1.) HAVE A DAILY SCHEDULE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN HOMESCHOOLING
It is important to have a daily schedule in order to be successful in homeschooling. It should be structured but does not need to be rigid. Kids will do better overall if they know the expectations for each day.
How Many Hours A Day Is Required For Homeschooling?
- A normal school day in a classroom setting is 7 hours.
- For Homeschooling, a normal day is anywhere from 2-4 hours.
- It will depend on your child and your schedule you have in place but you can complete their daily lesson plan in about 1/2 the time of a regular school day.
2.) MAKE SURE TO ALLOW FOR BREAKS IN YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE
You should always make sure to allow breaks during your homeschooling day. I have an 8th-grade son that suffers from ADHD, so we take more breaks than the average child. That is why I love to homeschool because it allows my son to learn the way that is best for him.
It is also a very good chance to teach time management. Your child will learn that the more breaks they take, the longer their school day will be.
My daughter would always ask to save some of her work for the next day. My answer would be, “You sure can! Remember though that all of your work needs to be done Friday, by 5:00 pm.” She learned quickly that she shouldn’t just get her work done every day because it was not fun having twice the work on Friday.
3.) WHAT CURRICULUM SHOULD YOU USE?
There are many different curriculum options out there. There is the option to make your own curriculum, it will just take a lot more time and work from you. I choose to use the Abeka Curriculum because we have really liked how it comes with a plan for me to go off of. It is a little more on the expensive side but well worth it.
How Do I Choose A Homeschool Curriculum?
- First, make sure to do your research. You need to know what your budget is and what you are wanting out of it.
- You need to know your child! If they are going to need a more tailored curriculum, then it might be better to go with a less expensive curriculum or do the curriculum yourself.
- I use Abeka, but I also add in and exclude what I need for each of my children.
- There is no right or wrong choice! You will find the curriculum to be successful at homeschooling.
Another great blog post with homeschooling tips to check out.
4.) USE ALL THE RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
There are many resources out there to make homeschooling easier. There are many online websites that you can get advice from, printable lessons or worksheets and so much more.
Some of the websites that I would recommend, where you can even get free printables are;
How Can I Homeschool For Free?
The easiest way to homeschool for free would be to utilize all the homeschool websites out there to get printable worksheets and lessons. You can do your own curriculum, it will just take some more work from you but still very possible to be successful at homeschooling.
Another great way to incorporate your own curriculum and lesson plans is to use life experiences.
- Go on field trips in your city to teach about history
- Watch movies to teach about History
- Have your child help with things around the house to learn life skills
- Go out and explore the earth and land to teach about science.
- BE CREATIVE!!
Mom’s Need Breaks Too! It is ok, in fact, it is essential that moms take a break to regroup and start again.
5.) BE REALISTIC
In order to be successful at homeschooling, you need to be realistic when you make your daily schedule. Especially if you have children with disabilities. I have a son with ADHD and no 2 days ever look the same. Here is a blog that talks about parenting your ADHD child.
If you happen to be homeschooling a child with ADHD or any disability, being patient is a must. I love the homeschool option for my son with ADHD because I can tailor the lessons to him. He was not thriving in the public school setting.
Homeschooling comes with many challenges and frustration but it is also so rewarding to be able to give your children the schooling they need.
6.) FOLLOW YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS CALENDAR
I Always follow our school district’s school calendar. For instance, when there are no school days, my children also have the day off. I found it works best so that my kids are off of school when their friends are.
Just Makes life a little easier!
How Long Is A Homeschool Year?
If you follow your school district’s calendar your child’s last day of homeschool will be your school district’s last day. However, you have the option to not follow their schedule and as long as you have the amount of time/days required by your state, you can finish the year when you want to.
My family just moved to ND and because we moved the end of April, I didn’t want to have to worry about finishing up school with everything else going on. We just did more work throughout the year and did school a few days when the public schools were closed so that we could finish school at the end of April.
THAT’S THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING, YOU HAVE THE CHOICE!
7.) MAKE SURE TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CHILD’S MENTAL HEALTH
Ways to make sure you are also paying attention to your child’s mental health are;
- Like mentioned before, take breaks when needed. Nothing good gets accomplished when you or your child are frustrated or tired.
- Use Essential Oils while doing school work! Helps calm your child and focus better. Essential Oils are very helpful for anyone but especially ADHD children.
- Make learning fun, when possible.
- Ask others for advice when you are stumped or just need someone to listen.
- Have your homeschool spot in an area where it is quiet with very little distractions.
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE CLICK BELOW TO VIEW MY OTHER BLOG POSTS ⬇
This piece of writing is genuinely a nice one it helps new the web people, who
are wishing for blogging.