7 Tips to Homeschool with Success | Essential Homestead

Are you wondering how to homeschool with success?

Maybe you are thinking about homeschooling or you are new to homeschooling? It’s not super hard to homeschool with success. Here’s 7 tips from a veteran homeschooler to make your experience a little smoother.

If you’re not knowledgeable about a certain subject, ask someone for help. There may be many times when your child will need to study a subject area in which you have insufficient knowledge. If this is something you are unfamiliar with, it would then be best if you locate a person who can show your child the proper way to learn that subject. If not a person, then find an online tutor or DVD curriculum that will teach both you and your child. There are so many options today, there’s no need to worry about not having the skills to teach your child.
To maintain a positive relationship with your child, make boundaries for their leisure time and school time. When school time ends, allow you child to determine when and how to study. You could even plan a leisure night activity, like a favorite snack or play time routine, to help remove any tension left over from school time.
Be prepared for some difficult days if you choose to home school. Keep day-to-day home concerns out of the classroom. If things get rough, take a break. This is a good thing for you and the children.
Be sure to give your children plenty of hands-on learning opportunities. You can try cooking meals from the area of the world which they are learning. An example of this is making cabbage rolls when studying Stalin. When you are learning about WWII, travel the relevant countries by making pasta, sushi and cabbage to represent the axis of evil. If you learn things with all of your senses you will learn more in the long run.
Try not to isolate your family too much. You have to network with local families in the same position. Create a network by researching area homeschool groups and utilizing online resources. The more people you have on hand, the less struggles you’ll face.
Learn about what is known as unit study method for assisting your children in learning a great deal about each subject. Unit study means that you only study a single topic at once. That way, you can go more in-depth than you otherwise might. For instance, six weeks of classical music. When the study time is over, attend a classical music performance with your child. Your child will never forget this experience. This is also a great way to incorporate learning for multiple age levels if you have more than 1 child. They can learn the same topic but at different levels of difficulty.
When you homeschool you also must enforce discipline. When you are switching to a homeschool setting from a public school, it will be helpful to plan out your lessons and disciplinary measures when the year begins. You need to set being a parent and educator apart. Think long and hard about whether or not you really want to play both roles.

I hope these tips have been helpful for you. Your learning needs to continue in order for your children to continue learning. Their future is in your hands, and only you can teach them in an individual manner that really leads them on a path to success.
Be blessed and homeschool with success!