Homeschooling your children can provide you with a whole host of different benefits. You can have total control over the lessons that you teach your children, ensuring that they remain in a safe environment that promotes productive learning without the risk of bullying, favoritism and other difficulties that most public school students face. Homeschooling opens up the opportunity to take learning outdoors in a real life setting, meaning your kids won’t be confined inside the same four walls of an average classroom. Fortunately, figuring out how to master the art of homeschooling doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might imagine, as this guide contains some of the most effective tips and tricks that you can take on board to ensure both you and your children can enjoy the most exciting and in-depth learning experience possible. So, if you’re interested in finding out more, then simply read on!
Create A Monthly Plan
When you make the decision to homeschool your kids, it can be a little tricky to try and fill your days with a sufficient amount of learning. It’s hard to think up new topics out of thin air, but fortunately there’s an easy way around this issue – make a monthly plan! Planning for a 30 day period will provide you with more than enough inspiration, and you can then make sure that you aren’t skipping over anything that might be important, too. Take one weekend mid-month to use as a time for planning ahead, as you can advance on the previous months topics and try to link in new lessons without switching subjects completely. Once you’ve decided on a month-long plan of action, be sure to take a diary so that you can jot down which ideas need to be explored in the coming weeks. Don’t feel the need to set out day by day agendas, as this will make the homeschooling process seem far too rigid and military – just write down a range of important topics that you and your children can look into, and choose a new one each day depending on how you all feel. You can find lots of lesson plans online if you get stuck figuring out how to approach a certain topic!
Take Lessons Outside
One of the least enjoyable aspects of public school life is being trapped indoors for hours on end every single weekday. Watching the world go by through a tiny gap in the blinds can make a child feel as though they are almost imprisoned in their position, causing them to lose interest and focus more on daydreaming of another environment rather than focusing on the task at hand. That’s exactly why making a lesson more interactive by heading outdoors can be of such benefit, as you’ll be able to immerse your kids in the full experience of learning so that they can truly explore the world and all of its fascinating beauty. When you take lessons outside, your children are likely to ask questions and find answers that they would never have considered if they were left confined indoors, and the fresh air and sunshine are great for their health and well-being too! When the summer rolls around, set up shop in your backyard or travel to a local park to give your lessons so that you can take breaks to unwind and let off some steam. If you have a topic that can be better explored in person, such as farming or gardening, geography, weather, science (biology, physics, chemistry and more), then you can no doubt take your lessons to a whole new level by showing your children the reality in person rather than forcing them to look at nothing but a picture in a book. This can also help your children to become more inquisitive and confident in their learning and in life in general, so it’s certainly a step that you should take if you want to provide the very best homeschooling experience.
Let Your Children Have Their Say
Last but not least, let your children have their say. Although it was more than likely your choice as a parent to homeschool your children, you still need to allow your child to have some control over their learning if you want them to feel as though the right choice was made. If they begin to get jealous of other children who attend public school then they will no doubt lose interest in your lessons, but if you let them have some influence over the topics or type of learning that they take part in, then they will no doubt feel more passionate and better connected with their education. Don’t take this too far by allowing them to have total control over their learning as they will likely be choosing only the most laid back and low energy lessons that don’t require much brain power – instead; allow one or two lessons a week which can be picked by your little ones, so that they can get excited and look forward to taking part in these activities. Allowing your kids to express their opinion can also help you to make more informed decisions as a parent and teacher, as you can identify areas that might need a little work while better understanding your children’s learning styles, strengths and interests. This is something that could never happen in an average public school environment, as the volume of students in comparison to the number of students makes individual interaction on such a personal scale near impossible.
Mastering the art of homeschooling has never been such a simple task when you can read through and utilize some of the excellent effective ideas that have been carefully detailed above. Homeschooling can certainly be a whirlwind experience with many ups and downs, but it can also be so rewarding and enjoyable for both you and your little ones. Start by creating a monthly plan that you can follow as a guide, and be sure to take your lessons outside to make things more interesting!