There are many different ways to homeschool and the best part is that you don’t have to conform to someone else’s norm. For parents new to homeschooling, the most difficult part is figuring out just what their homeschooling system should and should not have. Remember there is no right or wrong way to homeschool: there is only what suits your needs versus what seems tedious and tiring. Here’s how you can identify what works best for you.
Morning? Afternoon? Weekends?
If you wanted your children to attend school first thing in the morning just because that’s how traditional school works, you are not doing yourself any favors. You are the homeschool teacher and that offers you the flexibility to pick the hours in which you want to work. You even get to pick the days you want to teach. Just because everyone else works Monday through Friday and rests on the weekend is no reason why you should do it too. Maybe the afternoons suit you better than the mornings. Saturday and Sunday are ideal for long science experiments, just pick the time which makes most sense for your needs.
Textbooks? Movies? Worksheets?
As each child learns somewhat differently from the other, what worked wonders with your first homeschool student may not work so well with the second one. Some children respond better to reading about a new topic, others do better when they see how the concept works, while a few kids may like to actually do the science experiment to understand how what they learned about translates in the real world. As the homeschool teacher, you need to figure out the best way to teach your children. Remember just because another homeschooling family finds a way to be easy does not mean it’s the only way to go.
Scope and Sequence Are Important
You need to know what your homeschool students must learn in the school year. This is the scope of their studies in that academic session, but scope is not enough without sequence. The order in which you teach your children is also equally important as that will help them learn sequentially. Ensure that you check out the scope and sequence of topics to be taught in each subject at the beginning of the year. With that done, you can structure your lesson plans exactly as you wish!
