The day has come. You’ve pulled your child out of school to homeschool. Now what? You plunge headfirst into a pile of books and workbooks tomorrow morning, right?
Well, hold on! You changed your child’s learning environment for a reason. First take some time to process WHY this was necessary and then proceed to meet that specific need, or needs.
I have heard it said that when you bring a child home from brick & mortar schooling you should take 2 weeks off of formal instruction for every year they were in school. While I don’t believe that will address every situation, there are a few things you are at liberty to do before feeling the pressure to jump feet first into a pile of books.
If you pulled your child for health reasons, then by all means take the time necessary for physical healing. Personal interest books, educational videos and thinking games can help engage the mind as the body heals.
If you pulled your child for bullying or other social issues, now is a great time to find a safe place for them to interact with others. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, a pen and paper and your computer and start researching activities and co-ops. Gather email and phone numbers and get a hold of someone in charge that can give you a good feel for that activity and makeup of the group. See if you can visit beforehand to gauge how your child will fit with the group.
If you pulled your child for learning issues, you now have the freedom to line up the special tutors or therapies that are needed. In this way, their learning schedule can be built around these needed appointments and not the other way around.
If you pulled your child for general learning issues without any health issues or diagnosis, you now have the ability to tailor learning around them. Keep in mind it’s not out of the norm for a child to have academic abilities that are all over the place. We aren’t all nuclear physicists, Pulitzers and brain surgeons all wrapped up in one bundle. Every child will have their strength and their weakness. Here’s your opportunity to help foster and grow an interest or strength while gently assisting in weak areas. Personally when I’m dealing with this in my own children, I am humored and strengthen in the knowledge that while doctors are smart and knowledgeable, they mostly have illegible writing and many times not so great communication skills. Most of the time it’s not possible to be perfect in every area!
So, relax and enjoy this time as you regroup and strategically design your child’s new learning journey!
Check out the many homeschooling resources at Rainbow Resource!
