Note: A Special Thank You to Our Sponsor at the End of This Post!
As a homeschool mom of 20 years, I know what it can be like. I know the boredom, the fatigue, the weariness that can set in. But I am here to encourage you to hang in there! Today I have 5 homeschool encouragement tips for the veteran homeschool mom that will help you to keep on.
Homeschooling is hard work and sometimes we can get so caught up in the daily grind that we forget why we are doing it in the first place.
We forget that these years when our children are home with us are a blessing to be cherished.
God has done amazing things through your homeschool and He will be faithful to carry you through the remaining years.
If you have been homeschooling for more than 10 years or so, you know what it is like to have older kids who maybe have already graduated, and younger ones who might still be learning to read.
It is challenging to say the least!
Below I want to share with you some tips that I pray will encourage you to keep your eye on the prize — to finish the race — knowing that God is not only using these homeschooling years to grow and bless your children but you as well.
Make sure that you are grounded in God’s Word every day. There is so much out there telling you what to do, what to believe, how to live, that you need to make sure that you are looking to God’s Word as your ultimate guide.
If you need some help figuring out how to have a daily quiet time, feel free to check out my post here. I also covered how to have a consistent quiet time in a recent podcast. You can listen to that here!
When you have homeschooled for at least 10 years, you probably find yourself using the same curriculum over and over again. You don’t want to spend the money to buy something different when you already have all this curriculum on hand.
Now I want to encourage you that there are times that it is ok to try something new.
Maybe you have a child that is struggling with the curriculum you have always used. It may be necessary to use a curriculum that better fits their learning style.
Or maybe your homeschool has gotten into a rut and the kids are struggling with boredom. It may be time to switch things up a bit and add something new into the school day.
I did this recently. We had an extra-long holiday break that was extended due to illness. Getting back into our homeschool schedule was a struggle.
So I decided to switch out what I was doing for science and I bought a set of Jonathan Park audios (referral link). It was just what we needed!
My kids are loving the audios, having fun, and we are learning some science together too. Score!
So don’t get so set in your ways that you are afraid to try something new. It may be just the thing your homeschool needs to revive everyone’s interest and motivation.
This tip is for you! If you are a veteran homeschool mom who has been at it for 10 years or more, you know how much it takes out of you.
That is why it is important to take some time for yourself to do something you love.
What do you enjoy doing? Reading? Writing? Painting? Cooking? Crocheting? Knitting? I want to encourage you to decide on something that you enjoy doing and make sure you work that into your week.
It may not happen every day, but it is important that you make time for this as often as you can. You need that time to get refreshed and renewed so that you can continue on this homeschool journey.
Reading aloud has been a big part of our homeschool. Not only can you teach your kids a variety of subjects through read-alouds, but it can add a bit of fun and adventure to your days.
There are tons of great book lists that you can glean from to choose a great book to read together.
Set aside sometime in the afternoon or before bed to read with your kids. I guarantee you, they will look forward to it every day!
If you need help getting started with a read-aloud time, I have a great resource to get you started – The Homeschooler’s Read-Aloud Guide.
If your homeschooling journey has been long and you still have a ways to go, it is easy sometimes to forget your “why”.
You get all caught up in the daily grind, getting all the homeschool work done, keeping the house in order, and food on the table, that you lose the joy and the motivation you once had.
I want to encourage you to stop now and write out your “why”. Maybe you did this way back when you first started homeschooling. If so, then pull that out, make a copy of it, and place it somewhere you will see it every day.
If you have never written out your “why”, then take some time now to write it out. Why are you homeschooling? What about homeschooling has kept you in it for the long haul?
Write this out so that you can keep it to read again later. Make a copy of it and place it somewhere you will see every day.
Add a reminder on your calendar every month or so to read over your “why” statement again. For some reason (I blame it on veteran homeschool brain – is that a thing?), I easily forget this “why”. I lose focus.
Get a reminder in place to remind you to revisit this “why” statement. It may be just the encouragement you need to keep on keeping on!
Do you know a veteran homeschool mom who is struggling? I encourage you to reach out to them, share this post, and then give them a word of encouragement.
Let’s promise to do as Jesus commands us to do — to encourage one another daily — so that we can finish this homeschooling race well!
*****
Sheri Graham is the founder of SheriGraham.com where she writes and creates products to help women live intentionally. Sheri is the author and creator of over sixty books on homeschooling, homemaking, and family. Sheri lives in the Midwest with her husband and children. Connect with Sheri: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Youtube
*****
We offer state history courses for each state for age 4 through grade 12. All levels are correlated so you can teach all ages together. Students make a project notebook using text and state symbol pictures that we provide along with pictures and information from free tourist literature. We also offer workbooks that cover the highlights all 50 states in one book (Fifty States Under God, grades 3-12; Fifty States Under God for Young Learners, age 4-grade 2; and Geography of the Fifty States, grades 3-12).
Don’t miss the rest of the posts in the series!
One Response