1- Make it Special
Every time you are doing something together with your kids that they wouldn’t be ready to do if they were publicly school, make certain to say it to them and play it up. For instance, beginning the primary warm day within the spring. Or spending family time together within the evenings rather than having to try to to homework. Be sure they see how late that big, yellow bus goes by in your neighborhood to drop off kids in order that they realize what proportion LONGER they might be sitting at a desk if they were in class .
Paint a really clear picture to your kids about the PROS of homeschooling and therefore the CONS of public school. Yes, there are pros and cons to both but right now you want to get them to focus on the positive aspects of homeschooling.
2 – Make it Enjoyable
Add during a subject or two about which your kids are especially interested. We’ve added in programming for one son and videography for the opposite . They spend half an hour every day doing this each day and it’s something they appear forward to. They wouldn’t be ready to spend time pursuing their own interests or have many options on their educational choices if they were during a traditional school. Be sure they realize this!
3 – Make it Fun
Be very intentional about throwing some fun or joy into your school day. This is always a great thing to do, anyway. But since you’re trying to show their hearts toward home, an excellent thanks to do this is to laugh together. If they think their best childhood memories are at college , ask them what it’s they remember so fondly and check out to recreate or top a number of those experiences reception . It should be easy to try to to because you’ve got such a lot more freedom than does the varsity .
4 – Connect with Friends
If your kids are missing specific school friends, encourage your kids to ask them to your house occasionally. After being faraway from them for a short time , those friends may have changed in an undesirable way and your kids won’t miss them so badly if they’re able to spend time with them again.
If they still have common interests, help your child to possess time to spend with them. Just because they aren’t getting to school together doesn’t mean they can’t continue their friendship. Let them email a lover or have an occasional lunch date with a buddy. Consider letting them talk on the phone or skype on days when getting along side a lover wouldn’t be possible.
5 – Teach Them About Other Homeschoolers
Homeschooling isn’t the prominent educational model in modern society. However, there are many cool people throughout history who were homeschooled and who went on to become famous authors, artists, inventors, businessmen, pastors, missionaries, etc. Teach your children about these great men and ladies . Once they realize what great company they’re in, they’ll accept homeschooling more readily.
6 – Consider a Co-op
It’s important to spend time doing activities with other homeschool families. If you don’t belong to a co-op you would possibly want to think about that option. In past years, we belonged to one that only met every other Friday morning, but it gave my boys a consistent time when they were able to have a few classes with their homeschool buddies. My boys really appreciated that time!
I also try fixing field trips and beginning afternoons occasionally to permit my boys to go to with their friends. They really enjoy this as well. My boys are social and that they miss being around other kids if we aren’t doing it often enough. Obviously, you would like to possess balance and still get the schoolwork done, but if you realize you haven’t been doing it fairly often , you would possibly want to bump friend time up a little bit.
7 – Join a Team
Being on a sports team can help your children fulfill a part of their social craving. My boys play softball with a homeschool group every summer which has been another fun way for them to form friends, burn off some energy, and have time away from home. They also enjoy being on a five from October through February, which provides them an enormous social outlet.
These tips will help you and your kids manage homeschooling successfully.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
