Mother and Child Reading
Lilla Cabot…
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We are kicking off our homeschool year in just a few days. There is great excitement at our house as we prepare. Our “parent brainstorming time” is in the past. The schoolbooks that we needed have arrived, I have the supplies for our responsibility chart awaiting my creative juices to flow. The family pow-wow where we laid out everything to the children is over and done. We are on our last summer get-a-way. And soon, the application.
Each year the dynamic changes just a bit as the ages of our children change. This year I have an infant in the house again. How practically, do you accomplish the educating of 6 different grade levels, from Kindergarden to high school? Here are a few tips that we have implemented.
Make family worship a priority. The time spent instructing the children in God’s word is of utmost importance. Do not let that slide in the tyranny of the urgent. We do not forgoe feeding our children their breakfast or lunch because we are having a busy day. So, their little souls need to be fed by God’s word that we parsel out to them.
Utilize the older children with the younger children. I have a time in my daily schedule where one of my daughters reads to my 7 and 5 year old. This serves two purposes, it occupies my younger ones and gives my 9 year old extra reading practice.
Keep a chart or system for chores/responsiblities. I have had checklists or charts in the past. This year we are making a system with cards and pockets. Each child will have a “to do” and a “finished” pocket. I plan on sharing this in more detail in another post.
Utilize computer self-guided materials. This year one of my daughters math and two of my sons science are on the computer through SOS. Another of my daughters is using Teaching Textbooks. Both of these computer programs are interactive tutorials which self-grade to make it easy for us to check on their progress. Both of my boys are using Saxon Math with the D.I.V.E CDs which instruct them in each lesson.
Teach what you can in a group/classroom setting. Each day we have “Classroom Time” in our schedule. This is the time I teach Mystery of History, as well as Language Arts. The younger ones absorb what they can and the older ones can go further if they so desire. This is a wonderful time of family learning and an enjoyable part of our day.
Encourage and teach the character of self motivation. This is one of our priorities this year. To teach our children more and more to be able to work responsibly on those things daily tasks that they know are expected of them. My oldest son is hoping to begin College Prep! at the beginning of the year, and one of the things he will be growing in is the responsibility of taking initiative in his studies as he prepares for adulthood. Early on our child can begin to be strengthened in this, as they have to take ownership of their own little chores and tasks.
It is no small task to educate our children whether our family is large or small, but with the Lord’s help the rewards are rich and great blessing can come thereby. Do you have any tips that you would like to add to my list? Leave me a comment!
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