Deciding whether to send your kids to public school, private school, or to opt for homeschooling is a debate all parents must have. It’s an important decision, one that will have a direct impact on your child’s future.
Homeschooling Your Kids
If you’ve thought through the possibilities and determined that homeschooling your kids is the best option for your little one, there are several different tools that you should take advantage of. These will help you stay on top of your game as your child’s educator and helping him or her get the most out of their homeschool experience (while also making your life easier!).
Use the Public Library
The public library is a highly underrated resource for homeschooled children and their parents. It’s always free, frequently open, and offers a quiet and relaxed atmosphere that is highly conducive to learning. Consider taking your little one on a “field trip” to your local branch every so often.
There’s another reason the public library is such an underrated tool for homeschooling: library cards. Children love signing up for library cards, because it gives them a sense that they are becoming responsible members of society. They also allow you, their educator, to check out books for free that you would otherwise have to buy. You can save money while designing a dynamic and exciting curriculum around the books at your local branch!
Offer Regular Study Breaks
Without realizing it, many parents who homeschool end up pushing their children harder than they should. It’s understandable that you want your little one to be successful down the road, but if you push too hard too early, they may experience burnout and even start to resist your lessons.
One way to combat burnout is to offer regular exercise breaks, which are the equivalent of recess. When you give your kid these breaks, it’s important to impose the least amount of structure that you possibly can. Give him or her the chance to get creative, play with other children if they’re around, and take advantage of the outdoors.
Essential School Supplies
Homeschooling would be almost impossible without essential school supplies. Just like in private or public school, your little one should have constant access to pens, notebooks, binders, and even colorful laptops to practice their typing schools and studying.
It’s worth noting that if you shop for school supplies as the school year is about to start, it will be easier to find deals which can cut down on your overall costs.
Consider Meal Prepping
For many homeschool parents, one of the most time-consuming parts of their day is preparing meals for their children. If you find that you’re spending an unreasonable amount of time preparing meals throughout the day, time which could be better spent educating your child, you should consider preparing meals the night before. Consider using a meal planning tool to assist you with this endeavor.
If you have a spouse who works from home, try to enlist their help for meal prep. This can make the process collaborative, simplifying it for the both of you.
Make a Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Schedule
“Winging it” is not a viable plan. If you don’t take your child’s education seriously enough to plan out your days, it’s possible that you shouldn’t be homeschooling to begin with. Enlist the help of an organizational service to chart out an exact schedule that will remain static throughout the “school year.”
Before the school year begins, you should have a sense of what you want to accomplish during those all-important months. Figure out which lessons are the most critical, where you should fit them in, and how you are going to make sure you little one has covered all the ground that his or her peers have also covered.
Provide A Worthy Education
There are many different ways you can help your child succeed in a homeschool environment, but the tools listed above are some of the best ways to get started. Remember:
• Use the public library
• Offer regularly study breaks
• Provide essential school supplies
• Consider meal prepping
• Make a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule
Lastly, ensure that you make a habit of maintaining detailed records of all of your curriculum plans, attendance records, and test scores. Use a binder to keep all of this information on hand, which you can later reference to prove that your little one received the same education as his or her peers!
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