Homeschooling, when done correctly, can be rewarding to both you and your child. Homeschooling allows you to give them your undivided attention; a luxury that is unheard of in public schools. The information here can give you a head start with homeschooling.
Homeschooling older children can is difficult with a baby or a toddler in the house. You must set aside parts of the day for each of your children. Find activities that you can do with both kids. Find ways to get your children engaged in cooperative learning and let them learn to work together.
Don’t limit your child’s reading material to textbooks. You can learn from all sorts of different places, have them read the local news, national news, blogs, etc. Have your children read articles that will help them keep up on current events. By asking them to tell you what they think about what they just read, you will help them learn how to analyze things, which is something they will need throughout life.
Do some research about homeschooling laws in your state. Every state sets different regulations on homeschooling. While certain states require you to submit lessons plans and standardized tests every year, others simply require that you file an exemption form with your school district. Some states even require you to register your house as a private institution.
If you have preschoolers in addition to older kids, make certain to spend individualized time with each. Set up a designated, safe area in which your younger children can play with toys, do crafts or relax without being disruptive. Allow older children to teach some of the younger kids. This fosters learning for your entire family, and it helps your older child to gain confidence in their own abilities.
Get in touch with the state Homeschool Association to discover laws and guidelines you have to follow. Several states require you to register as a type of private school, while other states let you give kids standardized tests at specific grade levels. Make sure you know about local truancy laws and how to avoid charges.
Homeschooling has many advantages that public schools do not provide. You may want to ensure that they are learning everything they need to learn by using the state’s standardized tests. This will let you know of any weak areas that you need to work on.
Teaching Method
Understand when you can give in to your child. When you realize that your teaching method is not effective, don’t just keep on trying the same method. Instead, you should look for an alternative teaching method. If your child is bored, you may need to spice things up and use documentaries, fun websites or even tutors to help your child want to learn. Continuing to try a way that doesn’t work over and over again is the only thing you don’t want to do.
It is important for your child to have free time to play throughout the day. This will lessen restlessness and help your child stay focused on his or her schoolwork. Recess should be scheduled just like lessons, and children should be able to expect regular recess breaks.
Try to stave off feelings of isolation while homeschooling your kids. Local networking is a great idea for you as a parent. Build a network by investigating local groups and meet with other parents. You an also join online forums. A strong network of homeschoolers will give you access to different perspectives, styles, and insights to make you the most effective homeschooler for your child.
You should now have a better ideas of the pros and cons of homeschooling and perhaps know whether or not you should get started with this project. There is also an abundance of support form other homeschooling parents, prepackaged curriculum sets, as well as great websites to help you along the way as you gain your footing.