You may be reading this because you have found yourself homeschooling rather
unexpectedly. I actually spent several years homeschooling both of my
daughters. Even though I had the advantage of being a teacher when I started my
homeschooling journey, I quickly discovered that homeschooling is altogether
different from teaching in a classroom.
After about three days of being a
homeschool parent, I sat on my floor and wondered, “How is it that I can have
thirty kindergarteners sit in a lovely circle, listen to every word I say, and
then quietly get started on their work? I can’t even get my own children to
write a complete sentence without a meltdown!” So if you have found yourself
struggling from time to time, please know that you are not alone and you are
not doing anything wrong. Here are a few things I learned along the way:
·
Keep a regular schedule with a reasonable
bedtime.
o
Since we usually didn’t need to get up at any
particular time the following day, I relaxed our bedtime routine way too much.
It wasn’t long before bedtime wasn’t until 11 pm and mornings started well
after 9 am. This was not a healthy pattern for our family. Our homeschool days
quickly improved when I maintained a 8 or 8:30 pm bedtime.
·
Homeschool doesn’t and shouldn’t need to take
all day.
o
One of the benefits of homeschooling is that the
“school” part of your day may go by quickly. This leaves lots of extra time to
explore art materials, go on nature walks, work on puzzles, play family games,
etc…
·
Involve the children in everyday tasks and
chores.
o
Learning isn’t just about the work that your
child’s teacher sends to you. Learning can take place all throughout the day.
There is a lot of math and science learning that goes on during cooking and
baking. There is science to be learned when we clean and dust. Vocabularies can
be expanded as we involve our children in our own work.
·
Homeschool schedules can be non-traditional.
o
Get to know the times of day that your child is
most receptive to doing schoolwork. For many children, getting started right
after breakfast works well. Other children need some time to just hang out
before getting started with work. Still others do their best work in the
afternoons. Working parents may find that their children can happily get their
work done after dinner after a full day of active play.
·
Avoid power struggles.
o
Make sure that you are offering at least some
choice with your child’s work. For younger children, if your child is truly
uninterested in an activity, there is no point in continuing with it. For older
children who need to keep up with their academic work, switch between work they
find challenging and work they enjoy. For example, if your child doesn’t care
for writing, but really enjoys art, let your child know that as soon as he/she
gets some writing done, he/she can enjoy some art time. You can also find ways
to incorporate less exciting skills into activities your child enjoys. After
you child makes an incredible piece of artwork, have your child write a few
sentences explaining their work.
Relax and enjoy this time
with your children.
