As a Mom who homeschooled all 8 of my children, I’ve come up with a list of 7 homeschool tips you need to know. These are things I learned along the way (usually the hard way). I wish someone had told me when we first started teaching our kids! I hope they will be a help to you, as you start another school year. It can be difficult to find the right homeschooling tips and tricks, but this article will help you get started.
Homeschooling is a great way to provide your child with the education they need. It also gives you more time to teach them about subjects you feel are most important, and nurture the individual learning styles of each of your children. It can be difficult to find the right homeschooling tips and tricks, but this article will help you get started.
7 Homeschool Tips You Need to Know
1. Make sure you have goals for your homeschool, and prioritize things based on those goals.
Having goals and priorities in your school day will guide you on days that are extra busy, or when you feel overwhelmed. Always start with what is top priority, and if you don’t get EVERYTHING done in a day that you want to, you have at least accomplished the most important ones. God makes it very easy to know what our priorities are in II Peter 1:6: “….add to your faith, virtue (character); and to character knowledge.” Start your day with building your kids faith (Bible reading, and memory, then have some kind of character training, and THEN you start on the academics. God will bless your day when you give Him the first part of it, and follow His priorities.
2. Be sure and have a schedule or routine.
Children function much better when their days have a regular routine, and they know what to expect. You will also accomplish much more, and be in control of your children and home, rather than them being in control of you. Don’t stress if your schedule doesn’t follow exact time frames, but rather follow a routine. (Some days Math will take longer than other days, and doesn’t fit in a perfect little 30 or 45-minute time slot.) With a routine, you and your children have a “rut to run in”. The schedule is the frame, but times can be adjusted within that, and a routine followed.
3. Make sure you have your children under control.
If they aren’t under control, and disobedience and bad attitudes are a normal thing, stop the academics for a while, and focus on the character. You can’t teach your children if you don’t have them under control. I love the following quote about obedience:
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“A child must learn to obey first, or you can never serve as his teacher. Teaching him to obey, to do his work and stick with it, to follow instructions, not to interrupt, and much more requires your diligent supervision and follow-through. That is the work of parenting really. Unless your children learn to listen to your directions and follow them, it doesn’t matter how great your resources are. The first and foremost subject to teach is good behavior born of self-discipline. (In other words, character!)”
4. Don’t compare yourself with other homeschoolers, and what they are doing, or how they are doing it!
Comparison is one of the biggest causes of discouragement. The Bible tells us it’s NOT WISE to compare ourselves among ourselves. (II Corinthians 10:12) Do what God has called YOU to do with your family, and not what He has called them to do.
5. Realize that your kids may have different learning styles.
What worked with one child, may not work with the next one. This can be very frustrating if you don’t figure out how that child learns. Some of my kids were great with a textbook; others hated them, and learned nothing from them. Find what works for each child, and use it.
Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes... in You and Your Kids
Passionate Parenting: Enjoying the Journey of Parenting TeensSolving A Crisis in Christian Parenting: Why so many prodigals?[(Child Training Tips : What I Wish I Knew When My Children Were Young)] [By (author) Reb Bradley] published on (August, 2014)
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6. Have realistic expectations for each of your kids.
Often we set ourselves up for discouragement because we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves, or of our children. Realize you have limitations or you will always be frustrated. Don’t expect too much from your children. Realize each one is different and may progress differently from each other. It’s really okay if one doesn’t read at age 5, like the other one. He WILL learn to read at some point. All of mine did – but not at the same speed as the other. Some were fast and ready; others weren’t ready quite as early.
7. Commit your day to God, put yourself second.
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall not be disappointed! What are the things you think of as your rights? Time to read a book, get on Facebook, talk on the phone with a friend, or just a FEW minutes of peace and quiet? There’s nothing wrong with wanting any of those things. However, if you look at it as your RIGHT, and you don’t get to do it because things don’t go as planned, you’ll be an unhappy mom. Instead, commit your day and needs to God, and when you do get time to do some of those extras, count it as a blessing!
I hope these few thoughts will help you as you start this new school year!
