Even if you thought that homeschooling was not the thing for you, it may be time to take another look. The concept is increasing in popularity, and there are many new tools available as well. You can easily find out how to home school correctly and start teaching your kids yourself.
Every state has specific laws regarding homeschooling. It is up to you to understand what your state requires of you as a parent, and your child as a student, when it comes to homeschooling. Look at your state’s educational website, as well as your county school board’s site to fully understand the expectations.
Keep a journal of your activities. You can track the techniques that you have used. You can then look back to find the techniques that had worked well for your children and what did not. It will help you come up with a homeschooling regimen that works well for your family without trying the same things over and over.
Cook bulk meals a couple times a week. Having a few dinners frozen and ready to heat and eat in the freezer can make crazy days better. Worrying about what you are going to feed your family as you are trying to homeschool will make things more stressful than they need to be.
Kids need to help with chores when you homeschool, or you may have to hire someone to help. Taking care of everything will prove to be impossible. Grocery shopping, household chores, and childcare can really drain you quickly. Accept any help you can find graciously.
Understanding your child’s learning style and educational needs is the key to creating a successful learning environment. For example, many children experience peak learning times in which they are more receptive to new information and more likely to remember it. Identifying this peak learning time allows you to develop an itinerary that is perfectly aligned with your student’s needs.
The goals you set for your homeschool classroom need to be easy to measure. Write down exactly what you want your child to know at the end of each day, week, month and lesson plan. For example, “I would like John to be able to multiply up to ten” is a great short-term goal. “I would like John to know all about World War II” is a long-term goal. Both should come with positive reinforcement when achieved.
Know your shortcomings. It is unlikely that any parent can singlehandedly teach their child everything they need to know from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are several options for upper-level courses. For instance, online high school and distance learning programs can help your child succeed in the later grades and prepare for the GED and college.
Just because your child is being home schooled does not mean you should be too lenient on them. Make sure they are not allowing them to take too many days off of learning for either their convenience or yours. While it is okay to take a vacation or allow them to take a day off because they are sick, do not allow this to be a habit.
Don’t mimic teacher lecturing styles with your child. You are not a trained professional like a school teacher is. In addition, when dealing with your own children, you are much less likely to get them to listen to a lecture. Consider their point of view. You will probably also learn a lot yourself.
If you homeschool well, your kids will enjoy the experience. The benefits are numerous for all parties involved. Now that you are aware of these, you will be able to prepare well. Get started homeschooling today so that you and your kids can take advantage of all the benefits right away.