Here are some simple tips to make your homeschooling sessions more fun and enjoyable.
Homeschooling is possibly one of the biggest challenges faced by parents,
children, and teachers during this pandemic. It was a big step in our educational system but because we were left with only a few months of preparation, it was inevitable that there were a few snags here and there.
Thankfully, parents, students, and teachers were eventually able to get into the rhythm of homeschooling. Just the same, homeschooling is no easy feat.
6 Simple Tips To Reduce Your Homeschooling Woes
Homeschooling and the challenge of technology
Technology has come a long way in making homeschooling possible but the truth
is not a lot of families were financially ready to shell out extra funds for
new gadgets and internet connection. It’s a good thing though that there are
many affordable options in the market which allowed families who are
cash-strapped to buy the tools that they would need at home.
Internet signal still proves to be a stumbling block especially in rural areas but that’s something that has no immediate solution because it involves infrastructure. As such, students in far-flung municipalities just have to
make do with what they have.
Homeschooling is not glamorous
While I was reading some parenting blogs online, I saw one particular blog that documented the homeschooling journey of a mom and her son. I was impressed and somehow felt a little envious of how systematic and organized their homeschooling sessions were. Their photos were radiating with happiness
and I can see that they were genuine.
 |
| Here's our little desk for our homeschool activities |
That blog’s homeschooling section was like a well-curated Instagram page but,
of course, it was more alive with stories and details. It wasn’t superficial and it wasn’t meant to show off, really. There were a lot of helpful information and even resource materials.
I know that a lot of parents would find that mom’s blog to be relatable.
However, let’s not also discount the fact that there are a lot of parents like
Khris and me who find homeschooling to be difficult. Yes, it’s difficult and I
personally find it to be a chore.
Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching my kids but I do find it hard to implement when it’s something that is structured like in a formal school. I just find
the preparations for the activities to be cumbersome.
Reducing homeschooling stress
Like many parents who are homeschooling their toddlers or small kids, we find
it also a great hurdle in getting our son to concentrate and be attentive to
our activities.
Anyway, here are some tips to help you reduce your homeschooling stress:
1. Be patient
As a parent, I know that you also have an endless supply of patience. However,
I know that it miraculously gets depleted from time to time and homeschooling is one of those moments when I seem to also run out of it. Well, we can’t do anything about it except to muster another ounce of patience.
2. Take a break if you must
When we were just starting to implement our home program, we wanted to keep it going because we thought that breaking the momentum might just lead to us slacking. However, my son’s teacher told us that we should take breaks and
that we should take it frequently if we must.
We listened to her and it did wonders. We had more patience and our son would get his concentration back if we took breaks when he became cranky. Also, we
found that we weren’t too drained after our home program sessions when we took
breaks.
3. Don’t line up too many activities
For older kids, I know that there are a number of activities and school work set for the day. However, for small kids as in our case, we had the liberty to choose the activities to do in a session depending on our goal. Just the same,
since we are dealing with a toddler, it’s best to keep the activities to a
minimum to avoid tiring your child out easily.
4. Make it fun
Yes, make homeschooling fun. If you have big kids, try to give them space that will be conducive to learning. Give them a corner where there is enough lighting and ventilation. Allow them to play their favorite music so long as
it won’t disrupt their activities.
For our toddler, we begin with his favorite nursery rhymes for our welcome song. We found that this is most often effective in setting his overall mood
for our home program.
5. Give words of encouragement
Saying words of encouragement to our kids does a lot of good for them. They will really appreciate it when they hear the words “Very good!” for the tasks that they finish. We also do the same for our little boy whenever he finishes his activities. It’s an amazing way to boost their confidence and to cheer them to continue doing great.
6. Serve their favorite snack
Giving your kids their favorite snack after they finish their activities is a
good way to reward them. You can order the food or drink that they like but it’s also superb if you can prepare a snack yourself. Either way, serving their favorite food is also another way of saying
“you’re doing well.”
Epilogue
Homeschooling can be stressful for both parents and their children. However,
there are simple things that you can do to reduce the anxiety and the
challenges brought by this new setup.
You just have to be patient and a little creative to make homeschooling
enjoyable and maybe even fun.
PIN THIS POST
Also read:
How To Foster The Joy Of Reading In Children
This post may contain affiliate links, including those from Amazon Associates, which means that if you book or purchase anything through one of those links, we may earn a small commission but at no extra cost to you. All opinions are ours and we only promote products that we use.
 |
definitely a honest and well-thought out post that will be super useful for parents starting out on the homeschooling journey. While I have never homeschooled, I do have friends who do, and hats off to them..
ReplyDeleteThis is such a helpful post and love how you kept it real. Yes, it is not all glamorous. I totally agree with you that is can be difficult and challenging.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the tips.
Yes, to taking breaks. It is helpful for the kids and parents too.
I love these tips. I am planning to homeschool my oldest this year as she starts kindergarten it's daunting to think about but I keep reminding myself it's kindergarten and she should still just be having fun and playing while learning.
ReplyDeleteThese are so important to know as a parent in general. Great tips!
ReplyDeleteLove these. I've been using many of them during this homeschool time!
ReplyDeleteWhen we had our National lockdown here and we're into homeschooling, I was really struggling at first and then little by little I got used to it by doing those tips you also mentioned here. So I would say I can relate to this topic. Your tips will surely help parents especially those first timer in doing homeschool. 😍
ReplyDeleteOh man! I don't know how all the momma's did it this past year! I'm glad my were too little for school yet! I'll keep this in mind for the future tho!
ReplyDeleteMost parents by now are in awe of the parents who homeschool. Great tips to keep organized and sanity!
ReplyDeleteMost parents by now understand how heroic homeschool parents are! Great tips on keeping organized and your sanity!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely been hard this year with distance learning. As we continue to navigate these challenging times I will keep these pointers in mind. Thank you.
ReplyDelete