So you decided that homeschool was best for your family and you got started. Great! You probably had fun figuring out which books to use and made some plans for how your days should run. Way to go!
Wait, what? You feel like homeschool took over your life? That you don’t have time for fun anymore? When you start feeling like that, it’s time for a change, and I don’t mean changing schools or a new curriculum. You need to put some balance into your homeschool life. To borrow words from Rebecca L. Craven, homeschool is “not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters.” (“Do What Mattereth Most” Apr 2022)
Think about the Goal of Homeschool
Why did you go to homeschooling in the first place? What do you really want out of it?
For me, I wanted the flexibity of choosing my family’s schedule, the control of what I think is important for my kids to learn, and the ability to keep my kids close and watch them grow.
Each year my goal in homeschooling is to teach my kids to read, and teach them to love learning. To me those are the most important things to teach my kids. Why? If they learn to read, they can learn anything. If they love learning, they will be lifelong learners!
In our homeschool life that looks like practicing reading and writing everyday. It also means trying to keep all the subject we get into interesting and fun. It means watching for their burn out, and being done when they’re ready to be done.
For example, I have each of my kids who is just starting to read sit and read with me each school day. I point to the words as we go through simple books and let them read what they can, and I read the more difficult words. If the book gets too long and I see they are sick of reading, I read the rest. I’ve been doing that since my oldest was little, and right now 8 of my 10 kids are excellent readers, and the two youngest are loving reading with mom. It works!
Be the Boss of the Books
Maybe you feel stuck because the curriculum you bought has so many chapters and pages and you feel like you need to get through it all to be successful. I think this can be especially true with math. Let me tell you a secret – math books are made with way more practice than any math teacher has time to use in a year. Don’t think of it as a “have to,” think of it as “just in case.”
You bought that book/curriculum to be your learning tool, not your boss. Pick from it what you want and what you have time for. You are in charge. You get to make the plan for your homeschool life, and you know when it feels balanced or doesn’t. Listen to those feelings.
(Speaking of math books, I’ve recently published a math book made for a homeschool group: The Layered-Lesson Math Book. Maybe it could help you simplify.)
When I plan for our homeschool year, I look closely at the table of contents and pick out what I want to use. I make it fit into our calendar. If there’s not room for all of it, I leave some out. In homeschool life, as long as your kids are learning, you are succeeding!
As long as your kids are learning, you are succeeding!
On a daily basis in my classroom, that means if the kids feel overwhelmed with whatever I’ve assigned them, I tweak it. If 20 math problems make them moan, they can do 15. If writing three paragraphs makes them put their head on the table, they can write two paragraph. The true key to learning is not about how much you do in one day, but the repetition that comes with a little each day.
There’s More to Learn than just Academics
When you are making your plan for the year, remember that reading, math, and other school subjects are not the only important things for your kids to learn. If academics are taking all day, they don’t have time for the other important things. In homeschool life, you have the power to find a balance between academic and non-academic learning.
They need to learn how to work by working along side you. Include them in the household chores, the finances, the cooking, etc.
They need to learn how to get along with others through supervised play.
They need to learn what their own talents are through opportunities to try new things and get creative.
If school work is taking too long, do less of it. Remember, the curriculum is the tool, and you are the boss.
Find more about balancing your days on Making Time for Everything.
This has changed every year, and most of our 18 years have not had more than 2 hours of academic work each day.
Take Care of Teacher
You have to remember yourself on your long to do list every day. If you don’t take care of the teacher, you’ll be burnt out before you even tell your kids, “Time to do school.” As you work to balance homeschool and life, plan some time to rest. The messes will wait! I promise! This is a very busy time of your life, and the only way you can find joy in it is to simplify enough to take care of the people involved, always including you.
If there’s anything specific you’d like to ask, feel free to comment below or contact me.
Happy Homeschooling! I hope you’re enjoying your adventure!
