I’ve been homeschooling my 5 children for 16 years and I want to share with you my top 10 tips for beginner homeschooling moms and how to help your kids thrive!
In 16 years, I’ve learned the hard way what works and what doesn’t. Homeschooling is an amazing opportunity to create a happy home environment, help your kids thrive, and go make lots of great memories together.
In this blog, I want to share with you the ten things that have made the biggest difference in our homeschooling. When I look at how self-driven, kind, and genuinely happy my 5 children are, it makes me a firm believer that not only is homeschooling possible for most but that it has the ability to go way above and beyond anything the school system can provide.
Before 2020, homeschooling was just something I did. I really didn’t think it was for everyone. But this year, COVID changed my opinion on that a lot. I see how the world is on the cusp of a major awakening and part of that transformation requires us to raise kids with a strong work ethic, passions, persistence, love, and without fear. You as the parent are the absolute best person to instill these qualities in your child.
You don’t need to be the smartest person in their life. Information is easily accessible and there are hundreds of resources available at the touch of a button. Your job as a parent is to teach values and give them a strong sense of security and I think these 10 tips will help you understand how you can provide your child an amazing education while also nurturing them as individuals so that they can use to their full potential.
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1 | School With An Intention
If you try to bring school to the home, you’ll probably end up frustrated. The goal of homeschooling is to add a love of learning to your life, not to find ways to integrate traditional school subjects into a busy life of cooking, cleaning, and working.
2 | Lead with Compassion
We are complex human beings with a lot of information coming at us. We have egos that want protecting and core desires that want to be fulfilled. And chances are, what all that looks like for you, is totally different than what it looks like for your child. Practice putting yourself in your child’s shoes and ask them to do the same for you. If we can see where each other is coming from, we can do a better job of meeting each other’s needs.
3 | Assert Yourself
You are still the parent though. Never compromise on who is in charge. The easiest way to do that is by earning (not expecting) your child’s respect. Let them see your struggles alongside your success. If they can understand that your efforts are always coming from an intention to see them thrive in life, then they’ll be more likely to listen, follow directions, and help out.
4 | Delegate
You can’t go it alone. Ask for help form your spouse, your parents, your friends, or a neighbor. If you have multiple children, know that it is okay to delegate some of the teaching or other chores to them. They will like that you trust them. Just be sure to show your gratitude and appreciation towards them.
5 | Be Fun + Creative
The best part of homeschooling is that you can completely choose what you teach. Who says school has to be boring? The more fun and creative you make it, the happier everyone will be. Just don’t try to be so creative and elaborate that you wear yourself out.
6 | Empower Your Child
I have two stacks of workbooks. The first is what I decided is a necessary part of their education. We do it regularly but it only takes an hour or less to get through. I have another stack that is done if my kids aren’t self-motivated. As long as they are focused on their own projects, getting along, and contributing to the family environment, we skip them and spend more time on the fun and creative. If they argue, are disrespectful, complain, then the second stack comes out.
7 | Own Their Weirdness
There’s a good chance that if you homeschool long enough, your kids will be a little different than their peers who go to school. After all, they will have all this time to develop their sense of self outside of social pressures that they will probably uncover some really rad qualities about themselves. Praise those qualities. I promise in the long run, their ability to own their weirdness will be the same thing that makes them successful as adults.
8 | Teach to their Function
I’m a huge believer in understanding personality type and cognitive function. It has made a huge difference in our household. I created an entire mini-course covering how to teach to different cognitive functions. If there is a lot of tension in your house, this is a great place to start understanding how each person thinks and processes the world around them.
9 | Provide Security
Another great tool we’ve implemented is Unblocking the Chakras. Different parts of our bodies channel different energies that we need to be happy and successful adults. The foundation of those is the Root Chakra. If it’s in balance during our childhood, it provides us the strength to live boldly, creatively, compassionately, and take responsibility for our future. Take time to notice if your child feels stressed, anxious, or depressed and use our chakra course or Mindfulness for Kids course to help them be happier.
10 | Family Values
This is the big one. Call me old fashion but I think the breakdown of the family unit is having a bad effect on the world. Before you get caught up in keeping up with the Joneses, hiding in fear from COVID, or thinking your child won’t be successful if they don’t get a full ride to Harvard, step back and just focus on simple values. This is also a good time to ask your kids what things they value and why they are important to them.
You might also like:
- 5 Things to Consider Before Homeschooling
- Ultimate Guide to Roadschooling
- Successful Schooling by Cognitive Function
- Free 5 Day Homeschooling Workshop
Did you like this? Don’t forget to pin it to your Homeschooling board!
