10 Ways to Make Homeschooling Effective
Multiple Intelligences Test Surprise bags Simple Lesson Plan Template Attention Getters Pace of activities Learning Contract Vision Board Growing Learner Autonomy Less talking Find a Teaching BalanceHow to Manage Homeschooling Successfully
- First, find out what kind of learner your child is to choose the best activities for him. Try this multiple intelligences test. According to your findings, design and choose materials for your child’s dominant traits: more pictures, posters, and videos for a visual learner, more games and movement for a kinesthetic learner etc. You can read all about the importance of knowing your child’s learning style in this article on multiple intelligences.
- Children are curious, so introduce surprise elements: riddles, music, dramatic stories, games, discussions, jokes, stimulating pictures etc. You can also bring a surprise bag that includes items used to introduce the topic of the lesson; have the child guess what the topic used by looking at the items.
- Listen actively to your child and take into account his wishes. Since you are homeschooling, it is easier to take your time and do that. Respect his preferences, ask which activities he enjoyed most, and use them again.
- Grow learner autonomy-gradually offer more independence as a learner, both in terms of what they learn and how they learn. An example of how they learn: at first have your child listen to a model and repeat it; later have him look for words for himself/ do a reading puzzle by himself; when confident enough, offer appropriate resources and let him do the work by himself. You can also grow learner autonomy by offering your child playful learning experiences. For inspiration and ideas, read this article on learning through play activities.
Offer feedback in the form of constructive criticism, but also praise. Opt for variety, but also be consistent in everything you do.
- Be adaptable and flexible -act quickly when things don’t go as planned, prepare backups; be ready to assume different roles within a lesson: the prompter, the controller, the resource, the assessor. For inspiration and ideas of free activities and resources, make sure to read 13 Sites With Free Resources for kids.
- Know what you are teaching: read the lesson, do the exercises, think of what possible questions the child might have about the topic, try the activities yourself.
- Give clear and simple instructions; make sure the child understood them (ask him to explain what he has to do; ask a question to check).
- Give the lesson structure by following a simple lesson plan: introduce the topic (through a video, a poster, a song etc); discuss the lesson and have your children practice what has been discussed; your child actively works with the topic of the lesson (draw a project, make a presentation; have an interview, record a video etc).
- Prompt your child to correct himself first; if he cannot, offer the right answer/explanation; have him repeat. Offer reinforcements (praise, hugs, clapping, high fives etc) and create a positive learning environment.
- Always set time limits; make sure your child knows when to start and finish an activity; announce when there is little time left (eg 1 more min)
- Children’s attention span is limited so always be ready to get and maintain your child’s attention: make constant eye contact, decide on gestures for when you want to talk, you want them to speak etc. Use attention getters: you say “ready”, they say “ok”; you say “one, two, three”, they must say “eyes on me”; you say “class” on various voices, they must answer “yes” using the same tone.
Stop Doing These Things and Witness The Results
- Don’t try too much, too fast
- Teach a small amount of information; check what your child has taken in; give him opportunities to use the information; only then continue teaching
- Don’t talk too much
- Ideally, during a lesson, your child should talk more than you. Avoid long explanations and replace them with demonstrations if possible. Use gestures, have children explain back, offer plenty of opportunities for your child to practice what you teach.
- Avoid sitting too much
- Change the pace of the activities: play a song and dance, then sit down on a cushion and discuss, sit on the chair and work on a task, go around the house to interview, survey etc
- Try to teach with a positive attitude
- Leave all problems at the door.
- When things don’t go as hoped(not doing assignments, not willing to participate etc) write a letter to tell your child what is wrong and ask him to answer back. Do not act on the spur of the moment.
5 Simple Yet Essential Rules for Homeschooling Parents
1. Be friendly, but firm
Joke, bring fun activities, but not without teaching value; be open and look approachable, but also show authority. Empathy is essential in order to build a good rapport with the child.2. Set rules
Decide on 3-5 rules from the very beginning and discuss what happens when breaking them. Rules must be simple and visible during the teaching process. It’s important to establish the rules together with the child, negotiate them and thus he will feel more empowered and more willing to obey the rules.3. Outline objectives
Set clear objectives, short term (for each lesson), but also long term (in three months, the end of the school year etc). Identify them and discuss the commitment of the child, maybe sign a learning contract (you can find a model here)4. Cultivate motivation
Stir interest and get your child involved. In order to help cultivate motivation, children need to be given autonomy, freedom to choose. It is also important to help them visualize outcomes (try a vision board) and build self-confidence (recognize student’s achievements, offer praise). Extrinsic motivation in the form of rewards could help, but it is advisable to use it for simple, mechanistic tasks.5. Find a balance
Choose the right activities: not too long/easy/hard/ repetitive. Offer both feedback (constructive criticism) and praise. Opt for variety, but also be consistent in everything you do (students feel comfortable with a certain level of predictability). Read as much as you can about teaching and always stay up to date with the latest teaching methods, ideas, and practices. Here are some great books that can offer guidance and more clarity: What Great Teachers Do Differently Your First Year: How To Survive and Thrive As A Teacher Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain I Wish My Teacher KnewConclusion
The focus of this article has been to highlight essential aspects of teaching with an emphasis on the child and teaching approaches for homeschooling parents. As a teacher and homeschooling parent, I know that the road is sometimes bumpy, chaotic, or tiresome. But I also know it can be truly fulfilling, tremendously fun and it never ceases to amaze. Patience and perseverance, dear parents, dear teachers! You are homeschooling, in other words doing a wonderful job that no one else can! You are paving a path to the future, but “the FUTURE depends on what you do TODAY” (Mahatma Gandhi)We share all of our ideas on our Facebook group Learning Activities for Kids.
Hi. I am Monica, an experienced ESL teacher and early years student, mother to a preschooler and passionate reader.
Great tips! Thank you
Excellent ideas! I homeschool my daughter, and it is an amazing blessing!
I am one of the homeschooling parents myself, I am working with my toddler. Hope to continue until secondary school.
This is a great article! There are a couple of things here that I haven’t thought of. We recommend having a designated space in the home for learning time to get the kids in the right frame of mind before we get started 🙂
Yes, I completely agree. The focus of the article is on teaching, not organisation, this is more of a practical aspect. But I think most homeschooling parents decide on this individually and choose what best suits them. Homeschooling can take place anywhere.
These are great suggestions! As a music teacher, I know the importance of not sitting for too long! Kids need to get up and move, stretch, play!
That is so true. I think all homeschooling parents realise this pretty soon and adjust accordingly.
Great tips! Thank you!
We havent quite decided what to do yet, but if we choose to go this route I will come back to this post!
Thank you
These are good tips! Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome!
Lots of great tips! It’s really hard for parents who don’t have a teaching background to jump into this. I’m a huge believer in keeping learning fun!
That is true. Homeschooling parents are faced with such a huge task and that is what we aim to do, help and offer inspiration and ideas.
I would say being flexible is the best tip on here! It’s hard when you’ve set a schedule and you have to veer off, but that’s okay!
That is true, it is among the most important ones. Homeschooling parents know this even more than teachers because they need to readjust and rethink activities every single day.
Oh gosh, homeschooling is NOT for me. I always knew it, and it’s confirmed with this whole distance learning thing. I will be glad when it’s all over! I like your tips!
Teaching is a very complex matter and it requires a lot. That is what homeschooling parents most complain about, that there is too much to know and apply.
Homeschooling worked very well for a friend of mine. Her daughter can already read and speak English at age three. And I mean full sentences and not just words. They also had art lessons which were pretty cool.
Wow, that’s amazing. I am also one of the homeschooling parents teaching my toddler. We are doing spelling now, he loves it!
These are great tips for those homeschooling and even those overseeing kids during the current stay home orders. Thanks for sharing.
There are more and more homeschooling parents, especially now, yes. Hope they help!
I have a toddler so I don’t know if you have have to start doing the multiple intelligence test. I think that’s a very important test it will help develop full the kids full potential.
This is good advice. I am taking a laid back way to homeschool. My kids are doing things like cooking and building things.
I can only imagine how difficult the transition must be to go from school is homeschooling! This are really helpful tips that I am sure many parents and teachers can benefit from.
You’ve covered some great tips for homeschooling kids. I’ll share this with my parent friends.
These are great advice. Currently, my boyfriend’s kids are homeschooled but their teachers connect with them remoted. We are glad that their school have the capability to make things possible.
My daughter is done for the year, but finding balance was definitely important. We were new to it with the lockdown and I for sure have respect for anyone who homeschools full time.
Wow….it is an amazing blog..These tips and suggestions are much beneficial and interesting too…In this time Homeschooling is the only and best way…..
I have been homeschooling my son for a year now, he is in 10th grade and went to regular school earlier, I really love the idea of homeschooling and follow most of the things you mentioned but still a few things I will take into consideration now on, like spending too much time sitting at one place and studying.
Homeschooling is the ideal for any parent but throughout my life, I did not have the opportunity to homeschool my children. It is great to know what to do if I had the chance in the future.
This will be super helpful for all the parents who are homeschooling around the world right now.