Homeschooling is a choice that more and more people are making in today’s world. Given recent events it has also been thrust on a number of families who have no clue about how to start schooling at home. Here are some basics that you need to consider as you begin to teach your young homeschool students.
Keep Expectations Realistic
It’s easy to map out the entire week’s schedule and feel that every single item posted there will be completed. However, the best laid plans can often fall to the side in view of real life. Some days you will be able to achieve more and other days it will feel like pulling teeth would be easier. The idea is to stay consistent and keep teaching. Remember that the homeschool students will have both good and bad days and learn to adapt your teaching to it.
Have a Schedule, but Keep it Flexible
It’s a good idea to have a plan, that way you keep in mind what the homeschool teacher needs to accomplish in a day, week, month and even the entire academic year. However, that said, you also need to stay flexible with your schedule so that you can take advantage of days when the homeschool students want to do more. You can also learn to relax and not get stressed out on the days that they won’t even want to do the basics.
Remember to Have Breaks and Naps
Breaks are very important in the homeschool system. You must have scheduled breaks all through the school day. They don’t have to be very long. Five minutes after each class. Ten minutes for a snack in the kitchen at mid day. Five minutes for a set of stretching games between two study periods. And of course a nap when both the homeschool students and teacher are tired.
Make Time for Fun
Reading out loud from story books, watching a movie together, getting a special dish baked in the kitchen. All of these are fun times that you should encourage your homeschool students to indulge in. Remember, learning is important, but so is building memories.
