Child education is a very important aspect of growth and development. Sending children to school has been a practice for millions of years for two main purposes: knowledge and socialization.
There are public schools available, so why home school your kids? Homeschool teaching ensures that your child gets full undivided attention which is difficult to get in school with big teacher-student ratio. Home schooling isn’t a new concept. In fact, it comprises about 2.9% of students in the United States.
Even if you want to get started with home education right away, how to home school your kids is still a big question.
3 Do’s and Don’ts on how to home school your kids:
Do ample research and reading before getting started
It is important to know local and state laws on homeschooling because they vary. Some districts require families to register, some states require standardized test results and there are states that allow evaluation of portfolio before the child’s promotion to a different level.
In addition to the technicalities of the law, it is also essential to be updated on different homeschooling techniques and the struggles other families have so you can learn from them.
Don’t expect for homeschooling to be easy Setting realistic expectations before your begin is highly recommended. The major disadvantage of homeschooling is the stress it could cause you and your family since your children will be around you 24/7.
Making a list of the advantages and joys of homeschooling, like not missing any of your children’s milestones, could help cheer you up during bad days. Joining support groups and forums to share similar experiences with other parents could help a lot too.
Do understand your children’s interest and use it as a springboard to enhance your homeschool materials
As a parent, you are expected to know your children best. Knowing your children’s interest could help you greatly in providing fun educational activities for them. Children learn concepts faster and easier when topics and methods are relevant to them. Home school ideas as well as kids education games are available online and in most parenting books.
Don’t overload your children with pure academic information
Let your children have fun too. Because they are homeschooled, they get to miss an essential part of childhood—having friends. Socializing is important for children to learn how to handle situations with other kids. And sometimes, simply having a sibling or two is not enough.
Luckily, there are simple ways on how to help your kids make friends. Getting your children involved in activities that are not about academics such as sports or arts, encourages them to make friends and improves their other skills as well.
Do stay consistent with your homeschool schedule
Eventhough your children stay at home to study, they need to know that there is time for everything. Making sure you have a schedule teaches your children to be responsible about their schoolwork and allows you to do other things around the house too.
Don’t forget to accomplish all necessary paperwork
Homeschooling schedules may appear to be more flexible than the normal school calendar but there are certain submissions to be made depending on the rules set in your homeschooling program of choice. Paces, assessments and other paperworks have to be filed on time to make sure your children’s progress get credited properly.
How to home school your kids is as rewarding as it is taxing; and finding a homeschooling program that fits your child’s needs and your family’s set-up can be a bit tricky. Why not try out summer homeschooling so you get a feel of how it works before you made any decision!
Leave a Reply Cancel reply