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When Homeschool Isn’t Working
When things just aren’t lining up, everyone’s stressed, overwhelmed, and frustrated, simplify!
Before you throw in the towel, hear me out. I can’t solve all your problems in a 400 word blog, but I can shed some light that just might make the difference for you.
Take a step back from homeschooling for a period, maybe 1-2 weeks. Tell your kids you’re taking a planning week (I do this every 9 weeks to keep my sanity). During this time, give your kids a short list of things they can do: silent reading, approved games, videos, or movies, puzzles, coloring books, are just a few ideas. Set time limits as you see fit.
Take this planning time to evaluate your homeschool.
Here are some things to think about as you go:
- If you are trying to duplicate the public school, stop! The public school system is designed to teach the masses using a TEAM of teachers; not a tailored educational model for an individual child being taught by one teacher at home.
- You do not need to teach all the subjects every day. Children stop listening and learning at some point anyway. Don’t overfill the day. Enjoy what you’re learning and take your time with it. We usually do math and spelling 3 days a week, and science and history the other 2 days, but you do what works for you.
- Don’t worry about grade or reading level, etc. Let your child learn at his own pace.
- Learning is progressive. One thought or theory builds on the one before it. What exactly does your child need to know next?
- What’s going right? Always celebrate your wins!
- What’s not going right? Really get specific, and solutions will come to you.
- Do you have consistent routines? It helps kids to know what’s expected of them, and when they should be doing what. Please don’t schedule every moment of your day, just the things that you decide need to be done every day.
Really take the time to consider these things and anything else that comes to mind. Make a plan, be willing the change things up, and accept that life is learning. You don’t have to get it all right the first time, our kids surely don’t, lol. Give yourself grace to enjoy the process, enjoy your kids, and have fun learning with them.
Blessings,
Amy@Freedom in Homeschooling
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