12 Tips for Homeschoolers
Our family’s homeschooling adventure started with pre-school. Our four-year-old daughter was our only student, and the days were fairly simple. We learned the alphabet and how to count. We read books and did easy-to-clean-up crafts. Everything happened in order, like clockwork, with hardly any interruptions!
By the time our daughter was in first grade, she had a little one-year-old sister. The commute time to “real” school and how long it took to do nightly homework was about the same amount of time required by our state for one homeschool “day”. After much prayer and research, we made the leap into homeschooling. I had grown up watching “Little House on the Prairie,” so I knew all about how to teach children of varying ages in a one room schoolhouse! How hard could it be?!
Looking back, there are so many things I would have done differently. Likewise, there are so many things I am thankful we did! Here are a few strategies I used to teach children who were five years apart.
· Structure, routine, and prayer are your best friends. 😊
· Do what you can together. We started each school day with group Bible time. We prayed, read Scripture, and went through a family-friendly devotional. Then, I would have a separate Bible time with each daughter, geared toward her age and maturity level. For several years, the girls studied the same history curriculum. Reading aloud from the history book was a quiet activity after lunch!
· Older children can help younger children learn math facts, letters of the alphabet, and other skills. Littles can read to their older siblings, too.
· Play yards and high chairs give little ones boundaries so you can focus on teaching older children. The littles are part of “school,” but they have activities they can do on their own.
· Everyone takes a daily nap or has a quiet time. Everyone!
· Schedule the day. Spreadsheets with columns for Mama and each student helped me see if I was trying to be in two places at once! Also, piano practice while the baby naps is not always a good idea. 😉 If I found the days were not flowing well, I could easily make changes and try something new. Flexibility is key!
· Life happens. When someone does not feel well, switch up the lesson plan so whoever is well is doing more activities that are self-directed. Or do more reading aloud. Or take the day off! Bottom line: nurture the souls first.
As for things I wish I would have done differently, here are some ideas:
· Have sibling play times. These can be during the school day (use this time alone wisely, Mama!) or, depending on how many children you have, you may need to schedule more play times throughout the week.
· Daily time to journal or draw. Some children are wired to process as they create in these ways. I did this in my own quiet times, but it would have benefited my children to do it too!
· Schedule field trip days and stick with them! You know what interests your children ~ plan field trips that cater to those interests.
· Compassion is good, but if you see yourself routinely sliding on “hard” lessons or regularly grading on a curve, it may be time to reassess goals or make changes in your schedule so you can spend extra time with a child who is struggling.
· Limit time on electronics, like games and media. Never let your child “surf the web” unsupervised. For more information on this topic, please watch the series Protecting the Innocence of Childhood.
Prayer is always the best foundation for any adventure. 😊 Know that your expectations of getting everything done, every day, may need to be put aside. Doing the best thing is better than doing a little of everything. These little ones grow up so fast, regardless of how it feels when you are in the trenches!
Glen and Jerrine Hicks have been married 34 years and live in Monument, CO. They have two adult daughters, one son-in-love and one adorable granddaughter. Jerrine loves PG Tips tea, dark chocolate, Jane Austen movies, and books by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Jerry Bridges and Emilie Barnes. A perfect day includes playing with her granddaughter and couchtime with her Glen. She is an introvert. The Hickses have been involved with Growing Families since 1996.