3
Is Homeschooling A Great Choice? Visit This Information! Kids in public schools face many hurdles today, the bulk of which we never had to deal with when we were young. The best way to help your kids avoid these pitfalls is to homeschool them, and the helpful hints in this article should help you be hugely successful in your endeavor. Your child's progress is their own and should not be weighed against others. It is easy to fall into the trap of comparing the education levels of your child versus another, yet when it comes to homeschooling, it is like comparing apples and oranges. Each homeschooled child is going to learn at their own pace, which means that their http://www.lessons.my/listing-category/computer-skills/ successes will be individual and constant. Whether you have already begun homeschooling your children or you are just considering it, you may benefit from attending a homeschooling conference. At these conferences, you will be given tips on how to properly teach your children. You will also be able to speak with other parents who home school their children and get advice from them. Find a support group of other homeschool parents. When you teach your child at home, sometimes you may feel isolated. The support group can help you deal with problems and issues that are complex. You can benefit from the sharing of different perspectives and approaches, and you can apply these to your own curriculum. Give your kids the same responsibilities they would have if they had to get off to school every day. They should have all their chores done by the time school starts, including teeth being brushed, being out of pajamas and dressed and breakfast having been eaten. Don't forget to get them to clean up their dishes, too! Look around for yard sales that have homeschooling materials. This is an inexpensive way to find things. You may also meet other homeschooling parents. Check your local paper. Also, keep your eyes open on the weekend for signs. You never know what interesting things you may discover by doing this. Do not get stuck on one homeschooling curriculum. You may find that your child is not doing well with the curriculum that you have chosen. There are several on the market for you to choose from. Your child might even do well to combine more than one program. Using different programs in one home is perfectly acceptable, so find the one that works best with your child and get started. Set goals for each of your children. You should have two lists of goals per child; one short-term and one long term. Setting weekly goals will help you stay on target toward reaching your long-term goals. If you have these goals written where your children can see them, they will be able to strive to accomplish what you have planned for them. Prior to beginning the homeschooling process, get a handle on your method of discipline. Do you think it will be sufficient as you move into the role of a teacher? Will you need to change things up a little bit? If so, go ahead and do that as soon as possible. It is much harder to institute new policies after you begin. Start strong. Know what the homeschooling laws in your state are. Check out the HSLDA website, which will be an invaluable resource to learning about the laws in your area. A homeschooling association can be

Is Homeschooling A Great Choice? Visit This Information!

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Is Homeschooling A Great Choice? Visit This Information!

Is Homeschooling A Great Choice? Visit This Information!

Kids in public schools face many hurdles today, the bulk of which we never had to deal with when wewere young. The best way to help your kids avoid these pitfalls is to homeschool them, and thehelpful hints in this article should help you be hugely successful in your endeavor.

Your child's progress is their own and should not be weighed against others. It is easy to fall into thetrap of comparing the education levels of your child versus another, yet when it comes tohomeschooling, it is like comparing apples and oranges. Each homeschooled child is going to learnat their own pace, which means that their http://www.lessons.my/listing-category/computer-skills/successes will be individual and constant.

Whether you have already begun homeschooling your children or you are just considering it, youmay benefit from attending a homeschooling conference. At these conferences, you will be given tipson how to properly teach your children. You will also be able to speak with other parents who homeschool their children and get advice from them.

Find a support group of other homeschool parents. When you teach your child at home, sometimesyou may feel isolated. The support group can help you deal with problems and issues that arecomplex. You can benefit from the sharing of different perspectives and approaches, and you canapply these to your own curriculum.

Give your kids the same responsibilities they would have if they had to get off to school every day.They should have all their chores done by the time school starts, including teeth being brushed,being out of pajamas and dressed and breakfast having been eaten. Don't forget to get them to cleanup their dishes, too!

Look around for yard sales that have homeschooling materials. This is an inexpensive way to findthings. You may also meet other homeschooling parents. Check your local paper. Also, keep youreyes open on the weekend for signs. You never know what interesting things you may discover bydoing this.

Do not get stuck on one homeschooling curriculum. You may find that your child is not doing wellwith the curriculum that you have chosen. There are several on the market for you to choose from.Your child might even do well to combine more than one program. Using different programs in onehome is perfectly acceptable, so find the one that works best with your child and get started.

Set goals for each of your children. You should have two lists of goals per child; one short-term andone long term. Setting weekly goals will help you stay on target toward reaching your long-termgoals. If you have these goals written where your children can see them, they will be able to strive toaccomplish what you have planned for them.

Prior to beginning the homeschooling process, get a handle on your method of discipline. Do youthink it will be sufficient as you move into the role of a teacher? Will you need to change things up alittle bit? If so, go ahead and do that as soon as possible. It is much harder to institute new policiesafter you begin. Start strong.

Know what the homeschooling laws in your state are. Check out the HSLDA website, which will bean invaluable resource to learning about the laws in your area. A homeschooling association can be

Page 2: Is Homeschooling A Great Choice? Visit This Information!

very helpful if the BOA or CPS contact you regarding the education of your children. You have to paydues, but the help you get will be well worth it.

Enjoy nature walks as part of class. There is so much to learn in nature. Young children can observethe different plants and collect leaves. They could also try identifying all the different kinds of treesthey see along the way. When home again, show the older kids how to research the different treetypes with the help of the Internet. Use a camera so you don't hurt nature.

Homeschooling your children should not mean that they are exempt from tests and quizzes. It isimportant that you give your child a test as often as they would get one in school. This is a great wayto determine which area your child is progressing in and which areas require more work on yourpart.

If you are married and a homeschooler you should both have responsibilities. Your spouse can be incharge of extra-curricular activities. Your children spend time with you most every day, so makesure that is balanced out by time with the other parent.

Look for thematic activities. There are a number of books on the market for this. You can also createyour own. This is where you take one activity and apply it to several different applications.Incorporating math, science, and language arts into am activity increases the learning for children.It http://www.crosswalk.com/family/homeschool/ can also simplify your planning.

If your child is a visual learner, there are manyhelpful tools you can use to help them learn.Incorporate flash cards, workbooks, charts andmatching games into your teaching. This will helpthem to learn best and retain more information.Homeschooling allows you to use different tools tohelp your child learn the best.

Put the time into keeping relationships with yourfamily strong when you decide to home school your

children. You have to take time out for your partner, for example. They need to know they arespecial to you, so go out for a date with your spouse or go places with your other children. Try tohave family time every night of the week.

Make sure that your workspace is fully equipped with supplies when homeschooling. While one childis engaged in serious learning, the other can be kept occupied with crafts. Encourage your child tosee what he can make independently on his own. This is a great way to learn.

Don't attempt to copy the traditional classroom setting and schedule. Just because a typical schoolclassroom has their students sitting at desks and setting specific times for each subjects does notmean you need to. In fact, it is better if you have your child standing and actively involved ratherthan he or she sitting in a desk. Traditional classrooms have to do this because they have lots of kids.It would simply be chaotic for teachers to have all their students standing while teaching. Use thestrategy that works best for you and your child.

Page 3: Is Homeschooling A Great Choice? Visit This Information!

Your kids are dependent on you to make sure they have a good future. Teaching your kids at homecan give them a great start by providing them with a sound education. Learn how to teach yourchildren through homeschooling with the information given.