TIPS TO HAPPY SCHOOLING AT HOME
– By Tonja Taylor
Start with prayer, worship, and Bible study. This will help set your mind on things above, on the LORD. You may want to play praise and worship music in the background, or worship with your child(ren). Kids (of all ages) love to sing, and the LORD loves it when we sing His praise. He commands us in Psalm 100 to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise,” and He Who is the Spirit of God lives in our praise!
Have everyone eat a good breakfast. The first meal of the day is essential. Be sure to include healthy proteins. If you have a picky eater, at least get them to drink good milk or organic juice.
Encourage them and let them “teach” you. Have fun learning together. Remember, they are eager to please you, so as they learn, let them repeat back to you things they are excited about. Then you can have them tell or show you whether you are saying or doing it right. When my daughter was in 5th grade learning to play the recorder, I asked her to teach me. Her persona changed, and she stood up taller. This sense of confidence came over her, and she highly enjoyed teaching me, her mother, how to play!
Make time to go outside and play when the weather permits. Rules of public schools may change where kids have no recess, but everyone needs fresh air and sunshine for at least a few minutes a day. Even pets need it, so how much more do your kids need and deserve it? We feel better when we get light and fresh air, and when kids can run and play and yell, they get out pent-up energy that needs to be released. It also helps relax them while potentially increasing focus.
Integrate subjects when possible with field trips. Even a trip to the grocery store can be a research lesson (finding and comparing products), a math lesson (figuring how much products will cost, and the cost per serving, etc.), and a reading lesson (reading the labels on the can, and signs in the store, etc.). Plan longer trips when you can. You can go to the park and conduct science experiments and museums for history trips. (When permitted.)
Teach electives also, such as music and a foreign language. Again, there are many how-to videos on the internet on such subjects or use your own experiences if you have such skills. Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn and the most prevalent in the USA, so it would be efficient for your child(ren) to learn. They will have to have a foreign language to graduate, in most states.
Most of all, help your children understand that, while you expect them to do their best, grades aren’t everything. As I’ve told my daughter and many other students that I’ve taught in public and private schools, grades are only a measure of part of who they are.
Teach them now about having wisdom in finances. You may choose to let them earn an allowance, or just give them money for completing projects or doing an outstanding job on something. They are never too young to be taught to tithe, give offerings to your church or other ministries, and to save money. Help them learn to make choices that are wise when they want to purchase something.
If you are homeschooling more than one child, have them occasionally to help each other in buddies or small groups, or establish a regular pattern for them working together daily. It may be actual help or just a discussion of what they have learned. This is a significant thing that children are learning in public and private schools–to talk to and listen to each other, while respecting each other, even if their opinions differ.
Discuss current subjects with them. You could ask your child(ren) for their opinions on world issues that are happening now. You could also discuss any number of issues that are historical or scientific, or even ask them for creative ways they would solve any kind of problem. For instance, my daughter and I
Have them write in their notebook or journal every day. They can use this, especially when it’s divided into sections, to keep notes on various subjects. It is also beneficial for them to have either a separate notebook for personal opinions they will write daily or at least a section in the back of their main notebook that they can trust you won’t look at unless they want you to. But you can encourage them to share what they think. Keeping a daily journal is very important for their writing, critical thinking, and summarization skills.
Download books online to read and do book reports. Again, this will be an excellent exercise that covers multiple facets–reading, writing to a form (book report), critical thinking/summarizing, and finally, reading aloud their report, to strengthen their diction and articulation, and confidence in speaking in front of others.
Be sure and let the kids drink water throughout the day, and you do the same. Water is more important than food, and drinking plenty of good water helps maintain good health, plus focus. It balances the body–which is mainly made up of water! (You could do a science project on this.)
Above all, always remember that you love each other. Psalm 126:7 says, “Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.” if you don’t get everything done that you, the teacher, planned to get done in one day, you can have a go at it the next day, or through the week. No teacher I’ve ever worked within public or private school always got everything accomplished that was on her lesson plan, nor did I in the years I taught in publish school, and not in the two years I homeschooled my daughter, either. But we made it, and she learned quite a bit. Plus, the time you are spending with your kids–even if it’s forced homeschooling because of the virus–can be a wonderful time of working together and getting to know each other more!
