Homeschooling is a big undertaking. You have so much to keep track of, manage, and tweak as you go along. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be. Here are six ways to homeschool with less effort.
- Define what’s essential.
- Guard your free time.
- Have less.
- Explore alternate routes.
- Develop a long lens approach.
- Appreciate today.
Define What’s Essential
Start each day knowing the bare minimum that you want to get done. If everyone and everything falls apart, what are the essentials? Some reading, math, and writing? Once your child finishes these, everything else is just icing on the cake.
Guard Your Free Time
One of the biggest gifts of homeschooling is extra time. Don’t feel that you need to fill up every minute with enriching activities. Sure, there’s a ton of fun stuff to do when you homeschool. Take advantage of it. But also know it’s okay and even good to have nothing on your schedule – you all need some down time. Time to play, relax, and recharge.
Have Less
It often feels like the act of simply buying curriculum is an accomplishment in learning. The reality is that your child actually needs to use it. 🙂 Don’t overbuy and end up with curriculum that will sit in the corner and make you feel guilty. Buy prudently and space out your purchases. Instead of getting everything at the beginning of the semester or school year, start small and add on as you go. This can save you money and give you more flexibility to change as needed.
Explore Alternate Routes
There’s no reason to push for a well traveled path if your child is super reluctant and there’s another option. Take advantage of the nearly endless choices you have with homeschooling to reach the same goal with a different approach.
A good example of this comes with classic literature that’s touted as ‘must reads’. If a book doesn’t appeal to them, chances are there’s something similar out there that will. There are a ton of suggestions online for this particular dilemma as well as others like it.
Develop a Long Lens Approach
As you go through the day to day of homeschooling, it can feel like you’re not making any significant progress. You are. Rest assured that the work you do every day adds up over the long haul. Those first written words will turn into sentences, then paragraphs, short essays, and finally full-length papers.
Appreciate Today
Despite any day to day frustrations, there are always things you can be grateful for. Take some time each day to remind yourself of what is working, how awesome your frustrating kids really are, and the fact that you’re doing a wonderful job of homeschooling your children. Keeping a journal is a great way to do this.
Homeschooling is not effortless, but you can homeschool with less effort and find more joy along the way.
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