Stop Making Homeschooling So Hard!! Simplify Your Homeschooling…
I’ve been involved in the homeschool community my whole life and a question that I frequently hear and see on internet groups is one asking about how to fit all the subjects in because it is sooo complicated to balance time between them all. My answer while basic and perhaps not applicable to all instances when this question asked is “Stop making homeschooling so hard!”
Momma, your homeschool day doesn’t need to look like the public or private school’s schedule. You don’t need to focus on all the subjects for younger grades. You don’t need to use the same curriculum for each subject. You don’t need to use manipulatives if you don’t want to. You don’t need the teachers guides, at least for the young grades, unless you really want them. Etc., etc., etc…
If you are feeling overwhelmed with the thought of a new year of homeschool and how you could ever get everything done, I want to offer a few thoughts and ideas to you now…
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Simplify Your Homeschool
{A few years ago, I shared a glimpse of what homeschool kindergarten looked like at our house, while it has changed a bit with each new child that is starting formal schooling, it is similar now. If you want to go check it out, you can find it here…}
1. Remember that the beauty of homeschooling is in its flexibility.
Like I mentioned above, in several groups that I’m in, there are often questions from mommas who are worried that their child is getting through all their assigned work in forty-five minutes, or two hours. While it is hard not to compare homeschool to public school, the beauty in homeschooling is that you don’t have to follow all that structure/schedule. The public-school system was created to teach lots of children at once, with the one on one teaching that your child will get, you don’t need all that time.
You don’t need your school day to start at 8:30AM, you can start whenever you are ready. Some parents find that afternoon lessons work best for their family, while others who work full time do lessons after they get home from work. If your spouse works second or third shift, you have the freedom to move things around so that the children can see their dad while he is home.
You don’t need to school five days a week. You can choose three or four days. You can decide that you want the months of November and December off so that you can focus on family time and the holidays. You can school year-round. You can follow the traditional school year.
You have freedom and flexibility in homeschooling, make it work for YOU and YOUR FAMILY.
2. Keep it simple.
You don’t need to work through every subject every day. In the lower grades you don’t really need to do them all every week. Stick to the basics and then work things in around that.
We do three to four days of math, handwriting, and reading {the three R’s} and then work in Bible, Science, History, Geography, music, etc. a couple of days a week throughout the year. We never do both science and history at the same time and the geography is more a fun thing right now than something that I am actually expecting them to really spend a lot of time on.
Two books that you may find helpful are The Well Trained Mind and Teaching From Rest.
3. Remember that a certain education system is NOT the best way for everyone.
I see it happening more and more, taking whichever schooling style that we choose and turning it into an idol. We take the words of a human, who may have very valid points about education, and turn them into a legalistic set of rules to follow, sure that if we break these rules than our child will not grow to meet their full potential. We also start looking at what other families are doing and decide that they aren’t doing things the right way and judging them for how they choose to educate.
Whether it is Charlotte Mason, classical education, unschooling, using a boxed set, or even online schooling, we are all FREE to choose how to educate our children. There is no scripture that points us to the answer, though we should definitely be seeking the Spirit’s lead as we make such an important decision remembering that however the Spirit convicts us, it is our conviction alone, it isn’t for anyone else.
Our free choice and conviction are not the gold standard that everyone should be using.
4. You’ll never get EVERYTHING done, so just stop worrying about it.
There will always be more chores you could do around the house, more books you could read, more papers you could have your child write, museums you could visit, science projects your students could study, etc… You will never be able to do it all.
Instead of thinking about all the things that you could be doing and aren’t, try looking at things with a new perspective. “I know that when we complete our once a month science projects, we are having so much fun and making memories. Memories and fun that might not be there if we were doing these twice weekly.”
If you are feeling overwhelmed with all the homeschool options…
So, if you are feeling overwhelmed by all the homeschool things, remember that homeschooling is a unique journey for each and every family. Your school doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
You May Also Like:
A Book that Every Christian Homeschooling Mom Should Read
Creating Islands of Peace in a Hectic Day of Mothering
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