5 Tips For Homeschooling Success - Maximizing Your Experience
Homeschooling success depends on many factors, ranging from the right attitude to educational strategies.
These 5 tips will help you maximize your homeschooling experience and achieve success from preschool and kindergarten up through high school!
From playing a lot to staying relaxed & not putting too much pressure on yourself or your children, you get to take advantage of the opportunities that homeschooling provides!
To create a positive and effective homeschool environment, here are some quick tips that can help you maximize your homeschooling experience:
1) Play… a lot!
Learning doesn't have to be boring or tedious, so try to find ways to make it fun and engaging.
Do you simply see playing, or do you see creativity, engineering, planning, executing, revising, and growth?
Incorporate activities like games, hands-on projects, and field trips in your child's learning plan. This will not only keep them interested in what they're studying but may also encourage them to dive deeper!
A beautiful part of homeschooling is that we can go down the rabbit hole!
2) Explore new places
Research organizations, museums, and libraries that offer special programs for homeschoolers or provide other resources related to your curriculum topics.
Many times you can find free tickets to local educational places for free through your local library!
There’s a lot of cool stuff that homeschoolers can go see and explore! Take advantage of your local resources!
Taking advantage of these kinds of resources helps create a more interesting learning environment and provides opportunities for new experiences outside of your home setting. Get out of the house!
3) Don't rush it
Take your time when teaching complex subjects so that your child has ample opportunity to process information and ask questions before moving on to the next topic.
Remember to slow down. Enjoy the time you get with your kids.
A relaxed pace is more effective than rushing through lessons. This way, you can take as much time as everyone needs without taking away from important material.
Your homeschool schedule and lesson plans should be flexible - that’s the beauty that homeschooling affords us!
4) Stay relaxed
The best way for children (and adults!) to learn is by being comfortable and having fun while doing it.
Have fun with your homeschool lessons! Not all learning comes from a book!
You don’t need formal “lessons” all the time; instead, focus on fostering meaningful conversations about the topics being studied. This helps them make connections between what you’re studying now with previously learned topics.
These connections help create a deeper understanding of the material over time while keeping the tone of things a little more lighthearted.
5 ) Don’t pressure yourself, or your children
Homeschooling is not always easy, it’s a rollercoaster – no one should expect perfection from either side during any given day.
Waiting until tomorrow is sometimes best. There’s no need to race against an artificial timeline created by us parents!
This can lead to frustration and tense relationships - neither of which are conducive to a positive learning environment! Keeping things friendly yet focused usually yields better results.
Sometimes you just need to break the rules and do something fun to save the relationship.
Remember to give yourself plenty of grace along this adventure :)
Final Thoughts On Homeschooling Success
Homeschool success isn't something that happens overnight, but it is achievable. We are working every day - through the ups and the downs - towards having the best day, each day.
When trying to stay on top of the homeschooling game, having the right attitude, staying relaxed, and taking things one day at a time can help keep your sanity.
Be flexible and curious. Take things slow and create fun learning environments for you and your child.
Have conversations and explore places together—but most importantly, play! Ask yourself every day- how can I make learning better for all of us today? Sometimes it’s by adding cookies.
What Is My Best Homeschool Success Tip?
Learning something new can be challenging, but with an open mind and an open heart—you will get through it with flying colors! Snacks during lessons help, too.
