Homeschooling can be frustrating or it can be satisfying depending upon how you approach it. What follows are three strategies to help you and your kids get the most out of your homeschooling day.
Stress-Free Mindset
Many homeschooling parents are concerned about their children’s ability to get into college. What you want to remember is that no one can learn everything there is to know in a lifetime. The width and breadth of knowledge is too vast. As long as you are following a homeschool plan that includes the skills and courses they need for acceptance to a college, they should do very well.
“In a home school, the kid does 95% of the work.”
What your children learn will be unique to them.
There's no cookie-cutter approach to learning, and this is precisely where the magic lies. Your children will learn more at home than they ever would in public school. In school, a child’s natural curiosity is a nuisance to a teacher who has 25 other kids to teach, so a child quickly learns to quell his desire to know more.
Homeschooled kids remain curious and it’s their curiosity that propels them to study things you would never think of teaching them.
Don't make the mistake of comparing what your children to other children, and then worrying that you aren't doing a good job. A stress-free mindset is essential when you’re homeschooling. If you are anxious about what your kids are or are not learning, they will pick up on it.
As long as you are teaching them the rudimentary skills, what your children learn beyond these skills cannot be measured by comparison. It will be far too unique to ever match up to what kids are limited to in school.
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”
What they learn beyond the basic academic skills is what will produce a singularly, accomplished adult. You will find joy and amazement in discovering all that your child is capable of learning and of who he can become.
You are assisting him in discovering his interests, aptitudes, and the things that will matter to him in life. Trusting in the process without undue worry or stress is critical to a successful homeschooling experience.
2) Curriculum
Understand what your children need to know and what skills they should develop to become a well-educated person. Your children deserve an elite education, and you are perfectly capable of providing one.
My son used to tutor English in college, and he was shocked to discover that most students coming out of public school did not know how to deconstruct a sentence or the essential parts of a sentence. As he put it, "They are literally, illiterate."
You do not want to raise an illiterate child, therefore, do not put them into public school. To give your child a serious education, you need to teach him at home.
As long as you stay one step ahead of your children, you can teach them the grammar you never learned in school, and you can learn it too. Educating yourself while homeschooling is one of the perks to teaching your own children.
3) Behavior
Children are raised today with the delusion that they are capable of making wise decisions for themselves.
Because we raise them with this misconception, they don't learn to see us as the authority figure who guides them in growing up and becoming civilized. Consequently, kids today can be rude and disobedient and think that they know better than their parents.
If you try to homeschool this child, you will meet with resistance. Establishing the right relationship with your child is essential if you want to give your child an exellent education in the privacy of your own home.
If you have a defiant child, before you begin homeschooling, you want to take a few weeks to re-establish boundaries and expectations in your home. If you do this, homeschooling will be enjoyable and rewarding.
If not, you'll struggle to teach your child and will probably argue with him a lot which will detract from the time he has to study and deplete your energy.
Once he understands that he needs to obey and listen to you, you can introduce him to the homeschooling routine you have planned out for the year.
With a positive mindset, the proper curriculum, and the right relationship with your child, homeschooling is a lifestyle you and your children should enjoy.
If you are homeschooling your children but you feel overwhelmed, then you may need to reevaluate your homeschool. Are you using public school curricula or virtual programs? Are your children not listening to you? Have you failed to create a solid homeschool plan that you can follow?
If you answered “yes” to the above questions, you want to figure out what is wrong and do a reset.
These are your children's best learning years. You want to help them get the most out of this time.
Figure out where you have gotten off course and work towards getting your homeschool set up in a way that gives you confidence and peace of mind while your children thrive in their studies.
Actually, there’s another strategy I’ll share with you: teach your children using real books. Textbooks are boring so you want to avoid them as much as you can. Real books will interest your children and keep them engaged and reading.
There, that’s four tips for you. Happy homeschooling!
Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.
When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, I guide you in homeschooling with the classics to raise intelligent children of good character. You can enroll using the link below and be confident knowing you can and will homeschool successfully.
For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with our online course, Raise Your Child Well to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.
Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and a Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach with 20+ years of experience working in children’s education.
Utilizing her unusual skill set, Elizabeth has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child. She devotes her time to helping parents get it right.
She is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.
☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.
