Looking for ideas to make homeschooling a success? Try these simple tips!
As surprising as it seems, more than 2.5 million K-12 students in the U.S homeschool. This number has grown over time, especially following the Coronavirus pandemic that led to school closures. Unlike before, many parents have found themselves in positions where they have to homeschool their children. While homeschooling is beneficial in many ways, at-home learning might prove challenging to students and parents alike.
Creating order and an organized learning structure at home is undoubtedly difficult. Without proper structures, homeschooling can become a frustrating experience for students and delay the achievement of various learning objectives. Additionally, the learning curriculum from different institutions, including the American International College, has various components, making it complicated for parents with multiple students. Nonetheless, the following tips can make your homeschooling experience better.
4 Tips to Make Homeschooling a Success
Understand Your State’s Homeschooling Requirements
The rules and regulations that guide at-home learning vary from one state to another. For instance, in New York, parents should file a declaration of intent annually with their local superintendent. This should be done by July 1st, or at least 14 days before starting homeschooling.
Parents should also have individualized instruction plans for homeschooling their kids and maintain detailed attendance records. Additionally, homeschooling parents should conduct standardized examinations and submit progress reports quarterly. Find out your state requirements before switching to homeschooling.
Create a Daily Schedule
Schools and learning institutions have well-defined learning structures and schedules that cannot apply to at-home schooling. Parents should begin by creating a daily schedule for their kids to follow. Just like working from home, homeschooling brings forth a lot of flexibility.
Without well-defined structures, children can easily get distracted. Children can thrive better if there is a basic structure or routine to follow while at home. Below are a few tips for creating effective schedules;
● Color code different subjects or activities for easy interpretation
● Use swimlanes to ease tracking of multiple schedules and identify when kids should work together on learning projects. With swimlanes, educators can easily note who has been assigned a specific project
● Design a flowchart to help learners navigate their daily schedules. Flowcharts outline the order of activities with corresponding time frames
Choose a Homeschool Curriculum
You can purchase a homeschooling curriculum from online stores or mail-order catalogs. The homeschooling curriculum broadly differs from conventional textbooks in many ways. Most traditional textbooks cover reading, arithmetic, and writing, while homeschooling curricula use an individualized approach based on your child’s learning interests.
You can use fun things, like jigsaw puzzles, as a fun way to learn things like problem-solving and logical thinking skills in your homeschool!
Set Specific Learning Goals
Homeschooling allows children the flexibility to customize and direct their learning progress. However, parents should take charge and set goals to ensure that educational activities are accomplished. Parents and educators should outline key learning objectives and goals ahead of time. The goals should be based on national or state requirements.
Endnote
Whether you’ve switched to homeschooling to navigate short-term or long-term transitions in your child’s education, finding a grove in this new routine is crucial. Unfortunately, most parents find it challenging to balance their careers, household duties, meal planning, and teaching their kids. While it may seem overwhelming at first, homeschooling is manageable with the tips mentioned above.
