What I Learned in the First 3 Months of Homeschool: Tips for Teaching Your Child at Home
Where to start when homeschooling can feel like an understatement when sifting through the tips you need to know right off of the bat. These are some of the lessons I have learned (some the hard way) solely from my experience in teaching my kindergartener at home, through discussion-led, discovery learning.
I knew that I wanted to approach educating my son with the same feel of parenting. For me, this meant that my driving intention was to be understanding and create comfortability while exploring different topics. Those two characteristics shaped our first few weeks of instruction and we grew from there to create our current routine that is perfect for us!
Find what works for you and your learner
Taking into account what your existing schedule is like, what tasks and responsibilities you have, along with the fun life throws at you, no two homeschool schedules and routines are the same. Cracking the code to your teaching at home fingerprint is worth the time it takes to adjust and settle in to what will have the biggest impact on your learner's success.
Tailoring activities or time spent on them is one adjustment that may be necessary, or finding what learning style best serves your child. These are only a few examples of how we found how to best make it work.
Don't be afraid to adjust as needed
After getting into a groove, I was initially nervous to switch any part of our new routine or make tweaks they may throw off a smooth groove. I soon realized that this wasn't a mindset aligned to my son's progression and that making changes parallels problem solving in the real world. Not only was it a great teaching point for finding techniques that fit unexpected difficulties, but it allowed flexibility in our learning together.
In this post, I talk about how to step into homeschooling confidently, including hacks to creating a schedule and a routine that isn't set in stone and matches your changing needs as a parent and teacher.
Know that tasks can wait for TOMORROW
Unlike a traditional school setting, you have the ability to rearrange the tasks and projects for your child. If something unexpected comes up in your day or your learner has had enough before everything is complete, then the decision is yours to adjust accordingly. It is okay to leave some tasks unfinished.
Sometimes it is harder to outrun the "get it done now" feeling, but the piece of mind in knowing more focus and attention may be invested into the learning if the circumstances are better. Say your day was out of order and hectic, as we know parenting can be a lot of the time, it is much better to revisit a topic than to add to your stress and potentially distract from any progress you and your learner intended on making.
Enjoy the process
The biggest take away I have from teaching my child at home has to be the rewarding feeling it has given us both. As a newbie, I have genuinely loved planning and preparing for homeschool, but the true satisfaction has come from learning alongside my child. Watching his progression in each subject has provided an incredible sense of ownership and fueled our passion for continuing to homeschool, and I know the same feeling is waiting for you and your family!
