Q. How do you prioritise just having fun in your homeschool day? E.g. do you just fit it in at the end of school work or weekends? Is it a minor or major priority?
A. One of the things that I’ve tried hard not to do is become my children’s teacher, with my husband the principal. We are their parents, who have the God given responsibility to teach and train our children and that is what we set out to do all day, every day. Though we set aside time specific for learning this is a time management thing not compartmentalising our life into school and family.
With this mindset learning happens at any time of our week, as does fun. I do tell my children that not everything needs to be fun, but then again not everything needs to be learning either. We have some very silly moments where I doubt even I could find learning value!!!
I don’t actually set out to have fun so in that sense it isn’t a high priority (this would be a personality thing I think) – I set out to have memory making, relationship building times – sometimes the kids will think that was a fun time, other times it is just what our family does. I am aware that we need to laugh together as a family, that we need to relax and enjoy each other’s company – and if that is what you call ‘fun’ then that happens when we read a book together, when we sit around the table, when we drive to town, when we go camping, when we meet with friends, and sometimes even when we do our chores.
