Usually, the decision to educate your children at home is made with lots of consideration and prayer. However, many parents find themselves suddenly home educating. Whether this is a temporary situation for you, or if you have had to suddenly switch to home education for some other reason, we are here to help you out.
Most people don’t realize that home education is more than just doing schoolwork at home. When you educate your children at home, you will find changes in plans, routines, schedules, and the way that your family interacts with each other are rough transitions.
You need a plan to run the home, to feed everyone, and to teach them. A lot of family togetherness is easier to manage with a plan.
Running the House
The first thing you need to do is organize household chores. You may have noticed that, now that your home is used more, it gets dirtier faster. That’s okay because now you also have people to help you!
Everyone needs a job that is their own responsibility. Match the job with the age and capability of the family member. Parents should be the prime example by doing their own regular chores that keep the house running. Just like you may need on the job training, your family will need training to complete the job satisfactorily. Spend time modeling how to complete the tasks. You may need to show them how to do it several times.
Chores don’t need rewards. The parents don’t get paid to run the house, so if it is a regular job that doesn’t require too much work, the job must be done simply to be done. These chores, however, can be used as leverage before personal time. They could be tied in to ideas like, “When your chores are done, you may play.” Larger jobs like mowing the lawn and babysitting are a good way for kids to earn money, so those jobs can be hired as they are able.
Community is about everyone pitching in to make life easier, and this is best taught at home by giving everyone chores to teach the purpose and value of contributing with the whole family at the expense of one’s own time and effort. Start slowly, and teach gently.
Teaching Your Family
If your child already has material to work on at home – that’s great! However, if you need a curriculum, many options are available. Home education is now a standard part of the educational landscape, and numerous publishers provide material for any subject you can imagine.
When educating at home, no requirement is restricting you to the standard subjects, or even to teach the standard subjects in a standard way. What is your child interested in? How do they learn best? Every child learns differently, and if one particular book or curriculum isn’t getting the job done, remember that more exist.
Ask your child what they are enjoying in school, where they are struggling, and what they would really love to learn. Take this time to experience some freedom in education.
While your children are with you, assess where they are educationally and where they want to be. Note a few goals for each child. For example, can they read well? If so, give them age-appropriate books to read for themselves below or just at their reading level. If they cannot read well, start with a program to help them learn to read. See if you can come up with a single step you all can take during this period to get closer to the goal.
Homeschooling is messy. Unlike the dishes which may actually be cleaned at the end of the day, your child may not have appeared to have accomplished much when the school day is over. But you are not just educating with individual subjects. You are living out education by building godly character, fostering a love of life-long learning, and inspiring them with ideas. It is so far away from a standard public school program that you may have to de-program yourself.
Giving Yourself Some Room
Of course, having your children in the house isn’t always ideal for the parents. We have things we need to accomplish as well. Whether it is managing the household, holding down a job, or even just following your own interests, you need time that isn’t dominated by the kids. This means inventing ways to help your children occupy themselves for a set amount of time that builds them up without involving you.
While screens can leave kids mesmerized, the long-term costs to the children tend to outweigh the benefits for the parents. Spending too much time with screens encourages a habit of dependency on them and can lead to whininess and entitlement. Instead, establish something like reading time, game time, nap time, busy boxes, or family movie time. You can organize the school schedule so that all of the things that they can do on their own are at the same time.
Discipling Your Family
Your children are now in your care. Are you concerned about their spiritual life? Take some time to do family devotionals. Make a habit of reading from the Bible or a Bible story book before bed or when the kids wake up. Sing worship songs together in the car or around the house. Fellowship with God doesn’t just happen at church but is something that happens even at the strangest times. If your kids ask lots of questions, investigate the answers together.
If you have a desire for growth in an area of your child’s life, now is the time to work on it. If it is something that you and the child both agree needs work, create a plan together to accomplish the goal. If your child needs work in an area and they don’t see it or understand its importance, ask the Lord for extra wisdom to manage it.
Remember that any step forward is progress. Decide together how to tackle the problem area. Then keep them accountable without nagging. Nagging is harping on an issue to accomplish it for personal reasons. Discipling is bringing the child alongside you so you can both reflect more of God’s image.
Make a Plan
Above all, make a plan. The goal is not to confine yourself with preplanned activities but to be intentional about what you are doing. You have an opportunity to start something new with your family. Take out a pen and paper, and write down what you want to accomplish. Make the list manageable, and be intentional about achieving those goals.
If you don’t do any planning at all, life will get away from you. Instead of thriving during this time you will just be treading water. If you make a plan, you may not accomplish everything, but you are more likely to complete something worthwhile.
Make the most of your time at home with your family! They are precious and spending time with them is something you can’t buy or replace.
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