New to homeschooling // Tips, Encourgement + Resources
“Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life”
-Charlotte Mason
I know that some of you never wanted to homeschool...
Some of yall have always wondered about it but never thought you could...
Some already chose to homeschool, but you have moments of doubt...
And I know that many of you are frustrated and overwhelmed right now.
I also know God blessed you with your child.
God has entrusted you to care for and raise your children.
No one on this earth knows your child better than you, so you are the best teacher your child could ever have.
Here's the thing...
For five years, you taught your child at home, and you have been teaching them ever since.
Teaching them to walk, talk, use manners, catch a baseball, and ride a bike may seem completely different than learning math, language arts, and social studies, but there are many similarities.
It's a lot of encouraging, praising, adjusting, and grace.
“There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.”
― Gandhi
Some of you may be stressed right now, but please do not stress or worry that your child will "fall behind" or that you will not know how to teach them their schoolwork.
It will all be okay!
The fact that you are currently reading this to get more tips or "how-tos" shows that you deeply care and want to help your child.... and that should be proof enough that you can do this and that your child will be fine.
Homeschooling can be overwhelming, but it can also be so incredible! It is such a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with your kids while they are still home and gives you a chance to learn more about them.... their interests, talents, personality, and strengths.
“Any child who can spend an hour or two a day, or more if he wants, with adults that he likes, who are interested in the world and like to talk about it, will on most days learn far more from their talk than he would learn in a week of school.”
― John Holt
Try to look at this time as a new opportunity for both you and your children....
This is your chance to:
See your child learn and grow.
Spend more time with your kids.
Get to know each child's personality more.
See what your child's interests are.
And make memories that you will hold onto long after your kids leave home.
This is your child's chance to:
Learn new skills.
Have a little more rest in their day.
Find out how they learn best.
Explore their own interests.
Hold onto their childhood a little bit longer.
There are just so many benefits to homeschool (even if this wasn't in your plan), but it can still come with some struggles.
So if your child is struggling with some of their work here are a few things that could help:
Help them find different ways to learn the material.
Help them use their talents when learning.
Show them and yourself some grace.
Take breaks when they need it.
Praise them for the hard work they are doing.
Give them time to explore their own interest.
Change up the location (it's amazing what sitting outside or changing rooms can do).
Do what you can to help your child to find their love for learning, not just memorizing material.
More than anything... even though math, language arts, social studies, etc.. are important to learn, having your child know that they are loved, know important life skills, and are being raised to be a good person is far more important.
Remember that you are more than capable of homeschooling your child and embrace this time with your kids at home before they are grown.
Some of my favorite Homeschooling resources:
For the parents:
Wild + Free Homeschool: They have some good free content and inspriation on there for the parents :)
https://www.bewildandfree.org/
Nat on the wall: Natalie offers great inspiration and insight for homeschooling. In fact she was one of the people who inspired me to start homeschooling.
Schoolwork Resources:
Teachers pay teachers: So many good lessons and worksheets. You can set up an account for free and search Free and Paid resources.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
Reading Eggs + Math Seeds: Language arts and Math lesson that are more like games.
https://readingeggs.com/
ABC Mouse: I have also heard great things about ABC Mouse, but we just haven't tried it.
https://www.abcmouse.com/abt/homepage
I know this is a new change for many of you and a challenge for a lot, but try to embrace it. Who knows, you might enjoy homeschooling more than you thought.