6 Ways to make Homeschooling Fun and Effective

Being a parent is often said to be one of the toughest jobs in the world. From guiding your child through decisions to showing them how to approach different situations, to teaching them life skills, there’s a lot to cover. When you decide to be parent and teacher for your kids, things can become even more complicated—but many see the benefits far more rewarding than the challenges of homeschooling.

If you’ve been thinking about starting the transition toward homeschooling your kids, you’ll want to check out the 6 tips for making it more fun and effective for everyone! 

1) Know your state’s laws on homeschool education

Before you even start the homeschooling process, you need to check with your state and local government’s regulations on education. Most states in the U.S. have certain compulsory education laws that mandate when and where a child needs to attend school. If you choose to homeschool your kids, many states will require you to obtain a letter of approval to do so. 

2) Invest in the best technology

Once you’ve acquired the proper approval paperwork, you’ll want to start shopping for school supplies and begin drafting your lesson plans for the year. Since so much of life and learning comes from technology these days, you should purchase a kids computer as the foundation for your homeschool setup. This is not to say you should rely on a computer completely, but it will act as a primary resource for you and your student.

In addition to a desktop or laptop computer, you will also need to include the following in your homeschool supply list.

• Art supplies
• Dictionary and thesaurus
• Notebooks
• Chalk or whiteboard
• Calendar

Having access to the best technology 1) makes your job easier, 2) avoids potential functionality issues, 3) opens the door for even more fun learning activities.

3) Don’t mix school time and free time

When you’re teaching your child from home, it’s easy to mix up school and free time. Maybe there’s chores to be done or visitors stopping by—but it’s important to stay focused and separate these activities on your calendar. You should keep a regular school time schedule to help establish a routine for your child. This helps keep them focused and ready to learn during school time.

This doesn’t mean school doesn’t get to be fun, too. Be sure to make your lesson plans interesting and teach with enthusiasm to help your child harness that curiosity and desire to learn.

4) Create a comprehensive view of the world

Sure, you can learn a lot from the internet and history books. But there are some life lessons and valuable perspectives that you can only learn by experience. Make sure to limit your kid’s screen time and get out and explore the world with them. This could mean visiting local museums to facilitating a job shadowing program to give them some tangible work experience that may help them in their career later.

Getting outside of the classroom is probably one of the easiest and most effective ways you can make homeschooling fun and interesting for your kids. Here are some other ways you can help foster creativity, adventure, and learning in a non-traditional school setting.

• Go camping and learn survival skills
• Volunteer at a local nonprofit
• Visit a zoo or farm to see exotic animals in real life

5) Teach them valuable skills

One of the biggest positives to homeschooling your child is the ability to design your curriculum to reflect skills that will be most useful to them in their adult life. Many schools fail to prepare their students for milestones like home buying, filing taxes, creating goals, and preparing for a job interview. Homeschooling your kid is a great way to ensure your child is prepared to take on life’s journeys and responsibilities with confidence.

6) Help your child build a social network

School is essential in your child’s development—but it shouldn’t be their only focus. Enroll your kids in sports, art classes, or other activities to encourage them to socialize and learn with other kids their age.

Takeaways

Homeschooling can be challenging, but with these tips you can make your child’s experience fun and rewarding!

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