When you make the choice to take your kids out of school and homeschool, it can feel you are at the beginning of a very difficult journey. Ultimately, parents who are choosing to educate their children need to have a solid plan in place. And we have to remember that the first day of school could be thrilling, scary and overwhelming, so what can we do to ensure that the first day of homeschooling is an amazing one for your child and yourself?
Many parents may not realize you can also attend school part-time to go t classes such as art and music or sign up for sports.
Do Not Teach Everything on Day One
The structure is the most important thing. If we are planning to cover a lot of subjects because we think that our children need to catch up or we need to get a head start in life, the reality is that we can’t teach it all over a specific timeframe. You have to give yourself a break and ease into the schedule slowly. You know your child better than anyone, so you’ve got to get the balance right between engaging them while making sure they don’t develop an actual hatred for the work you are giving them. This is why having a solid lesson plan makes a massive difference. There are plenty of resources on the website https://studentreasures.com/teachers-lounge/lesson-plans/third-grade/ to get you started. The first day and, in fact, the first week is all about finding your feet.
Allowing Your Children the Foundations to Succeed
Compare your typical day of getting them to school in comparison to a homeschooling day. There is no need to rush out after forcing them to have a quick breakfast. Instead, you have a bit more freedom over your day. And by setting up your child in the right way, they’re not going to be stressed which should make for a more pleasant learning experience. As we all need proper fuel to set ourselves up for the day, this is where you can start to give your children the right foods rather than just quick sugary treats that result in a crash a few hours later. Think about the great brain foods, such as eggs, avocados, and, in fact, anything with plenty of good fats. Food is fuel, and you can start implementing a great brain breakfast into a solid routine that will set your children up for the school day but can also be quality time you can spend together.
This can give you the breathing space you need to begin your own lesson plan, perhaps even taking inspiration from wonderful programs like Age of Learning. The more you can cut a break on both sides, the more likely a wonderful result will unveil itself.
Think About the Fun Stuff
Homeschooling may seem like a massive task, but because you have the liberty to make things a bit easier you can also make learning fun. So many children come home from school hating it because it’s structured in such a way that they naturally resent even going to school in the first place. Enforced learning is not fun, but you can make learning fun in different ways. And this is why you may want to set up an approach where it’s the act of learning and then the act of fun, and alternating between the two. You can make things easier on your children by having a fun activity that also sneaks in some learning. There are plenty of suggestions on Parents to get you started, and not just here. You will find so many different online sources that can provide you with ideas and resources to make homeschooling fun as well as educational. Take a look at sites like ABCmouse to find a a whole range of lessons and fun activities that you can search through, as we promise this is so much easier than trying to create everything on your own.
Mix it Up!
You are in a very unique position. You don’t just need to sit your children at a desk and get them to read, instead, this is the ideal opportunity to give them my head start in life by actually learning things in the right way. This is why you can benefit from using different teaching methods. Your child may have easily slipped into the background in school so they didn’t contribute or they were more fearful of offering their opinions. But here, you can finally encourage conversations. Your role as a teacher and as a parent is a hard balance to get right, but if there’s any secret to getting your children to learn, it’s about instigating conversation. And you can do this, not just by talking at your child, but by getting them involved in something in such a way that they think about common subjects in a new way. But we have to remember this all stems from how we teach. The fact is that your child may try to take liberties because you are their parent, but there may also be additional pressures so you may find it difficult to combine your working life and your teaching, but the first day of homeschooling is always the hardest one. You can do it!