With most children homebound for a couple of weeks—some even more—many parents are having to do something they thought they’d never do: school their children at home. We’ve homeschooled the last ten years and I still remember those early days when we first started. Those first weeks we experienced a mixture of high expectations, excitement about doing something new, and a bit of confusion as we all wondered if we were doing it “right.” For the kids, there was some awkwardness as they had to navigate having a mom who was both parent and teacher. To be honest, there have been many times over the years I have either quit or fired myself (as both teacher and administrator I can do both!).
Just like parenting, homeschooling can be both joy-filled and frustrating at the same time. There are ups and downs, good days and bad days. Think of it as an adventure. Whether your current school situation lasts a few weeks or longer, I wanted to share some of the homeschooling keys that have shaped our homeschooling over the years.
Have a Routine: Having a routine and structure is essential to homeschooling. Children always do better when they know what to expect. From the beginning, we started our school day at 9am—after getting ready for the day, eating breakfast, and completing morning chores. When the children were younger, we would tackle the subjects which required more focus and concentration first, such as math and language arts. Subjects such as literature and history we put to the end of the school day because those involved more of me reading aloud. Since many parents are now juggling both homeschooling and working from home, you may need to find a different schedule. Perhaps homeschool takes place in the afternoons so you can be on conference calls in the morning. The beauty of homeschooling is that it doesn’t have to take place at the same time as traditional school. Ultimately, whatever routine your family uses, it needs to be consistent.
Take breaks: Breaks are important for all of us, and more so for children. It’s hard to sit still and focus on one thing for too long. Even with my teens, we’ve set timers to work on one thing for a set time, followed by a break. I also encourage my children to set aside work that is particularly difficult or challenging and switch to something else for a time, and then return back to the challenging problem. Otherwise, they get increasingly frustrated. We often take a long lunch break and work later into the afternoon. Younger children might need more frequent breaks.
Learning is more than doing worksheets: Our family has never been big fans of doing worksheets over and over. There are many ways to learn a concept that doesn’t include filling out a worksheet. Practice spelling words using Scrabble tiles. Use Legos to practice math. Bake bread to learn about chemistry. Read a fictional story that takes place during a specific time in history. Create your own board game. Do a scavenger hunt. The opportunities are endless.
Get outside: Homeschool doesn’t mean you have to remain within the four walls of your home. Take your school work outside. Sit on a blanket in the yard and complete assignments. Have the kids collect things from the yard to study and learn about. Take a nature walk and count how many different creatures you find. Have them draw pictures of what they see.
Encourage curiosity: Learning is a life habit that ought to take place everywhere, not just in a school. Encourage your children to ask questions about things and help them research the answers. One time, my son was curious about how cars worked. We got him a science kit which taught him how to build a model engine. My other son loves sports so I found books on sports facts and statistics which he then memorized. When one child showed an interest in reading science fiction stories, I encouraged him to write one of his own. When another was interested in drawing dragons, I found a book on how to draw fantastical creatures.
We are also big fans of unit studies. Unit Studies are a great way to dive into a topic of particular interest your child might have. We once spent a month studying the state of Alaska because we were going there on vacation. Unit studies incorporate all the subjects into one topic. In studying Alaska, we read The Call of the Wild and other stories that took place in Alaska (Literature). We studied the unique topography, climate, animal life, and eco-system (science). We learned how it became a state, its Gold Rush, and the big earthquake (history). We studied maps of the state and learned about its major towns and cities (geography). And the kids wrote essays on what they learned (grammar).
Learning at home has created many wonderful memories for our family. It takes some intentional effort, but once you develop a routine and find ways to make learning fun and engaging, you may find you even enjoy it. Be patient with yourself and your children. And if you have any friends who homeschool, reach out for advice. They’ll be happy to help.
