When I first started homeschooling I was very overwhelmed, but now I find it to be easy and enjoyable. I want to share with you how to make homeschool easy in just three steps.
Our first year of homeschool we chose to do an online charter school that ended up being very stressful for the kids but gave us a lot of funds for extracurriculars. It sounded great in the beginning because of the funds but it turned on us quickly. There’s no way to know how a program will work for your kids until you try it. As we came back to homeschooling for a second time we knew we had to find a better, and easier way.
So, can homeschool be easy? You bet. The thing we love about homeschool is that it can be very easy. We, as adults, are the ones who over complicate it. Let’s talk about how to make homeschool easy.
Step 1
The first step towards making homeschool easy (and perhaps hardest thing to do) is to hold our expectations for just a bit to watch, observe, and evaluate our children. Spend some time seeing how your kids learn best, what interests them, what they can manage to do alone. Remember to give them grace to discover their learning style as well.
After I pulled my kids from public school I spent time just letting my kids be. I provided a lot of learning opportunities but left it all unstructured. For example, set out art supplies and observe what mediums interest them. Or take a trip to the library and let them wander and choose books on their own. The greater the passion, the greater the learning opportunity.
Step 2
The next step to make homeschool easy is to determine a sense of independence in our day. With three homeschooled kids it can be hard to manage all three simultaneously. Creating a sense of independence was very important to me and it makes homeschool easier. In our early days, the online days, my kids struggled with logging in, finding the lessons, learning, completing the work, etc. It was HARD. Hard for them and hard for me.
As we came back to homeschool for the second time I realized that the pace, rigidity, and teaching style of online learning, especially a program, was just not for us. Having three kids on the computer for hours a day was just wholly insane. This led us to a combination of papers, books, and independent time. We still continue with this routine where I can tell each kid what to grab, which pages to complete, and how many questions to do. Understand that my kids started this as young as six. So they ARE entirely capable at a young age of independence, it is just finding the ways for them to be independent.
I still spend time with each kid daily going over what they’re working on, explaining new concepts, and offering suggestions of activities for them to do offline. I also plan most of our outings and activities. But for my own sanity most of their day could be done independently if needed. As each of my kids has a unique learning style, I’ve adapted what they each do to benefit them the most. And you know what? It doesn’t take long for us to “work” through their goals for the day.
Step 3
The last step to make homeschool easy is to set a routine. Currently with an 8, 11, and 12 year-old we have focused work for around 30-45 minutes and the rest of the day is spent working on subjects of interest: practicing instruments, creating art (both digital and physical), building Legos, exploring or going on play dates, and gasp…screen time! I do allow my kids screen time for certain things that have value (so no mindless videos for hours on end). Minecraft is a great game for team work, spatial reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. For ideas on our how to implement this easy routine or what our day looks like, click here to peruse our Instagram.
The thing that will make homeschool easy is to remember that it is unique to you and that it isn’t meant to be public school at home. Your children will not need six hours of work daily. If you can find their learning style and give them a sense of independence (so you’re less strained) then it will make your homeschool day easier.