Homeschooling could be the best and most rewarding decisions you ever make when it comes to your kids. You can engage yourself in their education and provide a single teacher to themselves. The following article will show you to the wonderful world of homeschooling.
It can be challenging to homeschool older kids if you also have a child who is too young for school. You need times set aside to address each kid’s needs. Look for things to do that can help both ages. Use every opportunity you can to keep both of your children engaged while allowing them personal time for bonding and developing your relationship.
Use real life as a learning opportunity. Your child is capable of learning more from life than what is in the curriculum. Help them out with their grammar mistakes as well. Let them help you make dinner and teach them about the measurement systems. You’ll be amazed at what they can learn.
Figure out the best room in your house for schooling. It must foster a comfortable yet won’t be distracted. It must have an open area for activities and also smooth surfaces for desktops. You should also have no problem consistently keeping an eye out for your children as well.
Familiarize yourself with your local laws about homeschooling. Every state will have different rules for homeschooling, so you must be aware of the ones that apply to you. For example, in some states a homeschooled student is still required to take a state-approved standardized test to assess their progress. Some states require parents that homeschool to register as private schools.
States Require
Look up the homeschooling laws of your state. While some states require a parent to be a participant in standardized testing, others make parents go through standardized testing. Some states require parents to register as a school.
Many children learn through experiencing things for themselves. For example, you can make recipes from a foreign culture they are studying. Learning about England could have them creating bangers and mash. You could have your child cook cuisine from each country as you study the various Axis powers. Multi-sensory learning will help your child to retain more of the information.
Be sure to give your children plenty of hands-on learning. You could cook foods which apply to the country you are studying. An example would be to cook cabbage rolls when studying Stalin. If you are learning about WWII you can make German or a historical site. Learning will be easier once you appeal to each of the topics.
Know when to take a day. If one method of teaching is not working, don’t get frustrated. Find another way so your child can learn the best results. You can try videos, online apps or even online tutors to get through. If you push them into learning the materials in that way they will grow frustrated.
A list of good and bad things about both homeschool and public school should be made. This list will enable you to put together a lesson plan that addresses what was left out of their public school education. It will serve you as a checklist of the most important lessons to focus on. Reference is often to remember why you’re homeschooling.
Academic Studies
Life skills are more important as academic knowledge. It is important to work both academic studies and life skills as part of your lesson plan. Everyone knows what academic studies involve; however, many do not realize the importance of life skills such as planning a menu, gardening and driving are just as important. Teach both at once. For example, if you are gardening with your child, teach them about each plant and how they grow.
Consider using unit study as a method for your instruction. Focusing on a topic allows you to present it in details and let your child do some research on their own. This will allow you to teach each subject on a deeper level. Perhaps you will focus on classical music for six weeks. Once the six weeks have been completed, plan an outing to see a classical performance to see the importance of classical music first hand. The experience will be one your child will not forget.
Do you have more than a couple kids?You need to know how your discipline style will work. It can be hard to keep your kids focused appropriately if you have trouble with discipline. By paying attention to your shortcomings in areas of discipline and response to behaviour, you can provide a better environment for your children to succeed.
Find ways to stimulate social opportunities for your child to socialize. You may have to be a bit more creative since this is not attending public school. Take a field trips with other homeschool families. Get involved with community supported sports. Boy Scouts and girl Scout programs are also great ways for social development.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to other families in the area that homeschool their children. You will benefit from talking with other parents about homeschooling methods. This will also give you the ability to share what you know with others, and possibly make some friends along the way, too. It is also a good way for your children to get the socialization they need, by playing with other kids who are homeschooled. Social skills need to be learned, and this is an excellent opportunity. Meeting other families combats this.
Now that you know some of the many ways to tackle homeschooling, you are ready to start your own journey. Remember, you will most likely receive a lot of support from other parents who homeschool their children in your community, and there are dozens of great websites and online forums that will direct you to the resources that you need.