Before I officially began homeschooling, I pretty much had no idea how to go about doing it. I had thought I needed to buy a curriculum and follow it all the way through, much like they do in school. However, after speaking with many moms who homeschool and getting some experience, I have a completely new approach to education. Here are a few things that I want to share with others who are considering homeschooling that I wish I knew early on that would’ve made life so much easier.
- Learning is a Life Long Pursuit
I first heard this from a homeschooling mom and it really resonated with me. Why do we think that education ends after high school or college graduation? No one can ever learn all there is about every subject in one lifetime. In schools, especially high school, there is a tendency to cram in information in a short amount of time without ever learning it in depth. For example, I remember my high school American history class as a complete joke. I still remember the textbook and it only gave a brief overview of various topics in American history without every explaining any background or teaching anything interesting. And worse, textbooks are usually filled with half-truths. Students are expected to memorize the information for a midterm or final exam without ever retaining it.
As a result, in our homeschooling we go into topics more in depth, especially when it comes to history. Children and adults learn better when there is no pressure to have to memorize information just to get a good grade on an exam, not to mention if the information is interesting.
2. You Do Not Need to Follow a Curriculum
You can certainly follow a curriculum if you find one that works for your children, however you can design your own or use an eclectic approach as well. I started designing my own curriculum using picture books, various workbooks, worksheets, and whatever other materials I find related to the subject we’re studying. What I never knew is that there are so many amazing resources out there now that kids will love. I’ve heard from adults who were homeschooled that they found it quite boring that their parents only used one curriculum for them and nothing else. This is not how learning is supposed to be. Learning should be fun, at least most of the time. There might be a few concepts that a child finds boring that are still important to learn, but generally kids should be excited to learn new things. Which brings me to my next tip:
3. Learning Should be a Fun Experience
Almost every person who I have ever asked says that they didn’t like school. Why is that? Aside from the teasing and bullying, no one I knew growing up actually liked to learn. When the few kids who like school are asked what do they like about it, they usually say seeing their friends. After looking through some of the history and science books I have found outside of school, I thought to myself “wow, this is really interesting.” I have also heard from so many moms that once they learned history out of school, they found it fascinating. That’s how learning should be. Kids should want to learn all on their own, be naturally curious, and want to find out about the world around them. Every week, we have about 50 picture books checked out from the library and can’t wait to get into them. I don’t know when it started where school became burdensome, but that’s never how a child should feel.
4. Education Includes Life Experiences
In our society, education is mostly restricted to being in a school without any consideration that learning also comes from life experiences and everyday ordinary things. For example, cooking is an essential life skill, as everyone should know how to feed themselves. Education should also include managing money, running a home, basic repair skills, knowing where food and resources come from. People cannot get far in life if they don’t know how to manage their finances or know how to function in the world. That’s why I think it’s important for parents to involve their children in as much as they can as far as chores, errands, hobbies, etc. Not that kids need to be physically doing these tasks, but at least having it explained to them, such as why we pay bills, this is how things work, and so on.
If you are just starting out with homeschooling or do not know where to begin, there are so many options available. Parents also should not feel overwhelmed, which is very common and I’ve certainly felt that way too. But remember, education should be exciting and something you and your children do together that will also bring you closer as a family. You can also learn alongside your kids, especially what you were never taught in school!
Photos by Pavel Danilyuk and Pixabay on Pexels.com
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