Do What Works For You – Finding Your Way Part 2
Remember, there is not one way to homeschool and no one right way to homeschool. In order to be successful and not constantly feeling like you have made the wrong decision, you need to Do What Works For You!
Have you see the last post? Check it out here and learn more about the five principles that help.
Let’s recap the 5 principles on how you can make this work:
- Know yourself
- Know your children
- Be willing to not do “the norm”
- Give yourself permission to make changes
- Be together as a family
When we look at these different areas, then it helps us with our whys, with our goals and aims, and it can help set you up for success in the way that is best for you.
HOW CAN I DO IT? HOW CAN I DO WHAT WORKS FOR US?
So, if you are feeling the itch to do what works for you, here are some questions you can ask yourself, to be set on your merry way.
Why am I homeschooling? What are my main aims/hopes/dreams with it for my children?
When we know our whys, it can really help to see how you could structure your homeschooling. We wrote a Why Statement that we can come back to again and again when we need reassurance, or when people legitimately want to know .
How do my children learn best?
This comes back to “Know Your Children”. Do they need routine and structure? What are their learning styles? Etc. When you can answer this, you can find what is best for you.
What would I LOVE to do within our homeschooling? Are there things I would really like to do? (even though people might look at me as though I am weird)
Do you really want to make sure art is done every day? What are things you really want your children to learn, that will also bring joy to your day?
What is it my children would like to do?
I think that it is always best to get our children’s input. This is their education after all. Some of it might be totally not feasible (like doing no school whatsoever) but some of it might be a lot of fun!
What is the best time of day for us to start learning?
What do we need to add to our day/week? (sport, dance, extra curricula)
Who am I in all of this? How can I be me in the midst of all I have to do?
This is important. It can be hard to balance being the parent AND the teacher/guide. But your mental health is also very important. If it means taking a nap, do it! If it means you doing a pottery class for yourself, do it! Whatever it is for you to also be yourself in the midst of homeschooling is so important and best for the health of your family.
How can we come together and do something that works for us? What compromises should we make? What can we drop? What can we add?
It might sound like a lot of questions, but when you can answer them, then you have a great framework to create something that is yours and no one else’s.
To give an example – we do things how it’s best for us.
- We don’t do every subject every day.
We do use a curriculum for Language Arts and Math, but I will leave things out. And the other subjects are interest led and done when the interest is hot. - I follow a skills based learning methodology, so I don’t focus on content.
- We do international trips, so allow the culture and experiences there to guide our learning.
I love when learning is more organic and less structured. - No morning baskets.
- The girls have their own list of what to do and it is up to them to do it and to ask for help as needed (though yes, I will also teach a lesson).
- We don’t have a scheduled space to learn.
Here is a post on what we don’t do in homeschool. It is freeing for us.
What might it look like for you? Whatever is best for you!
Also check out 5 Habits of Highly Successful Homeschoolers.
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