Homeschooling Advice

I know that most, if not all, of you have found yourselves 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. I’d like to share some things I learned along the way that helped:

·         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.

The PBMS teachers are here to support you as we move through this journey together. We can always help with ways to differentiate work for your child and make suggestions for alternatives. Relax and enjoy this time with your children.