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Practical Homeschooling TipsHow to Make Home Education Fun and Relatively Stress-FreeHomeschooling shouldn't be burdensome. Use these six easy and practical tips to make your homeschool day less stressful and more fun.
Most families begin their homeschooling endeavor with a boxed curriculum and then try to replicate a school-like setting at home. Before long, this school-at-home method of education begins to wear on both the children and the mother. It is at this point that one of two things typically happens – a frazzled and jaded mother throws in the towel and enrolls her children in private or public school, or, she determines that it is time to find a better way. Find What Works For YouFind what works for you and your students and ditch the rest. Peer pressure is alive and well within the homeschool community – among the mothers! Trying to fit your children or yourself into another family’s mold sets you up for failure. It is OK to be different and to take the path less traveled. In fact, you may be surprised how many others are right there with you! Cut Out Unnecessary “Busy Work”One of the greatest advantages of teaching your children at home is that your children will receive one-on-one tutoring from their teacher – you. Most worksheets are designed with a classroom full of students who need to be kept occupied in mind. Many children simply do not need all that drill work. If your student is progressing well in the subject, consider only assigning the odd numbered problems, which will cut their work in half. This saves your student time and frustration, and it saves you time that you would have spent grading all that work. Employ the Method of NarrationNarration is simply having the student tell back to you what she read in her book or text. Filling out worksheets can be helpful, but often it is unnecessary. Narration takes a lot of thought and is an accurate way of ascertaining what children learned in their reading assignment. This works in many subject areas: reading, history, science. By having your student narrate verbally, it then doubles as speech class. You could also have older children write out their narrations as an essay, book report or in a journal. Combine SubjectsMany subjects are easily combined. History can be coupled with reading and writing. Art can be combined with science and nature studies. It is not necessary to have five separate subjects each day to learn effectively. Not only will it save you time, it will save you money as well. Easy RecordkeepingKeeping school records can be time-consuming. Pare it down to the bare essentials. First, be aware of what records your state requires for you to keep. Then determine what records you want to keep to track of your child’s progress. Perhaps your assignment book can also serve as your attendance record, and record the lesson grade beside the corresponding assignment in your planner. The Learning LifestyleMake learning a lifestyle for the entire family. Baking cookies can double as arithmetic and home economics, caring for animals can become a living science class. Write a family newsletter or blog for spelling and grammar. The possibilities are endless and the memories are priceless!
The copyright of the article Practical Homeschooling Tips in Homeschooling is owned by Crystal Killion. Permission to republish Practical Homeschooling Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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