything
Grades Used: 7th
I am a homeschooled student, and I think that the lesson doesn’t have much practice and almost never really explain things which causes me to search all over youtube and Khan Acadamy just so I can answer the question which could have taken 3 minutes, takes 15 instead.
Cons: not much practice to master the lesson, no over all testing
Grades Used: K, 1, 2
I have worked with time4learning for 3 years and the only complaint I have is that I feel like my daughter is not retaining the information she is learning because it lacks mastery testing. I have no idea if she is getting all the information she needs to succeed in each subject. The program does have some testing but it is not extensive.
Cons: sometimes a little difficult to get them to do their work.
Grades Used: 7 and 9
My kids overall like the curriculum. We have had it a couple of weeks now and they definitely have their favorite subjects and instructors. Sometimes its a little difficult to get them engaged but then they seem to “get into it.” I like how easy it is to keep up with the record keeping. Its not the only source we use but it is the primary one.
Cons: none
Grades Used: Pre-K, Kinder., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
We have been using T4L since 2007. As you can see in my “pros” section, there are so many reasons why we like & continue to use this program, as our kid’s core curriculum.
I really like how their program is not only educational, but also fun for my kids. Plus, it does all the grading and record keeping for you, which is so nice 😉
For some, the price may be to much, but for us I think it is a bargain compared to other curriculums. $20 a month, is a fraction of what other curriculums cost, and they do not allow me the freedom to only have to pay for just what I need. Never again, will I have to deal with wasted curriculum, that I didn’t need or use.
Another thing, if you school year-round like I do, then you will enjoy the flexibility that using T4L gives you. My children do so much better being able to school at their own pace.
Another perk, that I love bout this curriculum, is that it allows you to be able to access 3 grade levels at once! This is one of the main reasons why I still use T4L. My kids are able to easily move up or down, in any one subject as needed, without it interfering with their other subjects.
For our family, this is why we like this program 😉
Cons: lack of retention and understanding concepts
Grades Used: 1,4,7&9
At first this was the best thing that could have happened to my homeschooling. There was practically no planning on my part, it was a great format and record keeping was done for me. The kids liked it so much we purchased another computer so they could all have fair time. Then…..the newness wore off. The kids dreaded going to the computer and sitting there for for their lessons. My youngest (a beginner reader) was not retaining any of the information. He was playing the “games”, but when I would ask him to repeat some of the sight words he just learned he was struggling. I remember particularly the “oo” sound. We did that lesson several times. It did not help. He would go to the next level and not understand what he just did.
My 4th grader struggled with new math concepts, again would move on to the next lesson, but not understanding what she had learned. We did this for 4 months and the kids voted unanimously to switch to text and workbooks. All four children have different learning styles or combinations of different learning styles and not one of them was happy with Time4learning. Of course I was disappointed, I really wanted it work. But I think we all have to do what is best for our kids.
Cons: Some worksheets are not printing
Grades Used: 1,2,3
Great resource for children with sensory issues and visual learners. Work at your own pace, grades available, rewards etc. One of my children is supposed to be in 1st grade but she is doing 3rd and 4th grade work.
Cons: Expensive for Large Families
Grades Used: K-7
I love it a lot and feel it’s easy for my kids to use and learn from. However, I have 7 kids and the cost is almost $100 a month. That’s a killer! Please bring these costs down so I can keep using it for my family. My computer sometimes has trouble with loading the lessons but I’m thinking it’s just a computer problem which I’m currently trying to work out. Other than that, I think it keeps my children’s attention and they have so much fun with it.
Cons: its for little kids not for my 12 year old son
Grades Used: 4 6
Time for learning is cool and all but they need to adress the problems that they have some times my son couldent get on his school work for 6 MONTHS SHRIGHT and finally they fixed it and now he needs to do like 12 hours a day just to make up that 6 months that he couldent get it
Grades Used: 8th
Its a great resourse and incredibly affordable. My oldest loved learning on the computer and each subject is broken down to multipe sections which is nice:)
Cons: Cost
Grades Used: K-7
My oldest is 12 and we use Time4Learning. She’s really enjoying it! She’s very verbal and enjoys reading and writing. She enjoys the independence of it, and working at her own pace. Her favorite subject is langauge arts, so of course she’s flown right throught the 7th grade lessons and is now doing 8th grade. I had to start limiting her to only one langauge arts lesson per day!
I also have a 10 yr old son with severe dyslexia and he uses Time4Learning too. I highly recommend this program for dyslexic kids. They have a little parrot icon that you can drag and drop to whatever you want him to read for you, and you can also use the more sophisticated Natural Reader software in conjunction with the lessons too. (free!) You don’t have to enable those functions if you don’t want your kids using them, but for a dyslexic child this is wonderful!
The only downside I see is the cost. The value for your money is great, but I have 5 kids and this really adds up. They do have a plan where you save a bit when you add more than one child to your account, and I’m going to give that a try.
Cons: price
I wish this system was cheaper. During the trial my kids did well and they loved it. I definitely could not keep up with all 5 of my kids. I would go back if it were cheaper
Cons: not complete, expensive for multiple kids
Grades Used: K-2nd
I signed up for Time 4 Learning my first year homeschooling as I wanted something to back up on days when I was carrying for my infant and 2 other children. I thought it would be a great way to supplement and it was. On days that I couldn’t get to “school” or was sick or the weekends when I wanted extra, we have used it. Even after I no longer had an infant and we had more time for formal school, there were still days when we used it for a supplement.
I liked that you can be in one grade for Science, another for Math, and another for Language Arts. Parents can set the amount of time that a child works on subjects before the “playground” opens up and there is a limit to how much “playground” time they can use too. It’s nice because you don’t have to make sure they don’t skip lessons and play if you walk away. However, it would be nice if there was an “unlimited” playground time available because we monitor it pretty heavily and there were times when the game would switch off in the middle and she was crushed.
Otherwise, it was good. The math was a little jumpy in my opinion, in that it moved away at an odd pace but otherwise, I thought it was good.
We began using it less and less so we had to discontinue our subscription because we weren’t using it enough for the price. If there was a discount for using it just so many hours a week or something we would still have it. We will likely pick it up for the summer. That part is great because you can turn it on and off as often as you want. However, you have to pay a monthly charge if you want the program to remember where you were and retain your records but you can easily print them out so it isn’t a problem.
My daughter loves it and the playground is nice because its all kid friends and education sites in one place so you don’t have to worry about the sites they are going to.
Overall good program as a supplement.
Cons: not sure what really retaining
Grades Used: 12-2
I liked it at 1st-but, when the kids kept needing my help and even though they took the test etc at the end-I could see the rating but, I was not happy w/their actual retention. I feel like I lost a yr.
could have been a good supplement-I just should not have relied so much on it.
Cons: not a complete curriculum
Grades Used: 5th
Easy to set up and keep records of child’s progress.
The History was incomplete and the Math was hard to follow.
I didn’t like some of the views that were expressed in the Language Arts and Reading sections. Also some of the stories were troubling to my child. Even though the price was right, the record keeping was great,
and there was much work to put into their portfolio I left it. Mainly due to the tolerance message that was in some of the L.A. and Reading lessons. It was just as well for it bored my child. My child likes the workbook approach.
Cons: Not a complete curriculum
Grades Used: 7th
I was very leary of this program when I first came across it because I thought my 7th grader wouldn’t like the animation. I signed up for the trial period just to review and surprisingly my daughter LOVES it!
I don’t think it is good to use as a complete curriculum however, I do believe it is a great supplemental program for Language Arts and Math. I use it on our light days…or to reinforce a new skill learned. THere is a learn2write program also and I plan to sign up for that as well.
One drawback…the science and social studies program. I keep wanting more. My daughter does too.
I have been recommending this site for everyone..it’s great for homeschoolers and afterschoolers.
Cons: price for more than one child,
Grades Used: K-3
We used this succesfully for two years but we had to pull out because it became expensive to have three children using it. I’m hoping we can sign up again for at least one child. We live in New Zealand and loved it.
Cons: none so far
Grades Used: K - 2nd
My son loves this program, he gets to do school on his own. the graphics are simple but engaging. The math concepts are great and broken out into small chunks so you can get them. And they score each section so you can check on assignments and repeat topics as much as necessary. I also found out that its a little less expensive if you pay annually rather than monthly. We use this program in conjunction with My Father’s World.
Cons: may not work with some web browsers
Grades Used: 6th & 7th
My son who is in 7th grade really enjoys the Math on Time4learning. The ease of usage is a plus as is the visual format it is presented in. That feature really helps to hold his attention and keeps things fresh. The concepts are explained in several ways to ensure that all types of learners can grasp the concepts. The review work and the many different examples are explored very well prior to the quizes and test. I really enjoy the lesson plans being very detailed and the assessment reports available to track and monitor his progress or struggles. The flexibility is a big help, If I feel he needs to review a specific area, we can, he is not pressured to perform. The ease of use allows me time to work with my younger child. This is our first year using the program and I’m sure I will continue to do so.
Thank You
Cons: basic, general
Grades Used: prek - 12
My daughter enjoyed Time4Learning, and learned a lot with it. She loved playing the educational games, and begged me to play often. I liked the parent reports, too – they were very convenient. The games are fun and rewarding for the child. I have a M.Ed. degree and the program definitely receives my approval for educational value. The visual learning experiences provide helpful reinforcement for certain reading and math concepts, especially in the early elementary grades. I wouldn’t use it as a whole curriculum, as it’s really too basic, but it’s excellent for supplementation.