If you are a parent that has taken on the task of not only being the provider and protector of your children but also the designated teacher, then you will need to consider how you can best support yourself, as well as the education of your children. Most people will simply send their children to school as trying to balance being a parent, as well as a teacher can be a complicated task to achieve. However, if you use, and implement the right techniques and tools that are available to you, the journey and rewards are worth it. If you are currently homeschooling your children, or are considering doing it, then here are several ways in which you can help to support yourself when doing so.
Take regular breaks
Not only will your children need to take regular breaks to help them stay engaged, and absorb the information that you are providing for them more effectively, but you will also benefit from these periodic breaks. You can use this downtime to discuss the subject that you have just been learning about in a relaxed manner, or you can engage with your children socially, and ask them questions that are unrelated to the subjects you are teaching. Another alternative is to provide them with expressive, artistic, or creative outlets that they can use to channel their energy through. This way when the lessons resume, they will hopefully be in a calmer headspace to sit still and listen to you, making their life, and yours much more pleasant.
Use as many available learning tools as possible
Just because you want to homeschool your children, doesn’t mean that you have to do it alone. Thanks to the internet there are many different ways in which you can grow your child’s education through online tools. Although places such asYouTubeoffer free and interactive videos for your children to watch, there are also other alternatives that have been specifically designed to help children learn. For example, lesson plans fromLearn Bright. The help and resources found through these organizations can help you elevate your teaching skills to the next level, and potentially improve the quality of your child’s homeschool educational experience.
Take some of your lessons outside
Humans benefit greatly from nature, and being in an outdoors environment. For this reason, it would be beneficial for not only yourmental healthbut for that of your children too. A few ideas that you could consider doing include visiting your local wildlife area (this could be a park or a forest, or even a beach) and documenting, or collecting a variety of plant life, or insects to learn about. Not only will this be a great physical activity for you and your family, but it is also much more interactive than simply sitting at a desk and learning about nature.
The possibilities are endless when it comes tostarting your homeschooling journeyfor your kids, but make sure to consider how you can support yourself, and take on board some of these tips.
