If you’re raising boys, you know that keeping your home clean can be a daunting task! A house without dirty clothes strewn about, crumbs on the counters, and toys strewn about isn’t normal when it comes to Boys and a Dog homemaking homeschooling tips for busy folks– but don’t despair! With some extra prep time and a few tricks of the trade, you can teach your boys how to manage their messes while helping them develop important skills they’ll need as they get older and join the work force. Read on to find out how…
How do I start teaching my kids?
Learning how to homeschool your kids can be a huge undertaking. Where do you begin? How do you ensure they’re getting a good education? What are some age-appropriate curricula options? And what about household chores, meal planning, budgeting…the list goes on! A successful homeschool journey depends on your organization, resources, curriculum options and time management skills. If you’re feeling overwhelmed but still want to give home schooling a try, it might help to figure out where you can find support in your community. For example, many communities have parent-led home school groups or PTA groups that focus on homeschoolers; these groups often organize local conferences and provide resources for learning how to get started with homeschooling.
What should I teach?
Like Where do I start? above, you might have a million ideas for things you want to teach your kids. And that’s great! The important part is keeping them focused and productive. If you already have an idea of what you’d like your kids to learn, but aren’t sure how to get it into their brains, remember that specific tasks can be broken down into smaller ones. For example, I wanted my kids to know more about American history than they did when we started homeschooling, so we decided they would memorize one president per year while studying U.S. history in elementary school.
What about socialization?
Homeschooling, while a much more viable option today than it was even 10 years ago, is still considered alternative by many in your child’s peer group. As a parent, it’s up to you to make sure your children’s social lives don’t suffer as a result of their homeschooling. Invite friends over, sign them up for after-school programs and be as involved in their social lives as possible. Remember that children tend to live very parallel lives with peers—in both schedules and interests—so if they want something outside of school, they’ll need to experience that in order to learn about it firsthand.
Where can I find free resources?
Two of my favorite sources for free homeschooling curriculum are Smarter-Ups and Frugal Homeschool. I also love these blogs for helping me find tips on all things homeschool: Three Apples, The Joys of Boys, Raising Financially Fit Kids, Brain Power Boy and Little Orchard Learning. Don’t miss these book lists from Cathy Duffy (The Complete Booklist for Christian Home School Moms) or Educents (A Gifted Child’s Ultimate Reading List) either!
My child is struggling, what do I do?
Getting an education isn’t always easy. Sometimes, a parent may see his or her child struggling with school work, or not making friends. If you find yourself in that situation, it is time to talk. You can start by considering your options: do you stay where you are and help your child get over his or her hurdles? Do you move him or her into a new environment? Or is there a middle ground where he or she can experience some of both worlds? Talk about all three options with your child so that he or she feels like they have some control over their future—even if they don’t yet have any firm ideas on what they want their future to look like.
Activities kids like that also help them learn
Some tasks that children can help with are cleaning, baking, cooking, and sewing. This will keep them myfsapay program pilot while you’re getting ready for a big event, or working on something important. For kids who are little younger than seven years old, you might want to sit next to them as they do their work. Once they’re older and have more fine motor skills (which means they can work with their hands better), they can do it alone.
