Home Schooling Hints and Tips

Home schooling is not the easiest job in the world but there are things we can do to make it easier, even enjoyable for ourselves, and more importantly, our kids.

1. Find what works for you and your family

Every child and every family are unique. What works for Dave may not work for Molly. Find out what works well for your kids, how they learn best, what motivates them, what resources you’ve got (including time) and when, and also what works for you.

2. Routine

Children do actually thrive from routine, they like to know what they can expect as it provides a safety net. However, keep in mind point 1, different routines will fit different families better. Trying to recreate the school timetable at home is not a route I would take personally, find what fits you and yours. For example, although most families seem to go for afternoon walks, we go for a family walk in the mornings, as we have an over-active beagle who needs to get his energy out first thing and my daughter also seems to thrive from these walks. She then seems more happy to focus in the afternoon, when we move on to Maths/English/Topic work. We’ve found a routine that works for us.

However, that doesn’t mean make things monotonous either. You can follow routine and still mix things up a bit – i.e. vary the kind of walks you go on, use different resources when teaching… Change up things within the routine. 

3. Make it fun

Cyndi Lauper got it wrong when she sang ‘girls just wanna have fun’, we ALL want to have fun! And that includes your kids. They have to learn some very boring stuff, so try to make it fun for them. For example, you might want to follow their interest of footballers and do maths around goal differences, they may love dinosaurs and you could do additions and subtractions with the same, they may be obsessed with art – great, explore that, look at different artists, write about them, create your own art using different mediums, work out gallery exhibition costs, what ever works for them. I know, some topics are easier to inject fun into than others but there is usually some way, this is why I’ve tried to make phonics and grammar (eurgh!) more interesting by combining them with yoga (check out the free videos on my Youtube channel). 

4. Think of the good stuff

Okay, so nothing is ideal at the moment but we do have the choice of where we place our focus. When I think of all I’ve got to be grateful for, my immediate family and the extra time I get to spend with them all, watching them grow and playing a major role in that, the slower pace of life and time to reflect and change for the better, it certainly makes me happier.

5. Remember, you and your kids, are human

We all have days when we’re on top of the world, home-schooling like a pro, keeping all the plates spinning… and there are others where all the plates seem to smash at once! You will have these kind of days, and your kids will have these days. Everyone has these kind of days! If you’re having one of the bad kind, or your kid is, don’t sweat it. Take a breather, it will probably be of much more benefit to you and your kids than trying to steamroll your way through the day. Take time to breathe, recharge and unwind then try again the next day with a fresh mind and attitude.

If you have anything to add, or if you want to ask me anything, feel free to leave a comment, or message me directly through the contact page.

You’re doing great!