My friend Jen asks, “I’m planning on homeschooling in 1.5 years when my oldest would be starting Kindergarten. What should I be doing right now to get ready (he just turned four)?”
I made the decision to give homeschooling a try when my oldest was only three. I’m certainly not an expert on this topic, but here’s what I did to “get ready” for the first year of homeschooling:
1. First, don’t do too much when they are young. Homeschooling should be fun, especially when the children are little. All learning should be child-directed. If your child is passionate about dinosaurs or horses, it’s fine to get lots of books from the library about that topic and explore them together. However, if they aren’t interested, just wait. The time will come.
The same thing can be said about learning how to read or learning how to write. If they are interested and highly motivated, then go right ahead. If they aren’t then wait.
2. A love of reading is essential not only for homeschooling, but for life in general. Kids need to love books. Read to your children as much as possible. Get a good book that gives suggestions for good books for kids. My favorites are A Landscape with Dragons and Honey for a Child’s Heart.
3. Similarly, keep the television off. Kids will never love reading if they watch a lot of television. The current research suggests that twenty to thirty minutes of good, educational television is fine, but don’t watch more than that.
Also, I only allow them to watch tv if the programming is something that I can’t teach them myself. For example, my Spanish-speaking skills are not as good as I would like, and I’ll never speak Spanish with a perfect accent, so I don’t mind the kids watching the Spanish videos I’ve posted on this site. I also think that a child can never have too much religion, so I also allow the religious videos I’ve posted here as well. Therefore, other than a little bit of Spanish or religious tv (no more than 30 minutes a day), the television is always off.
4. Next, have fun with your child! That is the whole point of homeschooling – spending time together and having fun together. And, if the opportunity allows, make games educational as well. For example, hide and seek is an all-time favorite at our house, and I’d make it educational as well. First, I’d count from one to twenty before announcing “Ready or not, here I come!” Then, once the kids learned how to count in English, we’d count from 1 to 20 in Spanish. Then once the kids learned that, we’d count by fives, by tens, and by twos. If the children hear you skip count enough times, eventually they’ll pick it up on their own. Lots of other games can be educational as well. I’m not a very creative person, but I’ve come up with a few, so anyone can!
5. Books on CD. If children love to read, then they will love books on CD. Start with books and characters they already know and love, like Frog and Toad, Dr. Suess, or Winnie the Pooh, and then move on to new books. Books on CD are fun, they help children develop great vocabularies, and they make great use of time spent in the car.
6. Have a good relationship with your child, and raise a child that you would enjoy spending time with. I know a lot of moms who are afraid to try homeschooling because they have no control over their child, and they can’t make discipline work. Some moms would like to homeschool, but their children don’t listen to them. The sad truth is that sending them to school isn’t going to make this problem any better. Homeschooling or not, it is important for every parent to properly instruct, discipline and raise their child.
A homeschooling parent knows without a doubt whether discipline is working or not in their home, because children and parents have the benefits of spending time together. One advantage to homeschooling is that kids and moms grow together, learn together, and learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The more time I spend with my children, the more virtuous I become. The more time my children spend with me, the better people they become (because I love them more than a paid teacher, and I have the time to train my kids in virtues. It is unrealistic to expect a teacher with a classroom of 20 kids to train a child’s character).
If you feel you need to improve in this area (don’t we all?), I’ve learned (and am still learning) a lot from Dr. Ray Guarendi. He’s a child psychologist, but, more importantly, he’s also the father of ten adopted children and a man of faith. And, he’s hilarious too! Check out his website at www.kidbrat.com
7. Read, read, read. Now is the best time to learn a little more about homeschooling. My favorite book is The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Another great book I like is 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing The Right Curriculum And Approach For Your Child’s Learning Style by Cathy Duffy. I like Duffy’s book because it explains the various philosophies/styles of teaching (such as Classical, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc…) and gives you a quiz to help you discover your own teaching style. Find as many books about homeschooling from your local library and read them.
8. Join a support group. Homeschooling can’t be done alone, and I’m very grateful for all the experienced women who’ve given me advice and shared their successes and mistakes with me. We have a wonderful Catholic support group in town, and not only do they offer advice and support meetings, but they also offer classes and activities for children as young as preschool. We’ve joined a Montessori class and a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd class through our local homeschooling group. We’ve also taken advantage of field trips to the Fire Museum, the planetarium, a pumpkin patch, and other places. Our group also offers fun annual events like International Night, where each family brings a posterboard, main dish, and dessert from a country they’ve studied.
9. Get your finances in order. Homeschooling is a lot cheaper than the local Catholic or Protestant school, but it isn’t free. Once you start homeschooling, you’ll need money for workbooks, curriculum, and classes. I was really surprised at how much money I’ve spent this year homeschooling. If you have credit card debt or student loan debt, pay it off, so that there will be room in your budget for homeschooling.
